Flying with a dog or cat to Hawaii
Hawaii requires a certificate of veterinary inspection to bring in a dog or cat, including when you are travelling with your own.
What this state requires
Veterinary certificate required
- Validity window
- Not specified by the state
The rule in detail
Hawaii does not follow the other states' regime: it operates a rabies quarantine, closer to a foreign country's than to a state's. The detail is further down this page.
What the airline asks, separately
A carrier can require a document no state does. Most US airlines ask for a certificate issued within seven to ten days, whatever the state rule says. The two stack: satisfying one does not satisfy the other.
Dog breeds
Hawaii bans no breed at state level, but does not stop its municipalities from doing so either. Regulation therefore exists at city or county level, and it is the arrival address that decides — not the state, not the airport. Worth checking with the municipality before a move.
Hawaii: the only state that quarantines your pet
An ISO microchip implanted before any vaccination counts, two rabies vaccinations, an OIE-FAVN blood test at 0.5 IU/ml minimum, and a thirty-day wait after the laboratory receives the sample. Paperwork received at least ten days before arrival opens direct airport release; otherwise the animal goes to the station. Allow four to five months of preparation.
Where you come in
4 airports in our catalogue serve Hawaii.
- HNL
- KOA
- LIH
- OGG
Documented routes into this state
27 routes in our catalogue arrive here, with the airlines that accept the animal and their constraints.
Source
Rule read at the state's own official source, verified on 2026-09-12. dab.hawaii.gov
Common questions
- Do you need a health certificate to take a dog or cat to Hawaii?
- Yes. Hawaii requires a certificate of veterinary inspection, including for personal travel with your own pet.
- Can a dog breed be refused in Hawaii?
- Not by the state, but possibly by the destination municipality: Hawaii lets its cities and counties legislate on breeds. The arrival address decides, not the airport.
Other states
The rule changes at every state line. Each page below carries its own state’s rule, with its source.