Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) · rules checked October 22, 2026
Certification is valid up to 24 months. To recertify you must have performed at least 8 hours of paid nurse aide work, providing nursing-related direct care, in the previous 24 months, and mail the Prometric Renewal/Recertification Form at least 2 weeks before expiration (allow 10 business days for processing). Hawaii runs two groups: Group 1 aides (who worked in a Medicare/Medicaid-certified facility) recertify on the work rule alone, with no renewal fee; Group 2 aides (whose work was in state-licensed or state-certified settings) must also show 24 hours of continuing education/competency in the cycle and pay a $27 recertification fee (Hawaii Administrative Rules 17-1445; Prometric Recertification Form). A separate one-time $25 application processing fee applies to initial exam applications — it is not a renewal fee.
If you have never worked for pay since certifying, use your certification date.
| Credential | Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) |
|---|---|
| Registry | Hawaii Nurse Aide Registry (Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, administered by Prometric) · 800-967-1200 |
| Training required | 100 hours |
| Exam | Prometric — $216 (written $54 · skills $162) |
| How renewal works | A calendar renewal and a paid-work rule both apply. Renewal fee: $27. |
| Keep-active work rule | Certification is valid up to 24 months. To recertify you must have performed at least 8 hours of paid nurse aide work, providing nursing-related direct care, in the previous 24 months, and mail the Prometric Renewal/Recertification Form at least 2 weeks before expiration (allow 10 business days for processing). Hawaii runs two groups: Group 1 aides (who worked in a Medicare/Medicaid-certified facility) recertify on the work rule alone, with no renewal fee; Group 2 aides (whose work was in state-licensed or state-certified settings) must also show 24 hours of continuing education/competency in the cycle and pay a $27 recertification fee (Hawaii Administrative Rules 17-1445; Prometric Recertification Form). A separate one-time $25 application processing fee applies to initial exam applications — it is not a renewal fee. |
| Continuing education | No CE for Group 1 aides (Medicare/Medicaid-certified facility work). Group 2 aides — whose work was in state-licensed or state-certified health care settings — must complete 24 hours of continuing education and a competency evaluation per 2-year cycle (HAR 17-1445-3, confirmed on the Department of Human Services rule text). Know which group your work falls in before you file. |
| Who reports your work | You do — nobody files it for you |
If you did not meet the 8-hour paid-work requirement in the 24-month period, you must reapply and pass both the written (or oral) and skills portions of the Prometric competency exam again. No separate short retest window was stated in the sources read - the retest route is the standard comeback.
Retest as above if you previously completed an approved training program. If you never completed approved training, or DCCA requires it after a long lapse, complete a state-approved 100-hour training program first, then test. Three attempts within 2 years of first testing - after that, retraining is required.
Money trap, corrected from the current Prometric bulletin: the exam is $216 (written or oral $54 + skills $162), PLUS a one-time $25 application processing fee, so a first-time outlay is $241 before any retakes (a skills retake alone is $162). The $25 figure older pages call a 'renewal fee' is that processing fee — renewal itself is $0 for Group 1 aides and $27 for Group 2. The Group 1 vs Group 2 split (certified facility vs state-licensed setting) changes both the CE and the fee, and most national sites miss it entirely.
Application fee: $27 · typical processing: About 45-60 business days in secondary processing estimates - the slowest in this batch; inter-island testing/processing is a factor.. Reciprocity/out-of-state application through Prometric: submit a copy of your current out-of-state certificate showing the issuing state and expiration date, in good standing. DCCA/Prometric decides whether you are listed directly or must take the Hawaii competency exam. If your out-of-state certification is not current/active, you must take the exam. The reciprocity fee is $27 (Prometric Hawaii materials). Work-history requirement: Proof of recent paid CNA work may be requested with the reciprocity packet; lapsed home-state certification forces the exam route..
The table below is computed for an active aide in good standing, trained to the origin state's standard hours. Your own hours or status can change your row — run the transfer checker with your real facts.
