Hawaii Medical Laboratory Scientist Licensing Guide
License Snapshot
Board Processing Time
6-8 weeks
Board turnaround on a complete application — see lead time below
Application Fee
$65
Renewal: $30
Credential
ASCP
Required national certification
CE Required
See details
Every 2 years
State Overview
Hawaii licenses laboratory science as more than a single credential. Alongside the general clinical laboratory scientist license, it recognizes 2 separate specialty licenses (Clinical Laboratory Specialist and Cytotechnologist), plus a limited or technician-level credential (Medical Laboratory Technician (Clinical Laboratory Technician)).
A few other specialties are not licensed by the state at all, rather than carrying their own Hawaii license. The specialty section below covers each.
In laboratory science the state license is the primary credential, and a national certification such as ASCP is a common qualifying route rather than a separate ongoing requirement. A license you hold in another state does not transfer automatically, so you apply directly to Hawaii's licensing program for each assignment.
General Requirements
If you work in a clinical laboratory in Hawaii, the baseline below applies regardless of where you trained or which specialty you test in.
- State license required: Hawaii requires a state clinical laboratory personnel license to test patient specimens. This is the primary credential, separate from your employer's onboarding or the lab's CLIA certificate.
- Qualifying certification: a national certification such as ASCP (or another board the state approves, e.g. AMT) is the usual route to eligibility. Confirm which certifying bodies Hawaii accepts before you apply.
- Credential required: National certification from a certifying agency acceptable to the department (e.g., ASCP). Qualifying education plus one year full-time clinical laboratory experience that includes a minimum of two months each in clinical chemistry, clinical microbiology, hematology, immunology, and immunohematology.
- Scope of the general license: Generalist clinical laboratory scientist license. Training spans all five core disciplines (chemistry, microbiology, hematology, immunology, immunohematology/blood banking), qualifying the holder to work across clinical laboratory specialty areas.
- Verification: ASCP or direct board verification.
Fees & Credentials
Hawaii issues more than one laboratory credential, so fees vary by the license you hold. The table below is one row per state-recognized credential.
| Credential | Application | Renewal | Cycle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medical Technologist (Clinical Laboratory Scientist) | $65 | $30 | Every 2 years |
| Clinical Laboratory Specialist | $65 | $30 | Every 2 years |
| Cytotechnologist | $65 | $30 | Every 2 years |
| Medical Laboratory Technician (Clinical Laboratory Technician) | $65 | $30 | Every 2 years |
There is no state fee line for Phlebotomy / Phlebotomy Technician, because Hawaii does not license those separately.
Renewal & Continuing Education
- Renewal cycle: every 2 years, in odd-numbered years.
- Continuing education: the Hawaii CE requirement is not published in the source data. Confirm the hours with the board before renewal.
Getting Licensed
Laboratory licensure runs through the state program, with your national certification establishing eligibility. For most candidates the steps are:
- Hold a qualifying certification or education for the license you want (a generalist ASCP certification for the general license; the matching category certification for a specialty license).
- Arrange for official transcripts and certification verification to be sent directly from your school and certifying body (ASCP/AMT). Most state labs require these direct from the source, not submitted by you.
- Apply to Hawaii Department of Health through the application portal.
- Have your certifying body and prior states verify directly to the program. You do not self-attest the certification.
Common slip-ups travelers hit here: incomplete verification submission: Applicants fail to submit verification through ASCP or directly from previous state board before application review, forcing board to request verification separately and adding 3-4 weeks to processing.
Processing & Timing
Plan for roughly 6-8 weeks (10+ weeks possible with current licensing delays) for a clean application. Treat that as a planning number rather than a board-published guarantee.
Two things stretch the timeline for laboratory licensure. The state has to receive certification verification from your certifying body and license verification from every state where you have held a license, and those hand-offs have their own latency. If you are applying for more than one credential, for example a generalist license plus a specialty license, they may process as separate items rather than in one pass.
