If you’re flying Southwest to Hawaii, you’ll need to complete the state’s agricultural declaration form before you leave the airport, and Southwest is one of six airlines participating in Hawaii’s Akamai Arrival pilot, so you can fill it out digitally before landing or on the paper form a flight attendant hands you during the flight.1Office of the Governor. Akamai Arrival – Modernizing Hawaiʻi’s Agriculture Declaration Form Every passenger has to complete and return one, whether or not they’re carrying anything declarable. One adult can file a single form covering their family.2Justia. Hawaii Code 150A-5 – Conditions of Importation
Paper or Digital on Southwest
Hawaii’s Department of Agriculture launched Akamai Arrival in March 2025. Southwest, along with Alaska, American, Delta, Hawaiian, and United, is integrating the digital form into pre-departure messages, in-flight announcements, and arrival procedures.1Office of the Governor. Akamai Arrival – Modernizing Hawaiʻi’s Agriculture Declaration Form The digital version lives at akamaiarrival.hawaii.gov and asks for the same information as the paper form.3State of Hawaiʻi Department of Agriculture & Biosecurity. Biosecurity Declaration
The pilot is limited to select domestic flights, so don’t assume every Southwest route is covered. If a flight attendant hands you a paper form, use it. If you don’t receive one, ask: airlines are legally required to distribute the form before passengers deplane.2Justia. Hawaii Code 150A-5 – Conditions of Importation
What the Form Asks
At the top of the form, fill in your arrival date, flight number, and the address where you’ll be staying in Hawaii.4Office of the Governor of Hawaii. Akamai Arrival Presentation Below that are two sections of yes-or-no checkboxes.
Section A covers plants and related items: fresh fruits and vegetables, cut flowers and foliage, rooted plants and cuttings, algae, seeds and bulbs, and cultures of bacteria, fungi, viruses, or protozoa. Section B covers animals: dogs, cats, birds, reptiles (turtles, lizards, snakes), other animals, and insects, live fish, or amphibians.5Hawaii Tourism Authority. Hawaii Agriculture Declaration Form
Check “yes” for any category that applies, even if you believe the item is allowed. The form is a disclosure tool. Checking a box doesn’t mean your item will be confiscated; it means an inspector will take a look. When in doubt, declare it. You will never be penalized for over-declaring.
If you’re traveling with a live animal, the form instructs you to notify a cabin attendant before deplaning so the airline can coordinate transfer to the airport’s animal quarantine holding facility.5Hawaii Tourism Authority. Hawaii Agriculture Declaration Form
Handing It In at the Airport
Flight attendants often collect completed forms during the flight. If yours aren’t collected, you hand the form to an agricultural inspector after you land. At Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu, plant quarantine inspectors are stationed in the baggage claim area to examine agricultural items.6Hawaii Department of Transportation. Daniel K. Inouye International Airport – Agriculture Inspection The inspector reviews your answers, and if you declared something, they examine it on the spot. Passengers who checked “no” across the board move through quickly.
If an item is prohibited, the inspector will confiscate it. If it’s restricted but potentially allowable, you may be routed to a quarantine or treatment process.
Items You Can’t Bring In
Hawaii bans soil outright. No one may transport soil into the state without a permit for experimental or scientific purposes, and the prohibition extends to rocks, plants, or any article with soil clinging to it.7Justia. Hawaii Code 150A-6 – Soil, Plants, Animals, Etc. A potted plant must be in a soilless growing medium and may still need inspection.
Snakes are the best-known prohibited animal. Hawaii has no native snakes, and possessing one is a criminal offense. The Department of Agriculture maintains formal lists of prohibited, restricted, and conditionally approved non-domestic animals under Chapter 71 of the Hawaii Administrative Rules. Restricted animals require an import permit and a site inspection; prohibited animals cannot be imported at all.8Plant Industry Division. PQ – Non-Domestic Animal and Microorganism Lists
Fresh fruits and vegetables can be restricted because they may harbor fruit fly larvae or plant diseases. The Department of Agriculture’s travel page lists all agricultural items subject to screening, including plants, plant parts, cut flowers, live animals, microorganism cultures, soil, and their related packing materials.9Plant Industry Division. Traveling and Shipping from the U.S. Mainland to Hawaiʻi
Flying With a Dog or Cat on Southwest
Hawaii is rabies-free and enforces some of the strictest pet import rules in the country. Dogs and cats that meet every requirement before arrival can qualify for direct airport release at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport. Those that fall short face quarantine at the state facility for up to 120 days.10Hawaii Department of Agriculture. Animal Quarantine Information Page You need to start the process months before your trip.
To qualify for the five-day-or-less quarantine program, which includes direct airport release, your pet needs two rabies vaccinations with original certificates, a passing FAVN rabies antibody blood test, and at least a 30-day wait after both the test and the most recent vaccination. You also need to submit the completed AQS-279 form and all pre-arrival documents at least 10 days before your pet arrives. Miss that deadline and the direct airport release fee jumps from $185 to $244.10Hawaii Department of Agriculture. Animal Quarantine Information Page
Puppies and kittens will typically be about six months old before they can qualify because of the vaccination and testing timeline. Wolf hybrids, dingoes, Bengal cats, Savannah cats, and similar non-domestic crosses are prohibited entirely.10Hawaii Department of Agriculture. Animal Quarantine Information Page
Direct airport release inspections in Honolulu run from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily, including weekends and holidays, so book a Southwest flight that lands by 3:30 p.m. Pets arriving at neighbor island airports (Kona, Kahului, or Lihue) need a separate Neighbor Island Import Permit, and that paperwork must reach the Animal Quarantine Station at least 30 days before arrival.10Hawaii Department of Agriculture. Animal Quarantine Information Page Small timing or documentation errors are where most problems happen, so verify every date before you book.
Penalties for Skipping or Lying on the Form
Hawaii Revised Statutes Section 150A-14 sets several tiers. Failing to complete the declaration or giving false information is a petty misdemeanor carrying a fine between $50 and $5,000. A second offense within five years raises the range to $250 to $15,000.11Justia. Hawaii Code 150A-14 – Penalty
Possessing a prohibited animal such as a snake, or a restricted organism without a permit, is a misdemeanor with a fine between $5,000 and $20,000. Intentionally importing a prohibited animal or restricted organism with the intent to sell, propagate, or release it is a class C felony carrying a fine between $50,000 and $200,000 and up to five years in prison.11Justia. Hawaii Code 150A-14 – Penalty
The felony tier is reserved for deliberate smuggling. A tourist who honestly forgets to declare a bag of apples is looking at the petty misdemeanor tier at worst, and in practice inspectors are more likely to confiscate the item and move you along. Even so, “I didn’t know” isn’t a defense under the statute, so fill the form out carefully and declare anything you’re unsure about.