๐ŸŒบ Hawaii ยท Moderate ยท ~6-8 weeks (FAVN + 30-day post-test wait)

Moving a pet from the US to Hawaii

HNL has Direct Airport Release. Neighbor islands need a NIIP โ€” $165 + 30 days of paperwork. Same trip, different rules.

APHIS source last verified 2026-05-18

What ruins Hawaii trips

The specific traps for this destination. Not the generic advice youโ€™ll find on the first 10 Google results.

  • Microchip must be implanted BEFORE the rabies vaccine

    Any rabies vaccination given before the microchip is INVALID โ€” destination will reject it. If your pet was vaccinated first, you'll need to re-vaccinate AFTER microchipping. This is the #3 most common reason trips get reset.

    Source โ†’
  • Don't let the rabies vaccine lapse โ€” it invalidates the FAVN

    For FAVN destinations, if your rabies vaccine lapses by even 1 day, the prior FAVN becomes invalid. You'd need to re-vaccinate AND restart the 180-day wait (Japan) or 30-day wait (Hawaii). This is the highest-cost failure mode we see.

    Source โ†’

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