Animal Quarantine Information

► Advisory (Updated July 7, 2011)

Effective December 1, 2009 inspection hours for dog and cats at Honolulu International Airport (HNL) will be between the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily, including weekends and holidays.  This information is particularly important for those who are qualifying their pets for direct release at Honolulu International Airport.  Pet owners should be sure to arrange for their flights to arrive by 3:30 p.m. because it may take up to one hour for the airlines to transport a pet to the Airport Animal Quarantine Holding Facility and animals not arriving at the facility by 4:30 p.m. will not be released at the airport that day.   Pets arriving in the late afternoon and evening will be held overnight until inspections are completed the following morning.  Pet owners who are arriving in Honolulu and connecting to neighboring islands should pay particular attention to the inspection hours. 

The Airport Animal Quarantine Holding Facility at HIA will continue to accept pets arriving from airlines at all times of the day.  The reduced hours are for inspection operations and airport release.

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Contact Info:

• E-mail us: rabiesfree@hawaii.gov 
• Animal Quarantine Station phone:  (808) 483-7151
  (Due to the large volume of calls, the best way to contact the Animal Quarantine Station is via the e-mail address above.)

► Hawai'i's Animal Quarantine Law

Hawai`i is rabies-free. Hawai`i's quarantine law is designed to protect residents and pets from potentially serious health problems associated with the introduction and spread of rabies. All dogs and cats, regardless of age (puppies and kittens included) or purpose, must comply with Hawai`i’s dog and cat import requirements.

Chapter 4-29 Hawai`i Administrative Rules, governs the importation of dogs, cats and other carnivores into Hawai`i. This law states that dogs and cats meeting specific pre- and post-arrival requirements may qualify for 5-day–or-less quarantine program, which has a provision for direct release at Honolulu International Airport after inspection. (See “Checklist For 5-Day-Or-Less Program” for details.)

Furthermore, the law requires dogs and cats not meeting all of the specific 5-Day-Or-Less program requirements to be quarantined for up to 120 days upon arrival In Hawai`i.  (See “Hawaii Rabies Quarantine Information Brochure” for details on 120-day quarantine.)

Prohibited Animals: The regulation of animal breeds and species that are permitted to enter Hawaii is under Plant Quarantine Branch jurisdiction and administrative rules.  Non-domestic dogs and cats and hybrids such as wolf, wolf cross, Dingo, Bengal, Savannah, etc are prohibited under Plant Quarantine (PQ) law.  Refer to Plant Quarantine's animal guidelines for importation. 

Puppies and Kittens: Due to the minimum amount of time needed to prepare a puppy or kitten to meet the requirements of the 5-Day-Or-Less program, a puppy or kitten will be about 10 months of age by the time the preparations are completed. Puppies and kittens not able to meet all of the requirements for the 5-Day-Or-Less program will be quarantined for 120 days.

Hawaii Resident Pets:  Owners wishing to leave Hawai`i with their pets and return without extended quarantine must meet all requirements listed on the “Checklist Only For Resident Dogs And Cats Originating From Hawai`i And Returning For The 5-Day-Or-Less Program."  The length of the waiting period after a successful rabies blood test is modified and must be completed before leaving Hawai`i. See “Checklist Only For Resident Dogs And Cats Located in Hawaii that are Departing and Returning to Hawaii under the 5-Day-Or-Less Program” for details.

Re-Entry Fee Requirements: For pets re-entering Hawaii after completing a Hawai`i rabies quarantine program, click here for requirements when a reduced "Re-entry" fee for Direct Airport Release or 5-Day Or-Less quarantine applies.

Direct Release on Neighbor Islands:  Pets may now qualify for direct release at Kona Airport (Big Island), Kahului Airport (Maui) and Lihue Airport (Kaua`i).  See "Checklist for Requesting Direct Airport Release at Kona, Kahului and Lihue Airports."

Pets from Areas Exempted from Rabies Quarantine:  For pets arriving from exempt areas follow Checklist for Pets Arriving from British Isles, Australia, Guam and New Zealand [Rev. 11/05]

       Note for Guam:  See FORMS section below for the Affidavit for Export from Guam to Hawai`i.

