Can You Take Your Dog To Hawaii On Vacation – Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, which means that if you decide to make a purchase through my links, we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. Read about our affiliate policy here.
If you want to visit or move to Hawaii but can’t imagine going anywhere without your dog, you’ve probably asked yourself, “Can you bring your dog to Hawaii?”
Can You Take Your Dog To Hawaii On Vacation
When we moved from London to Maui, we had a big problem to solve: how to transport our beloved dog, Hattie. We knew it was possible to take her to Hawaii, but we heard horror stories about dogs having to be quarantined for six months after arriving in Hawaii.
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Yes, you can bring your dog to Hawaii, but to avoid the six-month quarantine, you must request a Direct Airport Release (DAR). You must begin this process months before you arrive in Hawaii. We’ll cover exactly how we navigated the process and what we learned.
Our dog Hattie is met by a vet at the gate on Maui for direct release at the airport. She avoided 6 months of quarantine in Hawaii!
If you’re moving to Hawaii or going on vacation, check out our Hawaii recommendations for what to pack, our favorite activities, where to stay, rental car deals, and even a list of discount codes.
The Hawaii Department of Agriculture has checklists to guide you through the process of bringing your dog to Hawaii. They’re a great feature, but I actually found them a bit confusing at times.
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Our dog was ready to leave the cold of England for the beaches of Maui. She doesn’t regret moving to Hawaii.
The microchip number will be used to identify your dog upon arrival in Hawaii and the number will be used in the blood test your dog must pass. If your dog does not have a working microchip, get one implanted.
Hawaii is a rabies free state (amazing!) and the strict rules they put in place are their way of protecting their habitat to keep it rabies free. Hawaii is the only state in the union without rabies.
This means that they must ensure that all animals entering the state have enough rabies antibodies built up in their blood.
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To do this, your dog must have received at least two rabies vaccinations in its lifetime, and the most recent rabies vaccination must be active (not expired) before arriving in Hawaii.
Hattie had never had a rabies vaccine in her life (UK is rabies free) so we had to give her two shots. The vaccines had to be 30 days apart and we also had to wait 30 days after the second vaccine to do her blood work.
Planning and plenty of time are essential to ensure all of this is done before you take your dog to Hawaii!
Now that you have given your dog two rabies shots and given it time to develop rabies antibodies, it is time for a blood test at one of the three approved laboratories.
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This was the hardest part of the process for us as we came from the UK. It should be much easier to do this if you live in the US. Give your vet the names of the labs and he should be able to coordinate sending samples to them.
Your dog’s blood sample will be sent to the laboratory and the laboratory will send the results (pass or fail) directly to the Hawaii Department of Agriculture. You should also get a copy of the results from your vet.
If you want to check the status of your test and make sure the results have been received by the Hawaii Department of Agriculture, you can search with the Animal Quarantine Microchip Search.
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After you’ve done all the hard work, this is where it all comes together. Before applying for a license, you must do two things:
Once you’ve defined these two details, it’s time to apply for your license. If you are unsure of the details, the veterinarian of your choice in the Hawaiian Islands can assist you with the application process.
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If you are applying for a neighbor island inspection permit, submit your application documents at least 30 days before you plan to arrive in Hawaii. The documentation you must submit includes:
We also sent a bill of lading to the Ministry of Agriculture to overnight our license. We were very nervous about getting our driver’s license back in time for our flight.
If you fly to one of the neighboring islands like we did, the Ministry of Agriculture will send you a permit back. This is the license you must show to your airline before you go to Hawaii (they will check) and you must give it to your vet when you arrive.
At least 14 days before your flight, return to your vet to have them do a health check and make sure your dog is fit to fly. At this visit you will also want your dog to be treated for ticks, as your vet should also note this on the health certificate.
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It is a lot of work and time consuming to bring your furry friend to the islands. But it’s worth it. I was very nervous about the process and wasn’t sure what to expect when we landed, but it couldn’t have been easier.
Our vet met us at our gate, scanned Hattie’s microchip number, checked her license documents and off we went. That was the easiest part of the whole process.
Yes, the process to bring your dog to Hawaii is long. But if you make the change, it will be worth it. Now Hattie can enjoy the beaches of Hawaii and sunbathe on our front porch all day long. She loves it and we love her here.
For your dog’s flight, rabies blood test, health certificate and license you can expect to pay over $500. We paid $755 to bring our dog to Maui, broken down into costs:
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Most of these costs are standard, but you’ll save money by choosing the right airline. To take a dog to Hawaii on Alaska Airlines it costs $100 On Hawaiian Airlines it costs $225.
Looking for more budget tools for Hawaii? Find out how much a trip to Hawaii costs for two people and a family of four. Check out how we travel and how you can get a cheap ticket to Hawaii. Visit the cheapest Hawaiian island and book your stay with points!
I just explained all the steps you need to take to bring your dog to Hawaii when you move. The steps for taking a dog on holiday are exactly the same. You have to decide if it is worth taking your dog on a trip to Hawaii.
It will take months of planning and is very expensive. The total cost to bring Hattie (including the rabies vaccination) was about $1,000.
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If you decide to take your dog to Hawaii, be aware that your boarding options will be more limited. Since we were traveling between islands, we were lucky enough to find a few hotels and vacation rentals that would allow us to bring Hattie. But that always makes the planning more complex.
We know that bringing your dog to Hawaii is complicated, so to help you navigate it all, we also created a video sharing our experience with the process. Watch our video below as we explain our experience bringing our dog Hattie to Maui.
I am the co-founder, along with my husband Jordan, of The Hawaii Vacation Guide. We live on Maui and Oahu and continue to travel, experience and learn about the Hawaiian Islands. We are traveling with our children, Henry and Edith. I’m a planner! I love planning mainland trips and island adventures, day trips and everything in between. I spend a lot of time Hawaii SUPing and my favorite time of year in Hawaii is whale season!
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