Hawaii

At a Glance

Category	Details
IMLC Member	Yes
FCVS	Accepted
NP Independent Practice	Yes
PA Independent Practice	No
Physician-Owned PC Allowed	No
Max NPs per Physician	No Limit
Max PAs per Physician	No Limit

Licensure

Item	Cost
Initial License	$500
Renewal Fee	$360
Renewal Cycle	Biennial
Annualized Cost	$180
Controlled Substance Registration	Yes ($200 per biennial cycle)

Endorsement & Reciprocity

Not yet researched — whether this state offers license-by-endorsement or reciprocity, and its prerequisites, is being verified.

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APC Supervision

In-state requirement for supervising physicians: None (MD license only).

Nurse Practitioners

NPs can practice independently in Hawaii.

• Maximum NPs per physician: No Limit (FPA)

Physician Assistants

PAs can practice independently in Hawaii.

• Maximum PAs per physician: No Limit

CME & Training Requirements

Requirement	Details
Total CME	40 hours
Category 1 Minimum	40 hours
Cycle	Biennial
Jurisprudence Exam	Not required

Fingerprint Requirements

Detail	Info
Required	Yes
FBI Check	Unknown
Method	IdentoGO
Out-of-State Options	Contact board

Malpractice Insurance

• Required for licensure/practice: No
• Applies to: The statute contemplates that a licensed physician may practice without professional liability insurance; such physicians instead must self-report settlements/arbitration awards for malpractice claims to DCCA within 30 days, with escalating fines for noncompliance.
• No Hawaii patient compensation fund was located; HRS 671-7 addresses insurer-side requirements (e.g., telehealth parity in coverage) rather than a mandate on physicians.

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Giving Up a License

• Status after lapse: Forfeiture of license (unlicensed, may not practice); if not renewed for one full renewal term after forfeiture, the license is automatically terminated and cannot be restored.
• Lapse consequences: Physicians/surgeons must renew by January 31 of even-numbered years (osteopathic physicians by June 30); unlicensed practice is prohibited once forfeited. Separately, physicians without professional liability insurance carry an independent statutory duty to self-report settlements/arbitration awards, with escalating fines ($100 to $1,000) for noncompliance.
• Voluntary surrender: Available — HAR 16-85-115 ("Relinquishment no bar to jurisdiction") confirms a voluntary relinquishment mechanism exists, but the Board retains jurisdiction to pursue discipline regardless of relinquishment -- the rule does not distinguish a separate non-disciplinary track the way Florida's rule does.
• Reinstatement: Restoration of a forfeited (not yet automatically-terminated) license requires written application, a restoration fee, and (for audited physicians) documentation of continuing-education compliance.

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Quirks & Gotchas

Application Requirements

• Two application tracks:** License by Endorsement (requires 2 years active clinical practice in the preceding 5 years) and License by Non-Endorsement. There is also a Temporary Military Spouse License valid only for the duration of the active-duty member’s Hawaii service.
• IMLC compact caveat: Hawaii participates in the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact (as of January 1, 2025), but Hawaii cannot be your State of Primary License (SPL).** You must establish SPL in another state first, then use the compact to get a Hawaii license. This trips up physicians who assume their primary state is Hawaii.
• Hospital documentation: You must arrange for the hospital where you received at least 3 years of medical training/experience to send evidence directly to the Hawaii Medical Board.** You cannot submit it yourself.
• Foreign language documents:** Translations cannot be provided by the applicant. Must come from the medical school or a certified translation service.
• Endorsement ineligibility:** Applicants subject to any disciplinary action, lacking a permanent license elsewhere, or without 2 years active clinical practice in the preceding 5 years are ineligible for the endorsement track.

Fees

• Even-year application:** ~$392 total — broken down as $50 application + $97 license + $148 Compliance Resolution Fund (CRF) + $97 renewal credit
• Odd-year application:** ~$221 total — $50 application + $97 license + $74 CRF (no renewal credit because the renewal cycle is already half over)
• Government (MDG) license:** $164 regardless of cycle
• Biennial renewal (MD):** $402 (on-time, per the board’s 2026 schedule); other sources cite $240 — confirm directly, as fees updated recently
• Hidden cost:** The Compliance Resolution Fund surcharge is not prominently explained and varies by application timing. It is not optional.

Fingerprints & Background Check

• No fingerprint or criminal background check requirement for the core physician license itself. This is a notable exception compared to most states.
• IdentoGO/fingerprinting may be required for controlled substance registration through DEA or state-level prescribing authority — that is a separate process, not part of the medical license application.

Jurisprudence Exam

• No separate jurisprudence exam required.** Hawaii does not require physicians to pass a state medical law/ethics exam as part of licensure. This is unlike many other states (TX, CA, FL, etc.).

CME & Mandatory Training

• AMA PRA Category 1 (or AOA Category 1-A) hours per biennial renewal cycle — total in the table above.**
• Renewal deadline: January 31 of every even-numbered year.**
• Mandatory one-time requirement (hours in the table above) on the treatment and management of patients with opioid or other substance use disorders, due by January 31 of an even-numbered year.
• Initial license exception:** Physicians who received their initial license in the first year of a renewal cycle need only 20 CME hours for their first renewal.
• No mandatory domestic violence, suicide prevention, or human trafficking CME** — Hawaii is notably absent from states requiring these specific topics for physician license renewal.
• Random audit: The board audits a subset of physicians in October of odd-numbered years. Physicians selected for audit cannot renew online** and must submit paper documentation.

Timeline

• Processing time: 45 to 120 days** from the date of a complete application filing. No expedite option is advertised.
• One-year abandonment rule:** If you do not complete the licensing process within 1 year of filing, the application is considered abandoned and you must start completely over with a new application and fees.
• Application is also dismissed if required exams have not been taken after becoming eligible, or if a Social Security number is not provided.

Other Gotchas

• All supporting documents must be sent directly by the issuing institutions** (medical schools, residency programs, hospitals) to the Hawaii Medical Board. Physician-submitted copies are not accepted as primary source.
• USMLE passing required before applying** — there is no “conditional” or “provisional” license pathway pending exam results for most applicants.
• Non-endorsement applicants** must also submit a Federation Discipline Report Form and a Hospital Form (separate documents with separate coordination burden).
• Telemedicine:** Physicians providing telehealth services to Hawaii patients must hold a valid Hawaii license unless they have an established physician-patient relationship predating the telehealth encounter or the service is referral-based. Out-of-state telemedicine without a license is a common compliance miss.
• Board meeting cadence:** The board meets periodically; applications submitted near meeting deadlines may wait an extra cycle for review, extending the 45–120 day estimate.
• Hawaii Medical Board - DCCA Hawaii
• Hawaii Medical Board Application Forms - DCCA Hawaii
• Hawaii Medical Board Application Deadline and Examination Dates
• Physician CME Requirements - DCCA Hawaii
• 2025 Hawaii CME Requirements - CME Trail

Researched from state board websites and regulatory sources. Verify with the board directly before applying.

Resources

• Hawaii Medical Board
• FSMB State Licensure Directory
• Interstate Medical Licensure Compact

Sources

Data compiled from state medical board websites, FSMB, and regulatory filings.

Have a correction or update? Let us know.