Destination guide
Bringing a dog or cat into Hawaii (US)
The entry requirements for a family pet travelling with its owner, quoted from the official government pages, and what changes depending on where your pet is coming from.
Make my dated planLimited official guidance. Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity publishes little for this route. Everything it does say is here, with its wording. Hawaii's own checklists (PDF) could not be read: they hold details this page does not, such as the microchip rule and the result needed on the rabies antibody test. Pets arriving from the British Isles, Australia, Guam and New Zealand follow a different checklist that we have not read. The pages were read from stored copies of Hawaii's official pages because the site blocks automated readers; the pre-arrival waits below come from those pages. Contact the Animal Quarantine Station (rabiesfree@hawaii.gov) to confirm the current checklist for your pet.
The short version
- Rabies blood test required
How early to start
The least time the officially fixed waiting periods allow, by where your dog is coming from. Vet, lab and paperwork appointment times come on top.
| From | Microchipped and vaccinated | Nothing done yet |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 4 weeks | 9 weeks |
| Canada | 4 weeks | 9 weeks |
| Germany | 4 weeks | 9 weeks |
| France | 4 weeks | 9 weeks |
| India | 4 weeks | 9 weeks |
| United Arab Emirates | 4 weeks | 9 weeks |
Every requirement
For every pet
Vaccination
Rabies vaccination #1
Your pet needs certification of at least two rabies vaccinations. This is the first one; documents for the earlier vaccination are required, because with only the most recent vaccination the pet does not qualify.
Details and the official words
“Certification of at least two rabies vaccinations is required.”
Vaccination
Rabies vaccination #2 (a booster, more than 30 days before arrival)
The second rabies vaccination (a booster) must be given no less than 30 days after the previous one, and more than 30 days before your pet arrives in Hawaii.
Details and the official words
“To qualify, your pet will need to receive a booster no less than 30 days after the previous vaccination. In addition, this second vaccination must be given more than 30 days before arrival in Hawai‘i.”
Blood test
Rabies antibody blood test (OIE-FAVN) and a 30-day wait
Your pet needs a passing OIE-FAVN rabies antibody test, and a 30-day wait from the day the laboratory received the blood sample before it arrives. A passing result is valid for 36 months from the day the blood reached the laboratory.
Details and the official words
Hawaii's checklists (not readable here) give the pass mark and other details of the test: confirm them with the Animal Quarantine Station.
“To avoid your animal being placed into quarantine, proof of two rabies vaccinations within the required timeframe and a passing FAVN test are required for all dogs and cats entering the State of Hawai‘i.”
“The OIE-FAVN test result is valid for 36 months from the day the blood was received at the laboratory.”
Treatment
Tick treatment within 14 days before arrival
Your vet treats your dog or cat with a long-acting oral or topical product labelled to kill ticks (equivalent or better than fipronil) within 14 days before arrival, and the treatment is written on the health certificate. K-9 Advantix is acceptable for dogs only, never for cats; Revolution is not acceptable.
Details and the official words
“Dogs and cats must be treated by your veterinarian with a long-acting oral or topical product labeled to kill ticks that is equivalent or better than Fipronil within 14 days prior to arrival and the treatment must be documented on the health certificate.”
Paperwork
Health certificate
A veterinary health certificate (with the tick treatment on it) goes with your pet. If it can't reach the Animal Quarantine Station with the other documents 10 days before arrival, the original must be handed to the inspector on arrival. Hawaii's pages give no validity period for it: ask the Animal Quarantine Station.
Details and the official words
“If the health certificate cannot be sent 10 days before arriving with the rest of the documents, the original must be given to the inspector upon arrival in Hawai‘i.”
Paperwork
Dog and Cat Import Form (AQS-279) and documents, at least 10 days before arrival
Send one completed Dog and Cat Import Form (AQS-279) per pet, with two rabies vaccination certificates, the health certificate and pre-payment, so the Animal Quarantine Station has them at least 10 days before arrival. This qualifies your pet for the 5 Day Or Less program and for direct release at Honolulu airport ($185; $244 if the documents are late). You can apply online through the Hawaii Pet Owner Portal. Arrivals at Kona, Kahului or Līhu'e need a Neighbor Island Inspection Permit.
Details and the official words
“NO LESS THAN 10 DAYS BEFORE PET ARRIVES IN HAWAI‘I TO QUALIFY FOR 5 DAY OR LESS or AIRPORT RELEASE”
“If you seek direct release of the pet at the airport, you must submit the required original documents so that the office receives the paperwork at least 10 days prior to your pet’s arrival.”
“the higher fee of $244 is assessed instead of $185.”
When this route doesn’t work
Not covered by us yet · You travel from United Kingdom, Ireland, Isle of Man, Jersey, Guernsey, Australia, Guam or New Zealand
Hawaii has a separate, shorter checklist for pets arriving from the British Isles, Australia, Guam and New Zealand. We haven't read it yet.
Not covered by us yet · The pet is being sold, adopted or rehomed
Hawaii's pages describe pets travelling with their owners. Imports for sale or rehoming aren't described and we don't cover them yet.
Restricted breeds
Non-domestic dogs and cats and hybrids such as wolf crosses, Dingo, Bengal and Savannah are prohibited under Hawaii's Plant Quarantine law.
Good to know
- Hawaii is rabies-free, so every dog and cat, whatever its age or purpose, must meet its import rules. A pet that doesn't meet every requirement of the '5 Day Or Less' program is quarantined for up to 120 days on arrival.
- A newborn puppy or kitten will be about 6 months old by the time the preparations are finished; pets that can't meet every requirement are quarantined for 120 days.
- A pet that arrives before its 30-day waiting period is complete does not qualify for direct airport release and is quarantined (with a daily charge) until the waiting period ends.