Nursing License from North Carolina to Hawaii: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Does Hawaii accept a North Carolina nursing license?
A nursing license transfers from North Carolina to Hawaii by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Hawaii Board of Nursing, verify your North Carolina license, and meet Hawaii's endorsement requirements. NCLEX is not retaken; your original licensure and exam scores are verified through Nursys or directly by your original state board.
Verify this exact pair in the checker
Same data, interactive — with share link and board links.
Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Moving from North Carolina into Hawaii means leaving the compact's coverage: Hawaii does not participate, so the multistate privilege that made North Carolina easy stops at the border. File Hawaii's endorsement application as early as the board allows — this direction of the move is paperwork-first, and starting after you arrive is the classic way to lose weeks of income. Note that while your primary residence remains in North Carolina, your multistate license keeps working in the compact states; you only lose it when you establish residence in Hawaii.
What's different between North Carolina and Hawaii
Computed from both states' verified data rows, in both directions, and from the route every other origin gets into Hawaii. Exam notes are our summary of each board's published rules, with sources below.
- Route, each way
North Carolina to Hawaii (this page): Licensure by endorsement.
Hawaii to North Carolina (the reverse move): Licensure by endorsement.
The route is the same in both directions.
- Does coming from North Carolina matter?
Coming from North Carolina does not change the answer: every origin (the other 49 states and DC) gets the same result for a move into Hawaii.
- NLC membership
North Carolina is an NLC member state; Hawaii is not in the NLC.
Because they are not both active members, the NLC does not cover this move.
A multistate license issued by North Carolina does not cover practice in Hawaii.
- Application fee
Hawaii lists $186–$254 for an out-of-state applicant and North Carolina lists $150 for the reverse move; neither may be the full cost.
- Processing time
Hawaii lists 3–4 weeks; North Carolina has no verified processing-time figure on file, so the two cannot be compared here.
- Exam rules on record
Hawaii and North Carolina carry different exam notes (our summaries, below); any state law or jurisprudence exam is listed with each state's requirements.
- Hawaii (this move): NCLEX is not retaken; your original licensure and exam scores are verified through Nursys or directly by your original state board
- North Carolina (the reverse move): NCLEX is not retaken; your license is verified through Nursys
What changes, North Carolina → Hawaii
| North Carolina (current) | Hawaii (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| NLC status | NLC member — multistate license honored | Licensure by endorsement |
| Application fee | $150 (endorsement application (nonrefundable); + $38 criminal background check fee; Nursys license verification $30 per license type paid to Nursys) | $186–$254 (total varies by point in the 2-year licensing cycle ($40 application + $36 license + Compliance Resolution Fund $50-$100 + $60 Center for Nursing + $18 half-renewal when applicable); fingerprint fee paid directly to Fieldprint; optional temporary permit $50) |
| Processing time | no overall timeline published; the out-of-state fingerprint background check step alone averages 6 weeks; a once-per-lifetime temporary license (up to 6 months) is available while pending | 3–4 weeks (board states processing is normally 15-20 working days for complete applications; one single-employer temporary permit available) |
| Licensing authority | North Carolina Board of Nursing | Hawaii Board of Nursing |
The destination column is what you must satisfy — Hawaii sets the rules for this move.
Step by step
- Confirm Hawaii's current requirements on the Hawaii Board of Nursing website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Hawaii Board of Nursing (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state via the verification system.
- Fingerprint-based FBI and Hawaii state criminal history check through Fieldprint (code FPHIBrdNursing).
- Submit an original National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB) self-query report.
- Obtain verification of licensure from your state of original licensure by exam (via Nursys if that state participates).
- If you have not actively practiced in the past 5 years, the board may require proof of continued competency (NCLEX retake or board-recognized continuing education).
- Pay the fees listed above, and allow for the processing time shown there.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Do I retake the NCLEX moving from North Carolina to Hawaii?
No — the NCLEX transfers everywhere.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified North Carolina 2026-07-21, Hawaii 2026-10-29.
- Hawaii DCCA — Application for License (Endorsement or Without Exam), NSG-02/NSG-07 with fee schedule ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- Hawaii Board of Nursing — Application Forms and Publications ↗ (accessed 2026-10-29)
- NC Board of Nursing — RN/LPN by Endorsement ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- NC Board of Nursing — Criminal Background Check / Live Scan ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
- NC Board of Nursing — FAQ Licensure by Endorsement ↗ (accessed 2026-07-21)
Reviewed by the License Reciprocity Editorial Team · verified against primary sources North Carolina 2026-07-21, Hawaii 2026-10-29
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