Skip to content
LicenseReciprocity

Transfer Your Counseling License to Hawaii: Reciprocity & Endorsement (2026)

Last verified: 2026-09-27 · source: Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Professional and Vocational Licensing Division, Mental Health Counselor Program, Licensed Mental Health Counselor (MHC) ↗

Hawaii offers no licensure-by-endorsement route for an out-of-state counselor, so a license here means a full application to the Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Professional and Vocational Licensing Division, Mental Health Counselor Program, Licensed Mental Health Counselor (MHC), reviewed against Hawaii's complete requirements however long you have been licensed elsewhere. Application fee: $60 ($60 non-refundable application fee (Hawaii PVL Mental Health Counselor requirements and instructions, form MHC-00 rev. 06/24). A separate license fee is due once all requirements are met, prorated by triennium year: $444, $350 or $256 on the published schedule. That schedule runs only through June 30, 2026, so fees for licenses issued in the 2026-2029 triennium were not published on the form read. $25 dishonored-payment charge. NBCC score-report fee separate. Hawaii has not enacted the Counseling Compact, so no privilege exists.). Processing: the program publishes no processing timeframe; an application is deemed abandoned if licensure is not completed within one year of filing (HRS 436B-9). Hawaii has not enacted the Counseling Compact, so no privilege reaches it either.

Moving to Hawaii from a specific state?

Pick your current state — the checker returns your exact pathway.

Run the Reciprocity Checker →

Verdict

Full re-application required

Hawaii has not enacted the Counseling Compact, so the planning is simple, if slower. There is no compact privilege to fall back on, including for telehealth: you cannot lawfully counsel a client located in Hawaii until Hawaii authorizes you, which for most counselors means a license from the Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Professional and Vocational Licensing Division, Mental Health Counselor Program, Licensed Mental Health Counselor (MHC) (check the notes below for any telehealth-only registration). Start the application before you need the income.

Budget time accordingly. Because Hawaii has no endorsement path, the Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Professional and Vocational Licensing Division, Mental Health Counselor Program, Licensed Mental Health Counselor (MHC) does not take your current license as a shortcut; expect it to check your graduate degree, national exam, and post-degree supervised experience against its own standard, as it would for a first-time applicant.

Hawaii's independent counselor license is the Mental Health Counselor (MHC) license. The Associate Mental Health Counselor provisional license (Act 93, 2024) is the supervised tier. The program states 'There is no reciprocity (or recognition of Mental Health Counselor licensure) in another state,' and its FAQ says Hawaii has no reciprocity agreement with any state, so an out-of-state licensee must apply by the standard education, experience and examination method. HRS 453D-8 allows the director to enter reciprocity agreements with states that have substantially the same or higher requirements, covering residents of those states, but none exists. A 2023 bill (HB 1390) to extend 453D-8 to compacts was not reflected in the current statute text. The only portable element is the NCE score, which is not retaken. No general universal-licensure-recognition route for counselors is referenced on the program's pages. Hawaii has not enacted the Counseling Compact. compact_member and compact_status are assembler-provided.

Hawaii requirements at a glance

Out-of-state counseling license transfer requirements for Hawaii, verified 2026-09-27
ExamNational exam is not retaken: an applicant who already passed the NCE has NBCC send written documentation directly to the program. Hawaii's application requires the NCE ('All applicants shall pass the National Counselor Examination'); the program's documents do not say whether an NCMHCE-only licensee is accepted. No jurisprudence exam.
Additional requirements
  • Meet all Hawaii requirements in full; no endorsement or reciprocity route exists for out-of-state licensees
  • Submit an official transcript for a master's or doctorate with at least 48 semester (72 quarter) hours of counseling coursework in 9 required areas, with the Coursework Form, catalog descriptions and syllabi
  • Document a supervised mental health practicum (at least 6 semester hours, 300 client-contact hours) on a notarized Practicum Verification Form
  • Document 3,000 hours of post-graduate mental health counseling experience with 100 hours of face-to-face clinical supervision, completed in 2-4 years, on a notarized Post-Graduate Verification Form
  • Have NBCC send verification of a passing NCE score
Fees$60 ($60 non-refundable application fee (Hawaii PVL Mental Health Counselor requirements and instructions, form MHC-00 rev. 06/24). A separate license fee is due once all requirements are met, prorated by triennium year: $444, $350 or $256 on the published schedule. That schedule runs only through June 30, 2026, so fees for licenses issued in the 2026-2029 triennium were not published on the form read. $25 dishonored-payment charge. NBCC score-report fee separate. Hawaii has not enacted the Counseling Compact, so no privilege exists.)
Processing timethe program publishes no processing timeframe; an application is deemed abandoned if licensure is not completed within one year of filing (HRS 436B-9)

