Bringing your dog or cat to Hawaii from the US mainland in 2026

Q: Do I need a permit for Honolulu?

No permit is required to fly into Honolulu (HNL). A Neighbor Island Inspection Permit is required if the pet flies directly to Kona, Kahului or Lihue, and documents must then arrive 30 days or more before arrival.

Last updated: September 10, 2026: verified against the Hawaii Department of Agriculture (Animal Quarantine Branch) and USDA APHIS.

Hawaii is rabies-free, so it runs its own quarantine programme instead of following the mainland rules. Done properly, your pet is released at the airport the day it lands. One document missing, and it goes into quarantine for up to 120 days at your expense. Two things decide everything: a FAVN blood test processed by an approved laboratory, and a file that physically reaches the Animal Quarantine Station more than 10 days before you fly.

The 120 days is a penalty, not a waiting period

Hawaii's current checklist asks for a 30-day wait counted from the day the approved lab received the blood sample. The 120 days is what happens when the file is incomplete: the pet is held until the requirements are met.

30-day wait · 120-day risk

A dog on the tarmac next to an aircraft before a flight to Hawaii — Rules verified September 2026.

The 8 steps

Microchip (ISO), implanted before the blood test: the chip goes in before the FAVN sample is drawn. Ask your vet to scan it and confirm the number reads. A pet whose microchip cannot be read is refused both airport release and the 5 Day Or Less programme, and goes into 120 days quarantine.
Two rabies vaccinations, more than 30 days apart: at least two in the pet's lifetime, given more than 30 days apart. The most recent one must have been given more than 30 days before arrival and must still be valid (a 1-year vaccine is valid 12 months, a 3-year vaccine 36 months). Puppies cannot be vaccinated before 3 months of age, kittens from 2 months.
FAVN rabies antibody test at an approved laboratory: Auburn University, Kansas State University, University of Missouri or the DOD Food Analysis and Diagnostic Laboratory in Texas. Put HAWAII as the destination on the lab form, and do not use a RFFIT test. The result must be 0.5 IU/ml or higher.
Wait 30 days from the sample: the clock starts the day after the approved lab received the blood sample, and the result must be valid: not more than 36 months and not less than 30 days before arrival. Arriving early disqualifies the pet from airport release and it is quarantined at $14.30 per day on top of the $244 programme fee.
Original documents, in English: the Dog and Cat Import Form AQS-279 (notarisation is not required), the original certificates for both rabies vaccinations signed in ink by a licensed vet, an original health certificate drawn up within 14 days of arrival, and a tick treatment given within 14 days of arrival with a long-acting tick product. Revolution is not accepted.
Mail the file to the Animal Quarantine Station: the documents must be received more than 10 days before arrival, as one set, at 99-951 Halawa Valley Street, Aiea, HI 96701. No fax, no photocopy. Enclose a cashier's cheque or money order: $185 for Direct Airport Release or $244 for the 5 Day Or Less programme. If the file arrives late, the fee becomes $244 instead of $185.
Fly into Honolulu during inspection hours: Direct Airport Release happens at the Airport Animal Quarantine Holding Facility at HNL, between 8:00 AM and 4:30 PM. A pet arriving between 5:00 PM and 8:00 AM is collected the next morning between 8 and 10 AM, otherwise it enters the 5 Day Or Less programme at $244.
No ticks, no parasites on arrival: a pet carrying ticks or other parasites at inspection loses its airport release. Ticks and paperwork are checked at the same moment.

Timeline, counted backwards from your flight

Step 1MicrochipBefore the blood sample, and verified readable by scanner.

Step 2Two rabies vaccinesMore than 30 days apart, the most recent more than 30 days before arrival.

Step 3FAVN blood testApproved lab, 0.5 IU/ml or higher, HAWAII as destination.

Step 430-day waitFrom the day after the lab received the sample. Not negotiable.

Step 5Health certificateWithin 14 days of arrival, plus the tick treatment.

Step 6File at AQSReceived more than 10 days before arrival, with payment.

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Want the whole process in one printable document? Hawaii Country Pack, 6 pages, dog and cat: $12

What it costs

$185 Direct Airport Release at Honolulu, when the file reaches the Animal Quarantine Station more than 10 days before arrival.
$244 5 Day Or Less programme, and also the fee applied when the file arrives late or is handed over on arrival.
$14.30 per day added if the pet is quarantined for arriving before its eligible date of entry.
$98 or $130 reduced re-entry fees for pets already in Hawaii leaving and coming back, depending on whether the file was sent in time.
Plus the FAVN laboratory fee, paid directly to the approved laboratory, and your vet's fees for the two vaccinations, the blood draw, the health certificate and the tick treatment.

Two traps worth reading twice

The 30 days start at the laboratory, not at your vet. The clock runs from the day after the approved lab received the blood sample. Sending the sample through an intermediate lab delays that date and pushes your earliest eligible arrival back with it.

The paper file travels by post, before your pet does. Originals only, no photocopies, no fax, and they must be received more than 10 days before arrival. A perfect pet with a late file is a pet in quarantine.

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Frequently asked questions

Is it true that pets spend 120 days in quarantine in Hawaii?

Only if the requirements are not met. The 120 days is the maximum quarantine for a pet that arrives without a complete file, or that cannot be identified by its microchip. A pet that qualifies is released at the airport the day it lands.

Why is the waiting period 30 days and not 120?

Because Hawaii's current checklist asks for a 30-day waiting period counted from the day the approved laboratory received the blood sample. The 120 days is a quarantine penalty, not a waiting period. Older guides still mix the two up.

Can Revolution be used for the tick treatment?

No. The Hawaii Department of Agriculture states that Revolution is not acceptable. The treatment must be a long-acting product labelled to kill ticks, given within 14 days of arrival, and the product name and date must be recorded on the health certificate.

Do I need a permit for Honolulu?

No permit is required to fly into Honolulu (HNL) on Oahu. A Neighbor Island Inspection Permit is required if your pet flies directly to Kona (KOA), Kahului (OGG) or Lihue (LIH), and in that case the documents must arrive 30 days or more before arrival.

My pet is coming from the British Isles, Australia, Guam or New Zealand

Those origins follow a separate, shorter checklist published by the Hawaii Department of Agriculture. Check that document before planning anything else.

A vet clinic cannot fix a late file. If your flight is inside the 30-day window counted from the day the approved lab received the blood sample, the pet will not qualify for airport release no matter what the paperwork says. Book the blood draw first, then the flights.

Official sources

Hawaii Department of Agriculture, Animal Quarantine Information: hdoa.hawaii.gov/ai/aqs/animal-quarantine-information-page
Checklist 1, Direct Airport Release and 5 Day Or Less (PDF): dab.hawaii.gov/ai/files/2023/06/Checklist-1-06.13.2023.pdf
Hawaii Rabies Quarantine Information Brochure (PDF): dab.hawaii.gov/ai/files/2019/08/aqsbrochure-08.2019.pdf
Dog and Cat Import Form AQS-279 (PDF): dab.hawaii.gov/ai/files/2024/01/form_AQS279-2024.01.17.pdf
USDA APHIS pet travel: aphis.usda.gov/pet-travel

PetPass Ready is an independent tool and is not affiliated with the Hawaii Department of Agriculture or any government agency. Requirements change: always confirm on the official pages above before you book.