The Hawaii dog and cat import form, AQS-279, is how you tell the state’s Animal Quarantine Station that your pet meets the health requirements to skip the default 120-day quarantine and instead qualify for Direct Airport Release or the 5-Day-Or-Less program.1Hawaii Department of Agriculture. FAQ for Animal Quarantine The form itself is short. What makes or breaks your submission is the months of veterinary work behind it, and how cleanly the dates and numbers on your certificates match what you write on the form.
Hawaii is the only rabies-free state in the country, and the 120-day quarantine costs $1,080 per pet if you miss a step. Start preparing at least four to five months before your travel date.
What Your Pet Needs Before You File
Every requirement below feeds a specific field on AQS-279. If any piece is missing, mistimed, or inconsistent between documents, your pet won’t qualify for expedited release.
An ISO-Compliant Microchip
A veterinarian must implant an ISO 11784/11785 (or equivalent) microchip and scan it to confirm the number. This has to happen before the rabies antibody blood draw; if the chip goes in after the blood is taken, Hawaii treats the test as invalid.2Hawaii Department of Agriculture. Hawaii Administrative Rules Chapter 4-29 – Animal Quarantine Keep the number written down. You’ll enter it on the form, and inspectors will scan the chip again at the airport.
Two Rabies Vaccinations
Your pet needs at least two rabies vaccinations in its lifetime, given more than 30 days apart, using an approved inactivated vaccine listed in the current Compendium of Animal Rabies Control. The most recent shot must be more than 30 days old on the day your pet arrives in Hawaii, and it must still be within the manufacturer’s booster interval.3Hawaii Department of Agriculture. Checklist 1 for Direct Airport Release and 5 Day Or Less Program All dogs and cats 90 days or older at entry must be vaccinated.4Hawaii Department of Agriculture. Hawaii Rabies Quarantine
Each vaccination certificate must show the vaccine product name, lot or serial number, booster interval, vaccination date, and lot expiration date, and it must be signed in ink by a licensed veterinarian. You submit the originals, not copies.
The OIE-FAVN Rabies Antibody Test
Once the microchip is in and vaccinations are current, your veterinarian draws blood for the OIE-FAVN (Fluorescent Antibody Virus Neutralization) test. The result must be 0.5 IU/mL or higher.3Hawaii Department of Agriculture. Checklist 1 for Direct Airport Release and 5 Day Or Less Program Only three labs are approved to run it:
- Kansas State University Rabies Laboratory
- Auburn University
- DOD Food Analysis and Diagnostic Laboratory (Texas)
The microchip number must appear on the test request form your vet sends to the lab. A passing result is valid for 36 months from the day after the lab receives the sample.5Hawaii Department of Agriculture. Animal Quarantine Microchip Search The test itself typically runs $70 to $84 at the lab, separate from your vet’s draw and shipping fees.
The 30-Day Waiting Period
This is where most owners get caught. After the lab receives your pet’s blood sample, you must wait at least 30 days before your pet can arrive in Hawaii. Arrive early and your pet sits in quarantine until the 30 days are up.6Hawaii Department of Agriculture. Animal Quarantine Information Page Add the 30-day gap after vaccination before the blood can even be drawn, and the minimum runway from a current vaccine to an eligible arrival is roughly three months. Longer if your pet needs its first rabies shot.
Health Certificate and Tick Treatment
Within 14 days of your pet’s arrival, a USDA-accredited veterinarian must issue an original health certificate (Certificate of Veterinary Inspection) documenting the rabies vaccine name, lot or serial number, booster interval, vaccination date, and expiration date.3Hawaii Department of Agriculture. Checklist 1 for Direct Airport Release and 5 Day Or Less Program
In that same 14-day window, the vet must treat the pet with a long-acting topical or oral product labeled to kill ticks, and record the product name and treatment date on the health certificate. Fipronil-based products are standard. Revolution is not accepted. K-9 Advantix works for dogs but is toxic to cats, so do not use it on cats.7Hawaii Department of Agriculture. FAQ for Five-Day-or-Less Program
Filling Out AQS-279
Download the current form from the Hawaii Department of Agriculture website, or file it online through the state’s electronic portal at hipop.ais.hawaii.gov.6Hawaii Department of Agriculture. Animal Quarantine Information Page Every entry must match your veterinary documents exactly. A mismatched microchip number, a wrong vaccination date, or an owner name spelled differently than on the certificates can delay processing or knock your pet out of expedited release.
Pick a Program
At the top, check one box:
- Direct Airport Release (DAR): inspection and release at the Honolulu airport, usually within hours of landing. This is what most owners want.
- 5-Day-Or-Less Quarantine: up to five days at the quarantine facility while staff finish confirming documents. Use this if you meet most requirements but missed a deadline or a document.
If neither fits, your pet defaults to the 120-day quarantine.1Hawaii Department of Agriculture. FAQ for Animal Quarantine
Owner and Pet Information
Enter your full legal name, address, phone numbers, email, and ID details. The name must be identical to the name on the veterinary records. In the pet section, provide the animal’s name, breed, sex, date of birth, color, and microchip number. Copy the vaccine product names, lot numbers, vaccination dates, and FAVN result straight from the originals without changing anything.