► Information and FAQs

• Hawai`i Rabies Quarantine Information Brochure [aqsbrochure.pdf, Rev. 10/09] This brochure contains important information about pre-arrival requirements, quarantine station location and contacts, procedures, policies, rules, operations and fees.
• Frequently Asked Questions [Rev. 08/10]
• Frequently Asked Questions for 5-Day-or-Less  Quarantine Program  [Rev. 10/09]
• Map to Airport Animal Quarantine Holding Facility (Honolulu International Airport)
• Direct Airport Release Security Advisory
   
• IMPORTANT! Pet owners are responsible for transporting all pets released from the Airport Animal Quarantine Holding Facility (AAQHF) to their vehicles or the Interisland terminal. Airport security regulations do not permit animals to be let out of the transport crate on airport property. Pets must be picked up and loaded into a vehicle or onto a baggage cart in their transport crate.  Therefore, vehicles must be large enough to accommodate the intact crate with the pet inside.  There are no baggage carts or porters in the immediate vicinity of the AAQHF.
  
  Due to limitations in inter-island service on the weekend, pets arriving on Thursday or Friday may not be transferred to satellite quarantine stations and approved hospitals on the neighbor islands until the following Monday.

► Forms

• Dog and Cat Import Form [AQS-278.pdf, Rev. 11/11]- One completed form per pet is required to be submitted along with all pre-arrival documents (Two Rabies Vaccination Certificates, Health Certificate, Pre-payments) NO LESS THAN 10 DAYS BEFORE PET ARRIVES IN HAWAI`I TO QUALIFY FOR 5-DAY-OR-LESS or AIRPORT RELEASE.  If the health certificate cannot be sent 10 days before arriving with the rest of the documents, the original must be given to the inspector upon arrival in Hawai`i.
  • List of Approved Veterinary Hospitals [AQS-20.pdf updated 1/12]
  • Breed Code Listing and Color Code Listing [AQS-66.pdf]
  • Intermediate Handlers [Rev. 4/11]  List of registered private individuals or organizations that may be contracted with for fee as intermediate handlers to assist in the interstate and inter-island shipping of pets.
     
• Summary For Veterinarians [AQS-39.pdf, Rev. 11/09] Summary for veterinarians of health certification, microchip, rabies vaccination intervals, OIE-FAVN test and waiting periods requirements of the 5-Day-Or-Less program.
   

OIE-FAVN Testing Forms - All posted laboratory fees and documents are subject to change by the laboratory without notice.

Kansas State University FAVN-OIE Testing information:

• KSU FAVN Testing Form [Rev. 07/10]
• KSU FAVN Testing Instruction Sheet [Rev. 07/10]
• Link to KSU fee schedule

DOD Laboratory Testing information (Department of Defense):

• FAVN Testing Request form for DOD Members [Rev. 03/11]
• FAVN Testing Instructions for DOD Members [03/11]
• FAVN Testing Credit Card Authorization Form for DOD Members [03/11]
  
  
• Request For Electronic Microchip for Foreign Countries [aqs-73.pdf, Rev. 07/03]
  Effective June 30, 2003, the State of Hawai`i will only provide microchips for requests outside of the 50 States of the United States. 
  
• For pets arriving from Guam, Affidavit for Export From Guam to the State of Hawai`i [IC-5.pdf] is required.
   

► OIE-FAVN Test Results

Pets owners do not need to present a hardcopy of test results to the Rabies Quarantine Branch, as KSU and DOD will send results directly if “Hawaii” is listed as the destination on the lab submission form.  Owners can obtain pre-arrival OIE- FAVN test results from the veterinarian that submitted the sample or on the Hawai`i Department of Agriculture website (see below).  Please do not call laboratories directly for test results!

For those qualifying for the direct release or 5-day-or-less you can now check online for your pre-test results and the 120^-day date after KSU or DOD received your pet’s sample. Click HERE for more information.

Guide & Service Dogs

For information on requirements for allowing guide dogs and service dogs to enter Hawai`i without Quarantine click HERE . 
 

If you have questions after reviewing our brochure and forms, please contact us at:

• E-mail us: rabiesfree@hawaii.gov 
• Animal Quarantine Station phone:  (808) 483-7151
• or you may contact our quarantine office at this address:

Hawai`i Department of Agriculture
Animal Quarantine Station
99-951 Halawa Valley Street
Aiea, Hawai`i 96701-5602
 

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