Hawaii Pet Information
Hawaii's Animal Quarantine Laws
Hawaii is a rabies free state. Hawaii's quarantine law is designed to protect residents and pets from potentially serious health problems associated with the introduction and spread of rabies. All dogs and cats regardless of age (puppies and kittens included) or purpose, must comply with Hawaii's dog and cat import requirements.
Chapter 4-29 Hawaii Administrative Rules, governs the importation of dogs, cats and other carnivores into Hawaii. This law states that dogs and cats meeting specific pre and post arrival requirements may qualify for 5-days or-less quarantine or direct release at Honolulu International Airport after inspection. Furthermore, the law requires dogs and cats not meeting all of the specific 5-Day-Or-Less program requirements to be quarantined for up to 120 days upon arrival In Hawaii.
Hawaii Resident Pets: Owners wishing to leave Hawaii with their pets, and return without extended quarantine, must meet all requirements listed on the "Checklist Only For Resident Dogs And Cats Originating From Hawaii And Returning For The 5-Day-Or-Less Program". The length of the waiting period after a successful rabies blood test is modified and must be completed before leaving Hawaii.
Direct Release on Neighbor Islands: Pets may now qualify for direct release at Kona Airport (Big Island), Kahului Airport (Maui) and Lihue Airport (Kauai).
Puppies and Kittens: Due to the minimum amount of time needed to prepare a puppy or kitten to meet the requirements of the 5-Day-Or-Less program, a puppy or kitten will be about 10 months of age by the time the preparations are completed. Puppies and kittens not able to meet all of the requirements for the 5-Day-Or-Less program will be quarantined for 120 days.
Prohibited Animals: Non-domestic dogs and cats and hybrids such as wolf, wolf cross, Dingo, Bengal, Savannah, etc are prohibited under Plant Quarantine (PQ) law.
The Hawaii Department of Agriculture's Plant Quarantine Branch regulates the importation of non-domestic animals (any animal not considered to be domesticated and common in Hawaii). Domesticated animals are those animals bred for the purpose of living near or about the habitations of humans. Examples of domesticated animals include dogs, cats, cattle, swine, poultry and horses. Domesticated animals are regulated by the Hawaii Department of Agriculture's Animal Industry Division. For example, the following are prohibited from entry or possession by private individuals in the State.
- Alligators
- Bulbuls
- Coconut crabs
- Electric catfishes
- Ferrets
- Gerbils
- Hamsters
- Hermit crabs
- Land snails
- Lion fishes
- Lories
- Monk parakeets
- Piranhas
- Snakes
- Snapping turtles
- Toucans
Contact PQ with questions at (808) 832-0566 or (808) 837-8413.
Re-Entry Fee Requirements: To qualify for the reduced Re-entry fee for Direct Airport Release or 5-day or-less quarantine, a pet must have:
Qualified for, and been directly released from, the Honolulu International Airport on a previous arrival within the 36 month period that the most recent OIE-FAVN blood test and rabies vaccination used for the previous entry are still valid.
OR
Qualified for and completed either 30-day or 5-day-or less quarantine and was released on the scheduled release date; Then left the State and returned within the 36 month period that the most recent OIE-FAVN blood test and three-year rabies vaccination used for the previous entry are still valid.
AND
The Animal Quarantine Station has received all pertinent rabies vaccination certificates, and forms, notarized AQS-278 Dog & Cat Import Form and blood test results used to qualify the pet for the previous entry.
All of the requirements on the checklist for the 5-day-or-less/direct airport release are completed for each entry into Hawaii.
The Animal Quarantine Station has received the required documents and written notification of the planned subsequent re-entry into Hawaii.
Note: The Re-Entry Fee will not apply for an entry when either the blood test or rabies vaccination is administered again to qualify for the 5-Day-Or-Less program/Airport Release.
IMPORTANT! Pet owners are responsible for transporting all airport released pets from the Airport Animal Quarantine Holding Facility to their vehicles or the Interisland terminal. Airport security regulations do not permit animals to be out of the transport crate on airport property. Pets must be picked up and loaded into a vehicle or onto a baggage cart in their transport crate. Therefore, vehicles must be large enough to accommodate the intact crate with the pet inside. There are no baggage carts or porters in the immediate vicinity of the AAQHF.
Due to limitations in inter-island service on the weekend, pets arriving on Thursday or Friday, may not be transferred to satellite quarantine stations and approved hospitals on the neighbor islands until the following Monday.
OIE-FAVN Test Results
Pets owners do not need to present a hardcopy of test results to the Rabies Quarantine Branch, as KSU and DOD will send results directly if "Hawaii" is listed as the destination on the lab submission form. Owners can obtain pre-arrival OIE- FAVN test results from the veterinarian that submitted the sample or on the Hawaii Department of Agriculture website (see below).