Hawaii's lack of temporary licensure, combined with moderate processing delays (6-10+ weeks) and current departmental staffing constraints, makes short-notice placements high-risk. All assignments require permanent license before work begins.
Specialty Differences
Most of the laboratory family in Hawaii runs on the general license. A handful of credentials genuinely diverge, and those are the ones worth reading closely. Below is one subsection per real difference, then roll-up lines for everything else.
Clinical Laboratory Specialist
Divergence: separate license. Single-discipline scientist license restricted to ONE laboratory specialty (the labeling examples it 'Technologist in Microbiology'). Recognized specialties include clinical chemistry, hematology, immunohematology/blood banking, microbiology, immunology, cytology, cytogenetics, histocompatibility, and molecular biology.
- Fee: $65 application, $30 renewal, every 2 years
- Credential: Bachelor's degree in a pertinent chemical or biological science plus one year of full-time clinical laboratory experience (or one year of accredited training) IN THE SPECIALTY for which licensure is sought, AND national certification approved for that specialty. Work experience must be in the specialty area sought
How it differs from the general license: Unlike the generalist Medical Technologist (which requires rotation across all five core disciplines), the Clinical Laboratory Specialist is a separately issued license confined to a single specialty discipline. The holder demonstrates education, experience, and certification only in that one discipline and is licensed to practice only within it.
Cytotechnologist
Divergence: separate license. Separately issued license for cytology, microscopic evaluation of cellular specimens (e.g., Pap tests). Distinct license category, not a sub-tier of the generalist Medical Technologist.
- Fee: $65 application, $30 renewal, every 2 years
- Credential: National certification as a cytotechnologist from a certifying agency acceptable to the department, plus qualifying education (sourced from the category listing; specific cytotechnologist education thresholds not separately verified here)
How it differs from the general license: A discipline-specific license for cytology rather than the broad generalist scope of the Medical Technologist. It is its own separately issued credential with its own certification pathway, not performed under the generalist license.
Medical Laboratory Technician (Clinical Laboratory Technician)
Divergence: limited-scope tier. Technician-level clinical laboratory credential below the technologist tier, built on an associate degree rather than a baccalaureate.
- Fee: $65 application, $30 renewal, every 2 years
- Credential: Associate degree from an accredited MLT program (or 60 semester hours of chemistry/biology plus an accredited MLT program or a qualifying 50+ week military medical laboratory specialist course), AND certification as a medical laboratory technician (or medical technologist) by a certifying agency acceptable to the department
How it differs from the general license: A lower-level credential than the generalist Medical Technologist: it is based on an associate degree (vs. a bachelor's) and reflects the technician tier of clinical laboratory practice rather than the full clinical-laboratory-scientist scope.
Phlebotomy / Phlebotomy Technician
Divergence: no state credential. Specimen collection / venipuncture.
How it differs from the general license: Hawaii does not issue a state license for phlebotomy. HAR 11-110.1-23 enumerates only five licensed clinical laboratory personnel categories, none of which is phlebotomist; phlebotomy is not a state-licensed credential in Hawaii.
Official Resources
Hawaii Department of Health
Board Website·Application Portal·License Verification
Phone: (808) 453-6652
Frequently Asked Questions
Last verified: April 15, 2026. Please note that while Fusion Medical Staffing strives to provide the most current and accurate information, we cannot guarantee the completeness or timeliness of the information provided. Requirements and processes can change frequently. Healthcare professionals are strongly encouraged to verify details directly with Hawaii Department of Health's official website.
Resources
JAN 5, 2023
The Positive Demand For Medical Laboratory Techs
Medical laboratory professionals are at the forefront of clinical decision-making. Because lab results are so vital in providing data and information
AUG 5, 2021
MLS vs MLT: What’s the Difference?
Have you ever wondered what happens once you provide a specimen sample at the doctor? Or thought about who does all those laboratory tests or even who
OCT 14, 2024
Division Deep Dive: Q&A with Travel Medical Lab Recruiters
You need a trusted recruiter partner by your side as a traveling medical lab professional. Spoiler alert: trusted recruiter partners are the only kind