Step by step

  1. Confirm Hawaii's current requirements on the Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Professional and Vocational Licensing Division, Mental Health Counselor Program, Licensed Mental Health Counselor (MHC) website — rules change.
  2. Submit the endorsement application to the Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Professional and Vocational Licensing Division, Mental Health Counselor Program, Licensed Mental Health Counselor (MHC).
  3. Arrange license verification from your current state.
  4. Meet all Hawaii requirements in full; no endorsement or reciprocity route exists for out-of-state licensees.
  5. Submit an official transcript for a master's or doctorate with at least 48 semester (72 quarter) hours of counseling coursework in 9 required areas, with the Coursework Form, catalog descriptions and syllabi.
  6. Document a supervised mental health practicum (at least 6 semester hours, 300 client-contact hours) on a notarized Practicum Verification Form.
  7. Document 3,000 hours of post-graduate mental health counseling experience with 100 hours of face-to-face clinical supervision, completed in 2-4 years, on a notarized Post-Graduate Verification Form.
  8. Have NBCC send verification of a passing NCE score.
  9. Pay the fees ($60 ($60 non-refundable application fee (Hawaii PVL Mental Health Counselor requirements and instructions, form MHC-00 rev. 06/24). A separate license fee is due once all requirements are met, prorated by triennium year: $444, $350 or $256 on the published schedule. That schedule runs only through June 30, 2026, so fees for licenses issued in the 2026-2029 triennium were not published on the form read. $25 dishonored-payment charge. NBCC score-report fee separate. Hawaii has not enacted the Counseling Compact, so no privilege exists.)) and allow the program publishes no processing timeframe; an application is deemed abandoned if licensure is not completed within one year of filing (HRS 436B-9).

Official links

Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Professional and Vocational Licensing Division, Mental Health Counselor Program, Licensed Mental Health Counselor (MHC) ↗

Coming from a specific state?

Direction matters — these guides cover the exact move into Hawaii:

California → HawaiiFlorida → HawaiiGeorgia → HawaiiIllinois → HawaiiMichigan → HawaiiNew York → HawaiiNorth Carolina → HawaiiOhio → HawaiiPennsylvania → HawaiiTexas → Hawaii

Hawaii for other professions

Frequently asked questions

Does my counseling license transfer to Hawaii?

Hawaii offers no licensure-by-endorsement route for an out-of-state counselor, so a license here means a full application to the Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Professional and Vocational Licensing Division, Mental Health Counselor Program, Licensed Mental Health Counselor (MHC), reviewed against Hawaii's complete requirements however long you have been licensed elsewhere. Application fee: $60 ($60 non-refundable application fee (Hawaii PVL Mental Health Counselor requirements and instructions, form MHC-00 rev. 06/24). A separate license fee is due once all requirements are met, prorated by triennium year: $444, $350 or $256 on the published schedule. That schedule runs only through June 30, 2026, so fees for licenses issued in the 2026-2029 triennium were not published on the form read. $25 dishonored-payment charge. NBCC score-report fee separate. Hawaii has not enacted the Counseling Compact, so no privilege exists.). Processing: the program publishes no processing timeframe; an application is deemed abandoned if licensure is not completed within one year of filing (HRS 436B-9). Hawaii has not enacted the Counseling Compact, so no privilege reaches it either.

Do I have to retake the NCE or NCMHCE to get licensed in Hawaii?

National exam is not retaken: an applicant who already passed the NCE has NBCC send written documentation directly to the program. Hawaii's application requires the NCE ('All applicants shall pass the National Counselor Examination'); the program's documents do not say whether an NCMHCE-only licensee is accepted. No jurisprudence exam.

How much does a Hawaii counseling license cost as an out-of-state applicant?

$60 ($60 non-refundable application fee (Hawaii PVL Mental Health Counselor requirements and instructions, form MHC-00 rev. 06/24). A separate license fee is due once all requirements are met, prorated by triennium year: $444, $350 or $256 on the published schedule. That schedule runs only through June 30, 2026, so fees for licenses issued in the 2026-2029 triennium were not published on the form read. $25 dishonored-payment charge. NBCC score-report fee separate. Hawaii has not enacted the Counseling Compact, so no privilege exists.)

How long does Hawaii take to process the application?

the program publishes no processing timeframe; an application is deemed abandoned if licensure is not completed within one year of filing (HRS 436B-9)

Is Hawaii in the Counseling Compact?

No. Hawaii had not enacted the compact as of 2026-09-27. No privilege reaches Hawaii, including for telehealth, so a Hawaii license is required to counsel clients located there.

Sources

Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-09-27.

Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-09-27

How we verify · All sources · spot an error? [email protected]