Please do not call laboratories directly for test results!
For those qualifying for the direct release or 5-day-or-less you can now check online for your pre-test results and the 120-day date after KSU or DOD received your pet's sample.
Guide and Service Dogs
THE HONOLULU INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT ON THE ISLAND OF OAHU IS THE ONLY PORT OF ENTRY FOR ALL DOGS AND CATS ENTERING HAWAII. THIS INCLUDES GUIDE DOGS AND SERVICE DOGS.
GUIDE DOGS AND SERVICE DOGS THAT MEET THE FOLLOWING DEFINITIONS CAN COME INTO HAWAII WITHOUT QUARANTINE PROVIDED THEY FOLLOW THE STEPS OUTLINED BELOW.
"Guide dog" means any dog individually trained by a licensed guide dog trainer for guiding a blind person by means of a harness attached to the dog and a rigid handle grasped by the person.
"Service dog" means any dog that is individually and professionally trained to: alert a person with impaired hearing to the presence of people or sounds; assist a person with disabilities involving mobility by pulling a wheelchair, retrieving dropped items, or otherwise aiding the user in accomplishing a variety of tasks; alert a person with a seizure disorder to the onset of a seizure or to alert another person or organization at a remote location to the seizure; or alert a person to an impending life-threatening medical crisis and assist in mitigating the consequences of such a crisis; and that belongs to a person with a disability that substantially limits a major life activity.
KEY POINTS FOR QUALIFYING AS A SERVICE DOG OR AN EXEMPTED GUIDE DOG
- The dog must have current rabies vaccination. (Documentation of the vaccination must include the product name, the lot or serial number, and the expiration date of the lot.)
- The dog must have a microchip implanted that can be read with an Avid scanner (Avid or Home Again chip).
- Prior to arrival the dog must have passed one OIE-FAVN tests with a level of 0.5 I.U. rabies antibody or greater. The laboratory will not perform the tests unless the microchip number accompanies the test request form.
- The dog must have a standard health certificate issued not more than 30 days prior to arrival in Hawaii.
- For a service dog, there must be a physician's statement which certifies as to the disability, and that the service dog provides assistance having to do with that disability, or a certificate of training as a service dog by a training program accredited by Assistance Dogs International, Inc., or a service dog training program with equally rigorous administrative, operational and training standards.
- The Rabies Quarantine Branch must receive notification at least 24 hours in advance of arrival information and location where the dog will be staying. Information can be faxed to 808-483-7161 or telephoned to 808-837-8092.
- On arrival in Hawaii, the dog must be brought by the airline to the Airport Animal Quarantine Holding Facility for verification of compliance with the above requirements and examination of the dog for external parasites. If all is in order, the dog will be released at that point.
- Qualified Guide dog and Service dog users may request inspection in the terminal at Honolulu International Airport by notifying the Rabies Quarantine Branch 7 days or more before arriving. In these cases, a “Notice of Terminal Inspection” with tracking number will be issued and sent to the user. To avoid confusion and delays, this Notice must be presented to airline representatives upon arrival in Hawaii. After inspection, if all is in order, the dog will be released.
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I do not understand why ferrets are not allowed in the state of Hawaii. I feel that they are more trustworthy pet the a cat or dog. Also Gerbils you have to be joking I REALLY cant grasp that one.
One more thing are there any other types of bird that are not allowed in Hawaii if so I would really like for someone to tell me.
Thank You,
Dawn
Dawn,
The restrictions on animals that can be brought to Hawaii are to protected the delicate balance of the Hawaiian environment. Most of animals/plants in Hawaii used to be endemic (just found here) and after a lot of animals (such as rats, mongoose, etc) and plants were bought, they just take over the native species - eating their seeds, eggs, reproducing like crazy... and we lose species that dont exist anywhere else in the world.
If you allow ferrets or gerbils and the animals somehow end up in the wild, they will find a good environment to reproduce and kill more native species - they became invasive species, a large ecological and economical problem around the world.
That's also why you should not release your pets in the wild (hawaii has a huge problem with feral cats - all started with pets released), and you should also not flush your live fish in the toilet, or put it in a lake/stream, among many other things.
I hope it helped to clarify,
Actually most ferrets when purchased are already spayed or neutered so allowing ferrets that are sterile would seem solve your problem. I have vacationed in your state many times & recently had the opportunity to take a job there but declined due to the ferret restriction. I would never give up my pet even to live in paradise & when he eventually dies I will definitely get another ferret. I hope your state can reconsider allowing ferrets if they are sterile. Thank you for the consideration.
The re-entry fee for a pet who we spent $1100 for quarantine is is the most ridiculous crap I've ever seen. No wonder the state is broke. Why should I have to keep paying for my pet who has all his damn shots, and who spent 3 months in thier puppy jail?
