How to transfer your EMT licence to Hawaii (2026)

EMT work in Hawaii is licensed at state level, by the Hawaii EMS office (usually inside the Department of Health). This page says what a EMT licensed or working in another state has to do to work in Hawaii, in the order to do it, and what goes wrong when the order is reversed.

How the transfer works

EMT and paramedic certification is issued by each state's EMS office. If you hold current NREMT certification, most states grant Hawaii certification by reciprocity on the strength of it; if you let NREMT lapse, you may have to retest. A few states run their own exam and do not accept NREMT in full.

Exam: NREMT, which most states accept for reciprocity.

How long: two to eight weeks. Fee: $30 to $150; the current figure is on the licensing body's own site.

What to have ready before you move

• Current NREMT card
• Your state certification and continuing education record
• CPR card and a background check

Start the paperwork before you give notice. Every week the licence is not done is a week you are not paid, and nothing in the process needs you to be in Hawaii already.

What people get wrong

• Letting NREMT lapse; it is the key that opens most states
• Assuming paramedic scope is the same; protocols are set by the state and the medical director

Who hires EMTs in Hawaii

EMTs in Hawaii are hired by ambulance services, fire departments, hospitals and private event medical companies. The metros with the most of that work are Honolulu, Hilo and Kailua. Employers who could not hire locally and have filed with the Department of Labor are on the Hawaii openings page.

For the money side: the median EMT in Hawaii earned $61,310 a year ($29 an hour) in May 2024 across 550 jobs, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and Hawaii has a progressive state income tax with a top rate of 11%. What that leaves you after tax is its own page.

Everything about Hawaii, on one page

The Hawaii page has the registries and boards, the income tax table, the programs that pay you to come and the openings filed this month. If you know which state you are leaving, the move pages compare the two directly. Creating a free Workmerica profile with your trade and your destination puts you in front of Hawaii employers hiring from out of state.