Hawaii’s animal import list sorts every non-domestic animal into one of three categories before it can enter the state: prohibited, restricted, or conditionally approved. The Hawaii Department of Agriculture (HDOA) maintains these categories under Hawaii Administrative Rules Chapter 4-71. Dogs and cats sit outside this framework and follow their own rabies-prevention rules. Getting the category wrong can mean your animal is refused at the airport, and in serious cases a class C felony with fines up to $200,000.
Prohibited Animals
Animals on the prohibited list cannot enter Hawaii for private ownership at all. Narrow exceptions exist for government zoos and state-run research programs, but no permit path exists for an individual.
The list includes several animals that are ordinary pets elsewhere, which is where most newcomers get caught:
- Every species of snake. Hawaii has no native snakes, and only four sterile male brown tree snakes are allowed in the entire state, kept solely for training detector dogs.
- Hamsters and gerbils, which fall under the family Cricetidae. The only Cricetidae permitted are a handful of species reserved for government research.
- Monk parakeets, canary-winged parakeets, grey-cheeked parakeets, and certain dwarf parrots.
Hybrid Animals Count as Prohibited
If one or both parents of a hybrid are a prohibited or restricted species, the offspring is also banned, regardless of generation or percentage of domestic genetics. That rules out wolf-dog crosses, coyote-dog mixes, and dingo crosses on the canine side. On the feline side, it rules out Bengal cats, Savannah cats, and any other cross between a domestic cat and a wild cat such as a leopard cat, ocelot, margay, or serval.
Restricted Animals
The restricted list covers species Hawaii allows only for specific institutional purposes: government zoos, accredited research facilities, commercial film productions, and similar controlled settings. Private citizens cannot keep restricted animals as personal pets.
Some of the entries are surprising. Snapping turtles, alligator snapping turtles, and hermit crabs are restricted rather than outright banned. So are crocodiles, alligators, caimans, hippopotamuses, cheetahs, ocelots, servals, and caracals. A municipal zoo may hold one; a film production may bring one in under permit. Short-term exhibition at circuses, carnivals, and state fairs is specifically prohibited for crocodilians and large cats even with a permit.
Institutions holding restricted animals must demonstrate a legitimate need for the species, maintain secure containment, and meet the permit conditions set by the HDOA Board of Agriculture.
Conditionally Approved Animals
The conditionally approved list is where most private owners will land. These are species that individuals, businesses, and institutions can import with a valid permit. The list covers a wide range of creatures but is narrower than what mainland pet stores typically carry.
Approved invertebrates include brine shrimp, daphnia, certain crab species (Dungeness and king among them), lobster, various oyster and clam species, abalone, and specific snails. Approved amphibians include many salamanders such as the axolotl and tiger salamander, and many frogs including tree frogs and bullfrogs. Certain birds and aquarium fish also appear on the list.
Species identification is the whole game. A closely related species that looks almost identical to an approved one may be prohibited. Permit applications require the exact scientific name, and airport inspectors verify the animal against what the permit describes. An honest mistake about species can still cost you the animal at the gate.
Permits and Fees for Non-Domestic Animals
All non-domestic animal imports require a permit. The application has to include the shipper’s and importer’s name and address, the number and scientific name of the animals, the sex of each animal if determinable, the purpose of the import, the mode of transportation, and the approximate arrival date.
For species where the Board of Agriculture has already set importation conditions, the HDOA chief can approve or deny the permit within 90 days. For animals that have never been approved for import before, a full risk-benefit analysis is required and takes longer. Restricted-species applicants also have to submit a written reason for the import, a description of the containment facilities, and a plan for disposition if the animal dies or is no longer needed.
Published HDOA fees for non-domestic animals:
- Conditionally approved: $20 for a single shipment, or $100 for multiple shipments within one year.
- Restricted: $50 for a single shipment, or $200 for an annual multiple-shipment permit.
Applications and supporting documents go through the Plant Quarantine Branch. Form PQ-7 can be downloaded from the HDOA website or picked up at any Plant Quarantine Office. The main Oahu office is at 1849 Auiki Street, Honolulu, HI 96819.
