HAWAI'I LIFEMoving to Hawaii with Pets? Animal Quarantine Information
Qualifying Your Pet For The “5 Day or Less Program”
Don’t forget to pack the cat…
Moving pets to Hawaii
Are you moving to Hawaii with pets or just visiting but can’t leave your furry family members behind? In order to save time, heart-ache, and money… here is a summarized version of Hawaii’s Animal Quarantine Law and qualifying your pet for the “5 Day or Less Program.”
Hawaii’s Animal Quarantine Law
- Your pet must have been vaccinated at least twice for rabies in its lifetime, and they must have been administered more than 30 days apart from one another. The most recent one must be done at least 90 days before the pet’s arrival to Hawaii but no later than the expiration date of the vaccine.
- Your pet must be “micro-chipped” prior to arrival… if the chip cannot be read, your pet will have to undergo the 120-day quarantine.
- Your veterinarian must draw blood samples and forward them to an approved lab for an OIE-FAVN Rabies Blood Test. After these results are received, (results are valid for three years) 120 days must pass before your animal arrives in Hawaii. Arriving before the full 120 days has elapsed will result in disqualification from the 5 day or less program!
- A veterinarian must treat your pet for ticks and pests with an approved product such as Fipronil and record it on your pet’s health certificate. (Within 14 days prior to arrival) If there is any evidence of infestation upon inspection at the station, your pet can be quarantined despite meeting all the other criteria.
- All documents need to be mailed to the Animal Quarantine Station at least ten days in advance of your pet’s arrival and they must be originals. No fax or photocopies will be accepted. (Do keep copies for your records)
The animal inspection office is only open from 8:00AM- 5:00PM. Make sure that you are on a flight that arrives in Honolulu by 3:30PM if you plan on taking your pet home that day. (It could take as long as an hour for your pet to be transferred from the plane)
Fees
Direct release at the airport is $165 per pet, $224 for the 5 day or less program, and $1080 for the full 120-day quarantine. They can process this payment on-site but recommend you mail it in together with the other documentation to avoid long waits.
Sound like a huge hassle? Yep, Â but if you’re half the animal-lover I am… you know it’s worth it!
Great post Ron! Thank goodness it’s so much easier than it used to be :)
Good advice. I moved from LA to Maui last year and followed all of this down to carrying 3 copies of everything. All went well when we arrived on Oahu. However, finding the quarantine office was the most difficult part of the adventure.
Dave and I were some of the first people through the program with our cats back in the fall of 2003… Same experience as Ken, our cats were “released” through quarantine before we could even locate the office at the airport!!! (It’s located on the ground level down the road between the international and inter-island terminals).
Thanks for the good information. Many people think of their pets like children and would be devastated by a quarantine ordeal.
Oh, I forgot to mention that when you move from the mainland to Hawaii with your pet, there are no airlines that will allow you to take your pet in the cabin with you. It’s cargo all the way. Also, there are pet travel restrictions for certain types of dogs (usually short nosed ones) when temperatures are too hot or too cold.
Im sure that this is a little bit nice posting…..
Hi my name is Helle
Thank you everybody for helping me with my move to Hawaii.I am really thankful to you Ron for all the information.I am moving with my daughter,2dogs,2cats by christmas,and I am a little bit overwelmed with all the rules and money it will take.I am interested in talking or writing with someone who has done this move before me.If anybody is interested please let me know
Helle paws2hold@gmail.com
Good post, but please note that the 120 day quarantine begins once KSU RECEIVES the blood work, not after the pet passes it.
(Thanks Sarah! Will edit to reflect…)
Aloha Hawaii…coming back home to Kailua with my 3 babies…make sure you have 3 copies of each paperwork(back up)tag your LARGE size kennel; Pet’s name,your name,local address, contact phone #, and make sure you have food/water trays attached to your animal kennel(airline regulations),and helps to put your T shirt in with your baby just to say you are still with them..finally, avoiding quarantine altogether, GOOD JOB…Yip-Pee DOGS RULE ;0)
It seems so easy after reading this post. Im glad I came across it. I had emailed them and I still havent recieved an email back its been a month now. I am sending my dog to oahu with me in january so this was very helpful. but i would still like if someone who did it before to email me on the exact steps they did and the process please. sherry.chatmon@gmail.com. Thank you
Hello all! Thanks for posting this Ken! I am severely stressed out right now – so this site is great… I want to bring my cat and KITTEN that is 3 months old and they say that kittens must be 10 months before being eligible to (this is where it’s confusing) be in the 5 day or less program? or eligible to come at all? The language is so vague! Do you, Ken, or anyone know about kittens? And when you say there are no airlines that bring pets into Hawaii – I thought it was just Hawaiian Airlines that will not bring pets from the mainland… I have seen other Airlines say that you can bring your pets in the cabin…?? Clarity needed! Thanks to all of you!
