Pet Travel Question: The Tricky Details of Bringing Pets to Hawaii

Name: Lisa
Number of Pets: Four
Pet Type: Dog and Cats
Pet Breed: Chihuahua, Tabby cats
From: Omaha, NE
To: Oahu, Hawaii

I am flying into Hawaii on the 17th of August 2013. So far I have met all the requirements to bring my pets into Hawaii. My pets should have no problems being released at the airport as far as I can tell.

My question is, will I incur any more charges to have them released? I seen on one site that it stated there would be a $178.00 charge per pet for direct release at the airport.

Thanks,

Lisa

 

Hi Lisa,

Thanks for your question -- it's completely understandable that your upcoming move is raising some questions. Bringing pets to Hawaii requires quite a bit of research and attention to detail, so we'd be happy to share some information to help you sort it all out.

First, take a look at this overview of the pet import requirements for Hawaii as well as the official government link describing the requirements for the 5-Day-or-Less Program. According to this document, you'll pay either $165 or $224 per pet depending on if you're doing airport direct release or the 5-Day-or-Less Program.

Here's another link discussing what it's like to move pets to Hawaii. The story of Tarzan the cat shows how important it is to complete the requirements on the right schedule in order to obtain early release. Even Bo, President Obama's dog, had to do everything by the letter.

Please let us know if you have more questions after reviewing this information. Good luck and Aloha!