I have 2 show chow chows, the male was actually from a breeder in Kaneohe and is know 11 years old, I also have a female burebred who is turning 5. They both have all there shots, chips etc, but the State of Hawaii still will make them do 90-120 days simply because if the days our itinerary falls on due to work. Does this make any sence at all?? They are both in perfect health, chipped, rabies vacc twice and simply flawless animals. it seems to me the $1082.00 PER ANIMAL seems a little excessive when they have been given the most perfect bill of health money can buy. Please let me know what you guys think??? Don't get me wrong I understand the reason for the quarantine and keeping rif raf out but these are my kids and I truly believe this is nothing but a way to generate income for the State. There has to be an easier way to allow our furry friends a way to get through faster. Especially when you everyone MOST DEFINATELY takes the time, effort and expense to adhere to all the rules the State of Hawaii needs. Let me know what you think I am curious. Aloha Ray
I agree with everyone, its ridiculous that the state has us doing all these tests, honestly isn't it good enough just to ask for records from the vet? No but since that's not good enough they want all these tests plus LONG waiting periods it's crap. In my case I'm moving to Hawaii bc of military so y cant there be SHORTER waiting periods its not his fault y we're moving. Now its just so difficult to make the move since either i take him to Hawaii & leave him in quarantine for the rest of his time of the waiting period from the SUCCESSFUL BLOOD WORK or to leave him with my parents back home then when the 120 days are up send him on a plane to be back in my arms. Me and my husband don't have kids but our dog is like one to us.
i agree with you ray and mary..my husband has gotton orders for the next 3 years in hawaii,so i have been going around banging my head off the wall trying to figure out all there stupid laws,it is stressing me out to what they expect from us,my dog who is 3 yrs old is in perfect health all his rabies shots are up to date,no ticks not even a flea,yet this is still not good enough for them,the price for the quarantine is pathetic,your right about one thing they are making money of the very healthy animals,there should be special accomadations especially for the military,me dog is my baby too,and not having him around will be unthinkable,i was also wondering if any healthy animals have ever come out of quarantine sick ???
i agree with you ray and mary..my husband has gotton orders for the next 3 years in hawaii,so i have been going around banging my head off the wall trying to figure out all there stupid laws,it is stressing me out to what they expect from us,my dog who is 3 yrs old is in perfect health all his rabies shots are up to date,no ticks not even a flea,yet this is still not good enough for them,the price for the quarantine is pathetic,your right about one thing they are making money of the very healthy animals,there should be special accomadations especially for the military,me dog is my baby too,and not having him around will be unthinkable,i was also wondering if any healthy animals have ever come out of quarantine sick ???
i have a wiemerwaner and i was wondering if there are any regulations aginst them?
Can someone tell me if I can take my cat from Oregon to Guam via Honolulu and keep it under the seat? Continental says no animals into or out of Hawaii but does not mention just a layover for the next flight. Help!
Shoot. I knew re. the microchip and travel certificate requirements but not about the 120 minimum day wait post blood test results being sent to the lab in Kansas. shoot. shoot. shoot. Our plans may be really messed up now. shoot. Has anybody had any experience with boarding cats in the quarantine? Is it clean? Is there good ventilation & temperature control? Do they have proper space to run/walk/climb around? Are alternate quarantine spaces accepted? I cannot imagine keeping a cat in a cage for 30- 120 days. To me that sounds like borderline animal cruelty. Shoot.
Jacqueline -
Our cat went through quarantine and I think it was more tramatic for us than for him. The kennels are fairly large (~5 feet x 10 feet) with perches for your cat to jump up onto. There is also a bench for you to sit on. The kennel was always clean. We visited almost every day and our cat seemed happy when we arrived each time. He loved staring at the birds outside the kennel. The people working there were very friendly and knew the names of all of the cats that they feed. We had trained our cat to dance for his food and they really enjoyed watching him dance before each meal. They would often talk to us about what they saw our cat doing during the day and if there was any unusual behavior. I really got the feeling that the people who worked there really loved animals.
So, I'm doing everything required in order for my little 3lb. chihuahua "Sophie" to come into Hawaii on Oct 2. (Direct airport release) She will have been here (Nevada) for 120 days since "the lab" received her blood work, I will have all of the documents and paper work etc. needed for her to legally come into Hawaii....
My question: Will I have any "unnecessary" problems bringing her strait to our new home that day????? Should I be worried? She is 10 years old and Im not really sure she would survive anymore than a few days in quarantine.....YIKES! Anyone?!??!TIA
-Chelsea in Reno, NV
Though I do believe that Hawaii can streamline the process to make it shorter and easier, I do not believe that, if they are going to house the animal for 120 days, $1082 is excessive. That works out to about $9 a day, which is an extreme bargain for boarding your dog.