Handler or Agent
If you aren’t flying with your pet, Sections 7 and 7B let you designate an authorized handler or agent to act for you at the airport. You’ll need the handler’s name, the last four digits of their ID number, ID type and state, date of birth, address, and contact information. Co-owners listed on the form have full authority as legal owners. The separate “Authorized Visitors” section allows people to visit a pet in quarantine but does not let them sign or make decisions on your behalf.8Hawaii Department of Agriculture. Dog and Cat Import Form AQS-279
Sign It
The acknowledgment at the bottom is a sworn statement that you are the legal owner, that the information is accurate, and that you’ll pay the required fees. Sign and date. The form does not require notarization, despite what some older guides suggest.8Hawaii Department of Agriculture. Dog and Cat Import Form AQS-279
Submitting the Form and Paying
You have two options:
- Online through the state portal at hipop.ais.hawaii.gov.6Hawaii Department of Agriculture. Animal Quarantine Information Page
- By mail to Animal Quarantine Station, 99-951 Halawa Valley Street, Aiea, Hawaii 96701.8Hawaii Department of Agriculture. Dog and Cat Import Form AQS-279
Mailed packages should include the signed AQS-279, both original rabies vaccination certificates, the FAVN result, the health certificate, and payment. Use a trackable shipping service.
Deadline
For arrivals in Honolulu, the Animal Quarantine Station must receive your complete package at least 10 days before your pet lands. Documents that arrive late, or that appear for the first time at the airport, disqualify your pet from Direct Airport Release and trigger the higher 5-Day-Or-Less fee instead.8Hawaii Department of Agriculture. Dog and Cat Import Form AQS-279
Fees
Per pet:
- Direct Airport Release: $185
- 5-Day-Or-Less Quarantine: $244
- 120-Day Quarantine: $1,080
If your pet arrives before its eligible date, you’ll also owe $14.30 per day until the qualification date, on top of the program fee.8Hawaii Department of Agriculture. Dog and Cat Import Form AQS-279 Prepayment by mail takes a cashier’s check or money order made out to “Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity.” At the airport, Visa, Mastercard, traveler’s check, or cash are accepted.9Hawaii Department of Agriculture. FAQ – 5 Day Or Less Program
Flying to a Neighbor Island
Direct arrivals into Kona (Hawaii Island), Kahului (Maui), or Lihue (Kauai) require a Neighbor Island Inspection Permit (NIIP) on top of the standard AQS-279 package. Two things change. Documents must reach the Animal Quarantine Station at least 30 days before arrival, not 10.3Hawaii Department of Agriculture. Checklist 1 for Direct Airport Release and 5 Day Or Less Program And you must arrange a post-arrival inspection with a private veterinary clinic on your destination island; the clinic has to confirm the appointment directly with the Animal Quarantine Station before the permit is issued.
Once documents, FAVN results, and the clinic confirmation are all in, the station emails you the permit. Print it. Airlines cannot fly pets directly to neighbor islands from outside Hawaii without seeing a valid NIIP, and you’ll hand the printed permit to the inspector on arrival. The clinic inspection fee is separate from the state program fees and paid directly to the clinic.
At the Airport
When your pet lands in Honolulu, head to the Animal Quarantine Holding Facility near the terminal. Inspectors verify the original documents, scan the microchip against the number on your form and FAVN results, and examine the animal. If everything matches and fees are paid, DAR pets are typically released within a short time.
A document problem, whether it’s a mismatched microchip number, expired vaccination, missing health certificate, or no tick treatment recorded, keeps the pet at the quarantine station until it’s resolved. In some cases that resolution is the full 120-day quarantine. The originals travel with the pet in cargo, so bring copies of everything in your carry-on in case a page goes missing in transit.
Pets That Can’t Use This Path
Service Dogs
Guide dogs and service dogs enter Hawaii without quarantine but are not exempt from the health requirements. Hawaii defines a service dog as one individually trained to perform tasks directly related to a person’s disability, whether physical, sensory, psychiatric, or intellectual. Emotional support animals, comfort animals, and dogs in training do not qualify.10State of Hawaii. Guide and Service Dogs Entering Hawaii
A qualifying service dog still needs a current rabies vaccination, a microchip, and a passing OIE-FAVN test (0.5 IU or higher, valid three years). The dog also needs a health certificate issued within 30 days of arrival and a fipronil or equivalent tick treatment within 14 days of arrival, documented on the certificate.10State of Hawaii. Guide and Service Dogs Entering Hawaii Misrepresenting an animal as a service dog is a violation of state law and carries civil penalties.
Prohibited Hybrids
Non-domestic dogs and cats and their hybrids are prohibited under Plant Quarantine law, including wolf-dog crosses, dingoes, Bengal cats, and Savannah cats. These animals fall under the Plant Quarantine Branch, not the Animal Quarantine Station, and no AQS-279 will clear them for entry.6Hawaii Department of Agriculture. Animal Quarantine Information Page If you own a hybrid breed, contact the Plant Quarantine Branch directly before booking travel.