How to Become a Pharmacy Technician in Hawaii

Checked against Hawaii Board of Pharmacy (DCCA Professional and Vocational Licensing Division) · Verified 2026-10-14

Exam: Not required
Training: Not required
Term: Every registration is valid through December 31 of the next odd-numbered year, so a registration issued in 2026 expires December 31, 2027.
State fee: $130 if the registration takes effect in an even-numbered year ($20 application + $10 registration + $100 Compliance Resolution Fund); $80 if it takes effect in an odd-numbered year ($20 + $10 + $50, half the Compliance Resolution Fund). The $20 application fee is not refundable.
Regulated by: Hawaii Board of Pharmacy (DCCA Professional and Vocational Licensing Division)

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Who can apply

Be at least 16 years old (18 or older to add the separate vaccine-administration approval).
Be a U.S. citizen, a U.S. national, or an alien authorized to work in the United States.
Provide your Social Security number; the application is not processed without it.
If you report past discipline or a criminal conviction that was not annulled or expunged, send a signed explanation and court or licensing documents (and, for a conviction, a current criminal history record check).

Step by step

Download the current 'Application for Registration – Pharmacy Technician' (form PHT) from the Board's Application Forms page.
Fill in and sign the form, answering every question.
Attach one check payable to 'Commerce and Consumer Affairs': $130 if your registration takes effect in an even-numbered year or $80 in an odd-numbered year.
Mail the application to the Board of Pharmacy, DCCA PVL Licensing Branch, P.O. Box 3469, Honolulu, HI 96801, or deliver it to 335 Merchant St., Room 301. The form cannot be filed online.
Wait for your Notice of Registration by email or mail; the pharmacist-in-charge must verify the Board has issued your certificate before you do technician tasks.
Display your certificate where the public can see it at your workplace.
Renew by December 31 of each odd-numbered year.

Official application →

Training and exam

Training: Hawaii law (Act 93 of 2025, amended by Act 36 of 2026) and the Board's technician application set no training program or minimum hours for registration. Training is required only for the separate vaccine-administration approval: an ACPE-approved practical training program that includes hands-on injection technique.

Exam: No state or national exam is required to register. National certification (PTCB CPhT or NHA) is required only for technicians who want the Board's separate approval to give vaccines.

No national exam required here. If you plan to get PTCB certified anyway, practice for the PTCE free →

What it costs in Hawaii

Fixed amounts are set by the state. Items marked “your quote” are priced by private sellers, so enter what you’re quoted.

Technician registration: $80 if it takes effect in an odd-numbered year, $130 in an even-numbered year (includes $20 non-refundable application fee, $10 registration fee and the Compliance Resolution Fund)$80–$130
PTCE exam fee (PTCB), only if you want national certification for the vaccine-administration approval(optional)$129

Estimated total in Hawaii$80–$130

Cost details from the state

$25 service charge if your payment is dishonored
Criminal history record check, only if you report a conviction (obtained from the Hawaii Criminal Justice Data Center; fee not stated on the Board form)
Vaccine-administration approval is a separate application with its own fee (not recorded here)

Help while you start out in Hawaii

Starting out on an entry-level wage? Check the SNAP income limits in Hawaii by household size.

What other sites get wrong about Hawaii

Myth: Hawaii does not require pharmacy technicians to register with the state board.

Fact: Since January 1, 2026, no one may act as a pharmacy technician in Hawaii without a certificate of registration from the Board of Pharmacy (Act 93, 2025). source

Myth: Hawaii technician registrations cannot be renewed; you must re-apply for a new registration when it expires.

Fact: Act 36, signed May 26, 2026, removed the lapse-and-reapply rule and authorizes the Board to renew technician registrations every two years by December 31 of odd-numbered years. source

Once you're registered

Renewal: Registrations expire December 31 of each odd-numbered year. Act 36 (signed May 26, 2026) lets the Board renew technician registrations every two years; before that, Act 93 required a brand-new registration each cycle. If you do not pay the biennial fee by December 31 of an odd-numbered year, the registration is forfeited; it can be restored within three years by paying any penalty fee and the current fees, and the Board may not require proof of continuing education to restore a technician registration. Check the Board's fee schedule for the current technician renewal fee.

Good to know in Hawaii

Registration required since 2026: Since January 1, 2026, no one may act as a pharmacy technician in Hawaii without a Board certificate of registration, and pharmacies may employ only registered technicians for technician duties.

Who does not need to register: Auxiliary pharmacy personnel may do retrieval, clerical, sales, telephone, accounting, inventory and custodial tasks without a technician registration. Filling, packaging and other technician tasks require registration.

Abandoned applications: If you do not finish the application process within one year of filing, the application is considered abandoned and you must apply again under the rules in effect then.

Vaccine administration: To give vaccines you must be a registered technician, at least 18, hold PTCB or NHA certification, complete ACPE-approved injection training, hold current CPR certification, complete at least 2 hours of immunization CE each biennium, and work under the direct supervision of a registered pharmacist. You may file the registration and vaccine applications together.

Checking your status: Use PVL's Public License Search or call (844) 808-DCCA (3222) to check a technician registration application.

Sources

General information, not legal advice. Fees and rules change — confirm with Hawaii Board of Pharmacy (DCCA Professional and Vocational Licensing Division) before you apply.