Also, the vet and shot records are not enough, the test is needed. The purpose of the test is to determine that the rabies antibody has properly built up in the system. Though rare, sometimes, for a variety of reasons, the vaccine doesn't take. Simply showing that the animal had the vaccine does not prove that the vaccine took. If the state wants to remain rabies free, they can't take anything for granted.
I do not, however, believe that it should take 120 to do this. If the pet originates in Hawaii, and is returning to Hawaii, such as a Hawaiian resident taking their pet on a vacation, the test needs to be done only 14 days prior to the pet leaving Hawaii, and Hawaii must have received the result prior to the pet leaving the state as well. Hawaii recommends that you do it at least 2 to 4 weeks in advance to insure that the result is received in time. Now, if the lab can determine that the antibody has built up in a pet from Hawaii in just 2 to 4 weeks, why should it take 3 to 4 months to get the exact same result for everyone else's pet? That makes no sense at all. The amount of time required to have the test prior to entering the state should be reduced to 30 days in order to qualify for direct airport release. That would be completely doable, and a lot more reasonable.
Regarding Ray's comments about his show dogs, I am sorry but they are just silly. You said that you understand the need to keep out the "rif raf" but your dogs should not have to be bothered because they are show dogs. Who decides who the "rif raf" is, you? It is ridiculous to expect the state to make dog by dog judgements on who is a "good" dog and who is "rif raf". Obviously, there has to be a uniform policy that applies to all dogs.
why not require proof of vaccinations for humans to enter "paradise"? I'm sure there have been many cases of communicable diseases in humans and none of rabies in cats and dogs. My little chihuhua would not survive in a kennel for one day, let alone five or even 120.
I am a Hawaii resident. I moved from Alaska to Hawaii a couple of years ago and I travel back to Alaska in the summers to see family. I have cancer and I have a trained service animal that I travel with...since she is a cat the state of Hawaii doesn't recognize her as a service animal even though she is registered and certified. I have to jump through rediculous hoops every time I travel with her...but if I don't travel with her I have to take anxiety drugs (which I hate taking), etc. She is trained to help me in other ways also. Anyhow, her shots are in order, she has never had rabies, fleas, and always has a clean bill of health but due to anal state crap I have to stress my already compromised system just to travel with my service animal. The FEDERAL Dept of Agriculture office says that Hawaii cannot discriminate against my disability or my service animal... but try explaining that to the State of Hawaii. I'd move back to Alaska (who doesn't have this B.S.) if I could.
Okay first off....this is Hawaii people- EVERYTHING is illegal here. You can't sneeze or wash your car without some sort of permit. Secondly, whatever you do on the mainland...be expected for it to be backwards out here. Everything here is complicated and causes a headache. Everything from bringing your pet over to parking in a car garage.
Alright Military folks!
Orders dont come 2 weeks before you start moving to Hawaii! i have done this move here now twice with two different dogs and successfully done direct airport release with no issues. the first time we had a puppy who actually spent 64 days with my mom Mainland side until she could fly but aside from the entry fees everything else we had to do would have needed to have a pet anyway! Vet bills happen and its what we accept when we get a furry family member! The plane ticket well that does suck but American offers great military discounts! SAVE all your receipts you can file your paperwork with your orders and be reimbersed up to $500 the rest you can claim on your taxes! Avoid that quarantine if you can you get the heads up and most post vets know the drill take your time and as soon as the plane lands less than 45 min later you will be home in your yard playing with your furry pal! ( note; most hotels and military lodging are not pet friendly so leaving them on mainland until you have a house is my recommendation)
@Christine - no, most orders do not come 2 weeks prior to moving - however, at times we do not get as much time as would be needed to escape the quarantine of our pets. I, personally, found out we were moving to Hawaii 4mos. prior to moving here = not enough time to get their shots and bloodwork done (after the vet had an opening) AND have the bloodwork sent to the facility (that took a week and a half, for some reason) AND get it cleared. They would've been in quarantine for 2mos at least.
Other than that, I have no disagreement with your post.
Our family could not take them in, so that was not an option for us. Friends we had where we were had cat allergies within their homes.
@Summer - that is heartbreaking. I hope you are able to figure something out.
i really want to move to hawaii but i have bengals they hate water and are scared to go outside (which is what the govt is scared of). the reason for not allowing them is ridiculous unless the one of the cat's parents was a wild cat. my cats are like 20 generatins or more from one wild cat.and btw any cat with an adventurous personality could go and kill endangered species. THIS IS SO STUPID
We are leaving Japan and going to Hawaii on our way back to the staes. We will be there 3-4 days. We didn't do the 120 day blood work. Will our cat be held in Hawaii longer than us, or will she just go into quarrentine and then be released to fly on to the states?
Having worked in the airline industry 32 years, but having retired 10 years ago, I was aware of the 120-day quarantine for dogs, cats, etc. How did the Obama's dog get to avoid the quarantine?