| Certified in | Verdict for Hawaii | Fee | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Accepted — with conditions | $27 | Hawaii accepts active certifications with a $27 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Alaska | Accepted — with conditions | $27 | Hawaii accepts active certifications with a $27 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Arizona | Accepted — with conditions | $27 | Hawaii accepts active certifications with a $27 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Arkansas | Accepted — with conditions | $27 | Hawaii accepts active certifications with a $27 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| California | Accepted — with conditions | $27 | Hawaii accepts active certifications with a $27 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Colorado | Accepted — with conditions | $27 | Hawaii accepts active certifications with a $27 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Connecticut | Accepted — with conditions | $27 | Hawaii accepts active certifications with a $27 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Delaware | Accepted — with conditions | $27 | Hawaii accepts active certifications with a $27 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| District of Columbia | Accepted — with conditions | $27 | Hawaii accepts active certifications with a $27 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Florida | Accepted — with conditions | $27 | Hawaii accepts active certifications with a $27 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Georgia | Accepted — with conditions | $27 | Hawaii accepts active certifications with a $27 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Hawaii | Same state — no transfer needed | ||
| Idaho | Accepted — with conditions | $27 | Hawaii accepts active certifications with a $27 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Illinois | Accepted — with conditions | $27 | Hawaii accepts active certifications with a $27 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Indiana | Accepted — with conditions | $27 | Hawaii accepts active certifications with a $27 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Iowa | Accepted — with conditions | $27 | Hawaii accepts active certifications with a $27 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Kansas | Accepted — with conditions | $27 | Hawaii accepts active certifications with a $27 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Kentucky | Accepted — with conditions | $27 | Hawaii accepts active certifications with a $27 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Louisiana | Accepted — with conditions | $27 | Hawaii accepts active certifications with a $27 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Maine | Accepted — with conditions | $27 | Hawaii accepts active certifications with a $27 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Maryland | Accepted — with conditions | $27 | Hawaii accepts active certifications with a $27 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Massachusetts | Accepted — with conditions | $27 | Hawaii accepts active certifications with a $27 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Michigan | Accepted — with conditions | $27 | Hawaii accepts active certifications with a $27 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Minnesota | Accepted — with conditions | $27 | Hawaii accepts active certifications with a $27 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Mississippi | Accepted — with conditions | $27 | Hawaii accepts active certifications with a $27 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Missouri | Accepted — with conditions | $27 | Hawaii accepts active certifications with a $27 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Montana | Accepted — with conditions | $27 | Hawaii accepts active certifications with a $27 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Nebraska | Accepted — with conditions | $27 | Hawaii accepts active certifications with a $27 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Nevada | Accepted — with conditions | $27 | Hawaii accepts active certifications with a $27 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| New Hampshire | Accepted — with conditions | $27 | Hawaii accepts active certifications with a $27 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| New Jersey | Accepted — with conditions | $27 | Hawaii accepts active certifications with a $27 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| New Mexico | Accepted — with conditions | $27 | Hawaii accepts active certifications with a $27 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| New York | Accepted — with conditions | $27 | Hawaii accepts active certifications with a $27 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| North Carolina | Accepted — with conditions | $27 | Hawaii accepts active certifications with a $27 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| North Dakota | Accepted — with conditions | $27 | Hawaii accepts active certifications with a $27 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Ohio | Accepted — with conditions | $27 | Hawaii accepts active certifications with a $27 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Oklahoma | Accepted — with conditions | $27 | Hawaii accepts active certifications with a $27 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Oregon | Accepted — with conditions | $27 | Hawaii accepts active certifications with a $27 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Pennsylvania | Accepted — with conditions | $27 | Hawaii accepts active certifications with a $27 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Rhode Island | Accepted — with conditions | $27 | Hawaii accepts active certifications with a $27 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| South Carolina | Accepted — with conditions | $27 | Hawaii accepts active certifications with a $27 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| South Dakota | Accepted — with conditions | $27 | Hawaii accepts active certifications with a $27 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Tennessee | Accepted — with conditions | $27 | Hawaii accepts active certifications with a $27 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Texas | Accepted — with conditions | $27 | Hawaii accepts active certifications with a $27 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Utah | Accepted — with conditions | $27 | Hawaii accepts active certifications with a $27 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Vermont | Accepted — with conditions | $27 | Hawaii accepts active certifications with a $27 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Virginia | Accepted — with conditions | $27 | Hawaii accepts active certifications with a $27 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Washington | Accepted — with conditions | $27 | Hawaii accepts active certifications with a $27 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| West Virginia | Accepted — with conditions | $27 | Hawaii accepts active certifications with a $27 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Wisconsin | Accepted — with conditions | $27 | Hawaii accepts active certifications with a $27 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
| Wyoming | Accepted — with conditions | $27 | Hawaii accepts active certifications with a $27 application fee, a work-history requirement, a possible exam, decided on your file. |
The kit carries Hawaii's full recovery path — the forms, the order to file them, the phone scripts — plus transfer checklists for every destination. See the kit →