Performance Bond for Primates and Marsupials
Certain restricted species require a cash performance bond on top of the permit. The bonded list includes monkeys, apes, baboons, chimpanzees, gibbons, lemurs, pottos, and wallabies, plus any offspring born to bonded animals. The Board or its chairperson can require a bond for other species as a condition of import.
The standard bond is $3,000 per animal, paid in cash or cashier’s check. Owners holding a valid USDA license under the Animal Welfare Act pay $2,000 per animal. Government organizations such as municipal zoos and IRS-recognized nonprofit sanctuaries are exempt.
Bond conditions are strict. You have to notify the HDOA chief immediately if a bonded animal escapes or dies. Offspring must be reported and bonded within 30 calendar days of birth. Before moving a bonded animal out of state, an inspector has to verify the departure in advance. USDA-licensed owners must also report any suspension, revocation, or expiration of their federal license within seven business days.
Dogs and Cats Follow a Separate System
Dogs and cats are domestic animals and fall outside the three-list framework, but Hawaii’s import rules for them are among the strictest anywhere, because Hawaii is one of the few rabies-free places in the world. Every dog and cat entering the state, at any age, must comply with the rabies prevention program.
Animals that do not meet all pre-arrival requirements face up to 120 days at the state Animal Quarantine Station. To avoid that, owners complete the 5 Day Or Less program, which has a provision for direct release at the airport if every requirement is satisfied:
- Two valid rabies vaccinations at the proper intervals.
- A passing Fluorescent Antibody Virus Neutralization (FAVN) blood test from an approved laboratory.
- At least 30 days between the most recent rabies vaccination (and successful FAVN) and arrival in Hawaii.
- All paperwork and payment to the Animal Quarantine Station at least 10 days before arrival.
Because of the vaccination schedule and waiting periods, preparing a puppy or kitten from birth takes about six months before the animal can qualify for the shorter program. Owners flying into neighbor islands such as Kona, Kahului, or Lihue also need a Neighbor Island Inspection Permit and have to arrange for an approved private veterinarian to inspect the animal on arrival.
Documents and fees for dogs and cats go to the Animal Quarantine Station at 99-951 Halawa Valley Street, Aiea, Hawaii 96701, or online through the state portal. That is a different office from the Plant Quarantine Branch, which handles non-domestic animals. Inspection hours at the Airport Animal Quarantine Holding Facility at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport run from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily, including weekends and holidays. Flights should arrive by 3:30 p.m., since it can take airlines up to an hour to deliver a pet to the facility, and animals not received by 4:30 p.m. are held overnight.
Penalties for Importing the Wrong Animal
Intentionally bringing in a prohibited animal, or importing a restricted species without a permit with intent to sell, breed, or release it, is a class C felony. Penalties include a fine of no less than $50,000 and up to $200,000, plus imprisonment for up to five years. A convicted owner can also be held liable for the full cost of capturing or eradicating the animal if it escapes.
Lower-level violations also carry consequences. Failing to meet permit conditions, importing without proper documentation, or possessing a non-domestic animal outside the terms of a valid permit can all trigger enforcement action.
If You Already Have an Illegal Animal: Amnesty
If you are already holding a prohibited animal in Hawaii, the HDOA runs an amnesty program that lets you surrender it voluntarily without fines or charges, provided no investigation has been opened yet. Once law enforcement is already looking, the window closes.
Drop-off locations include local humane societies, municipal zoos and aquariums, and any HDOA Plant Quarantine Office. On Oahu, those include the Honolulu Zoo, the Waikiki Aquarium, the Plant Quarantine Office at 1849 Auiki Street, and the Hawaiian Humane Society. Each major island has its own set of locations. Plant Quarantine Offices are generally open Monday through Friday, 7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., excluding state holidays.
The state has committed not to euthanize animals surrendered through amnesty and will make every effort to rehome them to an appropriate facility outside Hawaii. Releasing an illegal animal into the wild is itself a criminal act and is strongly discouraged.