Kapalama State ID: Documents, AlohaQ Booking, and Fees

To get a Kapalama State ID, book an appointment through AlohaQ at the Kapālama Driver Licensing Center, 925 Dillingham Blvd., Suite 101, Honolulu, and bring original documents proving your identity, date of birth, Social Security number, and Hawaii residency. The card costs $40, is valid for eight years, and the permanent plastic arrives by mail in six to eight weeks.¹

Documents to Bring

State rules require you to prove four things at the counter, and the examiner will only accept originals or certified copies. Photocopies and illegible documents are rejected.²

Identity and Date of Birth

One document can cover both. Accepted options include a valid U.S. passport or passport card, a certified birth certificate from a state vital records office, a permanent resident card, an employment authorization document, a certificate of naturalization, or a certificate of citizenship.³ If your current legal name differs from the name on that document because of marriage, adoption, or a court order, bring the paperwork that links the two names.

Social Security Number

Present your Social Security card. If you are not eligible for a Social Security number, bring a letter of non-eligibility from the SSA.³ The Department of Customer Services notes that SSN documentation has been optional since June 2021, but bringing the card avoids problems at the window.²

Hawaii Residency

You need two separate documents showing your current Hawaii street address, such as utility bills, bank statements, or payroll stubs. P.O. Box addresses do not count unless no street address is assigned for mail delivery in your area.² The address on both documents should match what you write on your application.

Booking Through AlohaQ

Kapālama uses the AlohaQ online scheduling system, and walking in without one is not the way to do this. Start from the Honolulu Department of Customer Services appointment page, which links directly to AlohaQ for driver’s license and state ID services.⁴ Select the Kapālama location, then the State ID service.⁵

Slots fill fast. Checking early in the morning tends to surface both new openings and released cancellations. After you book, the system sends confirmation to the number you gave: a text if it’s a mobile number, otherwise print or write down your details.⁵ Limited Saturday appointments are offered for renewals on select dates.⁴

What Happens at the Counter

The Kapālama Driver Licensing Center is open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.⁶ Check in with your appointment confirmation. Staff review your application and originals, scan the documents into a secure system, and take your photograph.

You leave with a temporary paper identification document. The permanent plastic card is produced at a separate facility and mailed to the address on your application within six to eight weeks.¹ Confirm your mailing address before you leave the counter; a wrong address means the card comes back to the state and you have to sort it out.

One boundary worth knowing: TSA does not accept the temporary paper document for boarding flights.⁷ If you fly during that six-to-eight-week window, bring a passport or other TSA-accepted ID.

Fees and Payment

A standard eight-year Hawaii State ID is $40.¹ Non-citizens with temporary legal presence pay a prorated $5 per year based on their authorized stay. A duplicate for a lost, stolen, or damaged card is $6 in person or $7 online.²

Kapālama accepts cash, checks in U.S. funds made payable to the City and County of Honolulu, money orders, and traveler’s or cashier’s checks. Visa, MasterCard, and Discover credit and debit cards are accepted with a 2.35% service fee. A returned check adds a $25 fee.⁶

REAL ID and the Star Marking

REAL ID enforcement started May 7, 2025. Since then, TSA and other federal agencies only accept REAL ID-compliant cards for domestic flights and entry into federal facilities. A compliant Hawaii State ID shows a star in the upper corner. The star version costs the same $40, with no extra fee at issuance.²

If your current card has no star, you can still fly with a valid U.S. passport, passport card, military ID, permanent resident card, or another TSA-accepted document.⁷ If your State ID is your only government photo ID, add the star at your next renewal at no extra charge, or pay the $6 duplicate fee to get it sooner.

Renewals and Duplicates

Renewal costs $40 for another eight years and generally must be done in person. If you’re a U.S. citizen or permanent resident who already provided the full REAL ID document set and nothing has changed, you don’t have to bring everything again. A new photo is taken every other renewal.⁸

People with temporary legal presence must renew in person and show updated proof that their authorized stay continues. If a name, address, or other printed detail has changed since your last card, bring documentation of the change.⁸

Residents aged 80 and older, or those with a severe disability that makes an in-person visit a serious burden, may be able to renew at a non-DMV location by contacting their county DMV office.⁸

The $6 duplicate fee applies whether the card was lost, stolen, damaged, or needs replacement after a name change. The same process is how you add the REAL ID star to a non-compliant card.

Fee Waivers for Homelessness or Hardship

Hawaii waives the State ID fee for residents experiencing homelessness or extreme financial hardship. Homelessness is verified through a letter from a Department of Human Services-recognized homeless service provider. Extreme hardship is documented with an SSA award letter for supplemental security income or a DHS notice of financial benefits. The waiver covers only original or renewal fees, not duplicates.⁸⁹

If You Move

File a notice of address change within 30 days of moving.¹⁰ The address you give at your appointment is the one printed on the card that gets mailed to you, and it’s the address the state uses for future correspondence.

False Information on the Application

Knowingly making false statements or submitting forged or altered documents on a State ID application is a misdemeanor under Hawaii law, classified as obtaining a government-issued identification document under false pretenses. The offense requires intent; honest mistakes on your application don’t trigger criminal liability.¹¹

1
City and County of Honolulu. State ID
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Department of Customer Services. Real ID
3
Hawaii Department of Transportation. Hawaii Administrative Rules 19-149-3
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City and County of Honolulu. Department of Customer Services – Appointments
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Department of Customer Services. How To AlohaQ
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Department of Customer Services. CSD Services and Locations
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Transportation Security Administration. Acceptable Identification at the TSA Checkpoint
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Hawaii Department of Transportation. Hawaii State Identification Card
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Cornell Law Institute. Hawaii Code of Rules 19-149-19 – Fees
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Department of Customer Services. Driver’s License Procedures
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Justia. Hawaii Code 710-1016-4 – Obtaining a Government-Issued Identification Document Under False Pretenses in the Second Degree