Aloha Lori,
The short answer is that you are unlikely to be able to complete all the requirements on the checklist before your pet is 8-10 months old. This is because you should wait until the vet recommended age before it is safe to start the vaccines, administer the blood test, or even tag them with a microchip. (In general, vaccines are started later on puppies than kittens, hence the 10 month age estimate on the website.) Even if you received clearance from your veterinarian to begin the vaccines and take the blood test right away, you are looking at a minimum of four and a half months more before your kitten has cleared all the conditions since 120 days must pass after the blood test is received at the lab before your pet is eligible for the 5 day quarantine. Hope this reply helps to clear some of your confusion… here is the Hawaii Department of Agriculture’s Animal Quarantine Station information in case you wanted to check with them as well.
rabiesfree@hawaii.gov
phone: (808) 483-7151
Thank you Ron!! Yes – that does help bring clarity. Waiting for the age to start vaccines was the key – now I understand better… Thanks for the link – actually I did email them and they sent back the actual language and no explanation – frustrating! so…again, Mahalo!
Warmest alohas~ :)
Lori
p.s. Here is a wonderful blog entry I found with everything spelled out CLEARLY! She is talking about her dog but it’s all on there… :)
http://www.traveltohawai.com/hawaii/moving-to-hawaii-in-3-months-with-my-dog/
Lori, thank you for sharing your experience and the other post with us. Take Care!
I think its time hawaii let go of all this, after all hawaii is the United States, and we don’t have to do this if we travel to Any other U.S states. Its a money making deal and that is it!! Its been a very hard experiance for the animals..very hard. The inner island airlines just put your dog in the baggage area and the noise kills their ears. When will the airlines start making a space safe for our pets?
You all better think about it, and demand to see how they are airlifted, but good luck if they will show you…
We all need to push to get rid of this process, it will take a lot of forceing, but we can do it!!!!
Good luck and blessings to you all
This is a bit ridiculous. It is one thing to want to stay rabies free, but they still make you jump through unnecessary hoops. On top of that you charge you to “release” them?? Sounds like kidnapping & blackmail at that point. Since the paperwork is already sent in & approved what are they doing? And why can’t they fly in the cabin to Hawaii. My babies will never be cargo. Is this true even if you charter a plane? This is the same as moving to Europe under PETS. Worse. I was looking at Hawaii real estate but will cross it off. Since it starts at a few million anyway, there is no reason to put up with this. I do not like your attitude Hawaii. You are greedy. Aloha.
Has anyone here had to endure the 120 day quarantine? I will be making a sudden move to Oahu and have to take my dog with me. He will not qualify for direct release or 5-day. How stressful for the dog and owner is the 120 day program?
I’m moving to hawaii for 1-2 years this summer and really want to take my alaskan malamute with me. I am worried now after reading this because ive realized my dogs vet never gave me “original hand signed” copies of her rabies vaccine. It was all put into a computer and then printed off and just handed to me. Now I am really worried!
This link is to Hawaii’s Dept of Agriculture 5-day or less Quarantine Checklist.
http://hawaii.gov/hdoa/ai/aqs/aqs-checklist-5.pdf
One bit of advice I will give newcomers is that if you are renting in Hawaii it’s HARD to find a place that takes even small pets. Most landlords refuse animals.
Hi My name is Sara, i’m moving to hilo, Hawaii from Ca, and was shocked by all the restriction on animals relocation, i have one cat and she doesn’t get along with other animals or people.Im stressed out over that. Does any one have any idea about Akona Pet?
My mother-in-law plan on visiting us and possibly staying 4-5 months and wants to bring her pet dachsund 4 year old. I believe she may have to go do the five steps you have above..
my question is…she plans on going back and forth…like
4-5 months with us..then to Arizona with her daugher and then
back with us again. What documents will be required on her
subsequent trips. Would appreciate your input so much.
A lot of the info is directed towards dogs but I have 2 little white persians. I have a bit of time to plan this out but I am concerned about transporting them via cargo versus in the plane. How does that affect their ears and hearts along with oxygen? I am really concerned about any type of quarantine with them as they are so timid. I heard there was a way to have a HOME QUARANTINE and animal control would visit your house. They are indoor babies. Anyone have any advice?
We have a possibility of being stationed there in less than a year…… I have 4 dogs 5 pounds and under….. and it sounds like they will be thrown around and miss treated and the possible 120 days away from me…….. they are too small for a cargo hull….. there ears will not take the noise and they get cold at nothing…… and have never been locked in cages……it would kill them and me….. looks like if he gets orders to Hawaii I will be staying in the mainland….. It is just not right to do this to animals or the people.