Psychology License from California to Hawaii: Does It Transfer? (2026)
Last verified: 2026-08-07 · source: Hawaii Board of Psychology (Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Professional and Vocational Licensing Division) ↗
A psychology license transfers from California to Hawaii by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Hawaii Board of Psychology (Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Professional and Vocational Licensing Division), verify your California license, and meet Hawaii's endorsement requirements. EPPP passing score transfers (not retaken) — ASPPB sends the score directly to the Board, and the score must have equalled or exceeded the Board's passing score at the time it was taken. Hawaii publishes no state jurisprudence or law examination for psychologists; instead the applicant certifies on the application that they have read and will abide by HRS Chapter 465 and HAR Chapter 98.
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Verdict
Licensure by endorsement
Neither California nor Hawaii is a participating PSYPACT state, so the compact is irrelevant in both directions and this is a straightforward endorsement move. The Hawaii Board of Psychology (Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Professional and Vocational Licensing Division) verifies your California license, reviews your doctoral degree and supervised experience, accepts your existing EPPP passing score rather than re-testing you, and applies its own jurisprudence and background requirements. Nothing about holding an California license speeds up or slows down Hawaii's standard out-of-state process.
What changes, California → Hawaii
| California (current) | Hawaii (destination) | |
|---|---|---|
| PSYPACT status | Licensure by endorsement | Licensure by endorsement |
| Application fee | $236 ($236 psychologist initial application fee (2024 fee schedule, the current schedule published by the Board). Separately + $127 for the CPLEE application and + $231 for initial licensure; out-of-state fingerprint hard card processing is $233) | $50 ($50 nonrefundable application fee payable to Commerce & Consumer Affairs. On approval a $38 license fee plus a Compliance Resolution Fund fee of $74 or $148 (depending on where in the two-year cycle the license issues) becomes due, so the all-in cost is roughly $162-$236; an optional temporary permit is $30 and a dishonored payment costs $25) |
| Processing time | 4–6 weeks (Board states processing takes approximately 1.5 months (4-6 weeks) for applications, subsequent documents/correspondence and requested deficiency documents. Because the application, the CPLEE request and the request for initial licensure are each processed separately at that pace, total time from filing to a California license is considerably longer) | The Board publishes no processing-time estimate; its instructions warn only that incomplete documentation prolongs review and that an application is abandoned if licensure is not completed within one year |
| Licensing authority | California Board of Psychology (Department of Consumer Affairs) | Hawaii Board of Psychology (Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Professional and Vocational Licensing Division) |
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 Psychology (Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Professional and Vocational Licensing Division) website (linked below) — rules change.
- Submit the endorsement application to the Hawaii Board of Psychology (Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Professional and Vocational Licensing Division) (application linked below).
- Arrange license verification from your current state.
- Hold a current license or certificate in good standing to practice psychology in another state that the Board deems to have standards equivalent to Hawaii's.
- Have ASPPB transfer the EPPP score and have each jurisdiction of licensure return a Verification of Licensure form (PSY-06) directly to the Board.
- Meet Hawaii's doctoral degree, graduate coursework, 1,900-hour pre-doctoral internship and 1,900-hour post-doctoral experience requirements, which an out-of-state license does not waive.
- Apply instead on form PSY-04(A) if qualifying by ASPPB CPQ, National Register credential, ABPP diplomate certificate, or 20-year Senior Psychologist status.
- Complete the licensure process within one year of filing or the application is deemed abandoned under HRS 436B-9.
- Pay the fees ($50 ($50 nonrefundable application fee payable to Commerce & Consumer Affairs. On approval a $38 license fee plus a Compliance Resolution Fund fee of $74 or $148 (depending on where in the two-year cycle the license issues) becomes due, so the all-in cost is roughly $162-$236; an optional temporary permit is $30 and a dishonored payment costs $25)) and allow The Board publishes no processing-time estimate; its instructions warn only that incomplete documentation prolongs review and that an application is abandoned if licensure is not completed within one year.
Official links
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
Does Hawaii accept a California psychology license?
A psychology license transfers from California to Hawaii by endorsement — there is no automatic reciprocity, but you do not start over. Apply to the Hawaii Board of Psychology (Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Professional and Vocational Licensing Division), verify your California license, and meet Hawaii's endorsement requirements. EPPP passing score transfers (not retaken) — ASPPB sends the score directly to the Board, and the score must have equalled or exceeded the Board's passing score at the time it was taken. Hawaii publishes no state jurisprudence or law examination for psychologists; instead the applicant certifies on the application that they have read and will abide by HRS Chapter 465 and HAR Chapter 98.
Do I retake the EPPP moving from California to Hawaii?
No — the EPPP is passed once and your score is verified rather than retaken. EPPP passing score transfers (not retaken) — ASPPB sends the score directly to the Board, and the score must have equalled or exceeded the Board's passing score at the time it was taken. Hawaii publishes no state jurisprudence or law examination for psychologists; instead the applicant certifies on the application that they have read and will abide by HRS Chapter 465 and HAR Chapter 98.
What does the move cost?
$50 ($50 nonrefundable application fee payable to Commerce & Consumer Affairs. On approval a $38 license fee plus a Compliance Resolution Fund fee of $74 or $148 (depending on where in the two-year cycle the license issues) becomes due, so the all-in cost is roughly $162-$236; an optional temporary permit is $30 and a dishonored payment costs $25) ($50 nonrefundable application fee payable to Commerce & Consumer Affairs. On approval a $38 license fee plus a Compliance Resolution Fund fee of $74 or $148 (depending on where in the two-year cycle the license issues) becomes due, so the all-in cost is roughly $162-$236; an optional temporary permit is $30 and a dishonored payment costs $25).
How long will it take?
The Board publishes no processing-time estimate; its instructions warn only that incomplete documentation prolongs review and that an application is abandoned if licensure is not completed within one year — The Board publishes no processing-time estimate; its instructions warn only that incomplete documentation prolongs review and that an application is abandoned if licensure is not completed within one year.
Sources
Primary sources only — official boards and compact commissions. Data last verified 2026-08-07.
- Hawaii DCCA PVL — Requirements & Instructions, Psychologist License (PSY-04): examination, examination waiver, temporary permit; fees; 1,900-hour internship and postdoctoral requirements ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Hawaii DCCA PVL — Requirements & Instructions, Psychologist License by Certificate, Credential or Senior Psychologist (PSY-04(A)): CPQ, National Register, ABPP, 20-year senior route ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Hawaii Board of Psychology — board home (renewal cycle, laws and rules, application resources) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- Hawaii DCCA PVL — Psychology application forms and publications ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- CSG National Center for Interstate Compacts — PSYPACT member states (Hawaii is not listed) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- California Board of Psychology — Out-of-State Application for Licensure as a Psychologist (Categories A/B/C, SPE and credential substitutes, CPLEE, prelicensure coursework, fingerprints) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- California Board of Psychology — Frequently Asked Questions (no licensing reciprocity; EPPP score transfer from ASPPB; 180-day pre-licensure practice for an applicant licensed elsewhere) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- California Board of Psychology — 2024 Fee Schedule ($236 initial application, $127 CPLEE application, $231 initial licensure, $233 out-of-state fingerprint hard card) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- California Board of Psychology — Application Processing Timeframes (approximately 1.5 months / 4-6 weeks per item; updated July 16, 2026) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
- PSYPACT — PSYPACT Map/States (California is not a PSYPACT member) ↗ (accessed 2026-08-07)
Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor · verified against primary sources 2026-08-07
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