Pet Shipping to Hawaii
We provide international pet transport from Canada to Hawaii, planned around its import rules, the Canadian winter and your move date.
Book door-to-door pet relocation, or only the parts you need.
- Airline booking
- The travel crate
- The CFIA export paperwork
- Check-in at your Canadian airport
- Pickup in Hawaii with delivery to your new address
Hawaii at a glance
Full requirementsA pet flying from Canada to Hawaii is also entering the United States, so for a dog the CDC’s rules for arrivals from a low-risk country apply alongside the 5 Day Or Less program, and their dates have to line up.
- Microchip
- Electronic microchip in the US or ISO standard, in place before the FAVN blood draw
- Rabies vaccinations
- At least two in your pet’s lifetime, separated by more than 30 days. The latest given over 30 days before arrival, and still within the booster interval on the manufacturer’s label
- FAVN titre test
- At an approved laboratory. Result must be 0.5 IU/ml or higher
- Waiting period
- 30 days. Hawaii starts counting the day after the sample reaches the laboratory, and that day must sit inside the 36 months before arrival
- Fees
- Charged by the state in US dollars, and set out in full with the rest of the move on our Canada to Hawaii cost page. Keeping them in one place means no amount here can drift out of date while that page is current
Pet Shipping to Hawaii
Sequence is what decides a Canadian move to Hawaii. Checklist 1 wants the electronic microchip in place before the FAVN blood is taken rather than before the shots. The titre test follows at an approved laboratory.
Which route does a pet take into Hawaii?
For Honolulu, Advisory A on the Animal Quarantine information page, read 29 October 2026, says “No permits are issued or required” to fly a dog or cat into Daniel K. Inouye International Airport. Kona, Kahului and Lihue can release an animal straight off the aircraft as well, but the same advisory asks for a Neighbor Island Inspection Permit to be presented to the airline before boarding, and will not issue one until a contracted veterinary practice on that island has confirmed it will do the inspection. Those files are due a month or more ahead, not ten days. We route the Canadian legs around whichever of the two you need.
Route details: bringing a pet to Hawaii
- Route
- Canada to Hawaii
- Arrival airports
- Honolulu (HNL); Kona (KOA), Kahului (OGG) or Lihue (LIH) only with a Neighbor Island Inspection Permit, HDOA says
- How the pet flies
- Where it rides is each airline’s call, HDOA says; a cabin pet goes to the airport quarantine facility on landing
- Advance notice
- HDOA: papers in 10 days or more before a Honolulu arrival, 30 days or more for a Neighbor Island permit. Dogs: CDC Dog Import Form
- Health certificate
- Original in English from a vet within 14 days of arrival, tick treatment and HDOA’s screwworm statement; CFIA says cats need no CFIA stamp
- Quarantine on arrival
- Every step met: Direct Airport Release in Honolulu or the 5 Day Or Less program. Otherwise up to 120 days, or out of state at your cost
- Rabies titre
- FAVN of 0.5 IU/ml or more at Auburn, Kansas State, Missouri or DOD; the day after the lab gets it falls 30 days to 36 months before arrival
- Time to get ready
- At least 4 months: HDOA’s figure for an adult pet that has had one rabies shot. Dogs entering the US must also be 6 months or older (CDC)
Work out your pet’s dates for this route
From official sources, read 29 October 2026: Hawaii Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity, Animal Quarantine Branch, Animal Quarantine Information Page; Hawaii Department of Agriculture, Checklist 1 for Direct Airport Release & 5 Day Or Less Program, PDF; Hawaii Department of Agriculture, Checklist 2 for Requesting Direct Airport Release at Kona, Kahului and Lihue Airports, PDF; Hawaii Rabies Quarantine Information Brochure, PDF; Hawaii Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity, FAQ for Five-Day-or-Less Program; CDC, Entry Requirements for Dogs from Dog-Rabies Free or Low-Risk Countries; Hawaii Rabies Quarantine Branch, Summary for Veterinarians AQS-39, PDF; CFIA, Export of cats and ferrets to the United States; Hawaii Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity, Animal Quarantine Branch.
What are the entry requirements for pets going to Hawaii?
The short answer
From Canada, a pet has to meet Hawaii’s requirements, and a dog the CDC’s entry rules for the United States as well: an electronic microchip, at least two rabies vaccinations more than 30 days apart, a passing FAVN titre test and its waiting period, and documents with the Animal Quarantine Station at least 10 days ahead of arrival.
Import Eligibility for Pets
Hawaii names its two outcomes carefully, and it is worth using its words. A dog or cat that has satisfied every step before arrival enters the 5 Day Or Less program. Release straight from the airport is a provision within it, for an animal whose documents and inspection are both in order on the day. Where something is missing, Checklist 1 has the pet held until the gap is closed, for as long as 120 days, or flown back out at the owner’s cost. Because your pet is also entering the United States, we align the CDC and US entry paperwork with Hawaii’s requirements so one journey satisfies both.
Before scheduling vet steps or flights, we confirm what applies to your pet directly with the Hawaii Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity Animal Quarantine Station and current US entry rules, so nothing in your plan is based on outdated summaries.
What vet work and documents does a pet need for Hawaii?
The sequence: an electronic microchip, which Hawaii takes in the US or the ISO standard, and two or more rabies vaccinations over your pet’s lifetime, separated by more than 30 days. The FAVN rabies titre test follows at an approved laboratory, with a passing result of 0.5 IU/ml or more. Checklist 1 starts the wait the day after the laboratory receives the sample.
Finally, the complete document package must reach the Animal Quarantine Station at least 10 days before your pet lands. We track every date for you, on both sides of the border.
| Requirement | Hawaii, from Canada |
|---|---|
| Microchip | Electronic microchip in the US or ISO standard, in place before the FAVN blood draw |
| Rabies vaccinations | At least two in your pet’s lifetime, separated by more than 30 days. The latest given over 30 days before arrival, and still within the booster interval on the manufacturer’s label |
| FAVN titre test | At an approved laboratory. Result must be 0.5 IU/ml or higher |
| Waiting period | 30 days. Hawaii starts counting the day after the sample reaches the laboratory, and that day must sit inside the 36 months before arrival |
| Fees | Charged by the state in US dollars, and set out in full with the rest of the move on our Canada to Hawaii cost page. Keeping them in one place means no amount here can drift out of date while that page is current |
We keep your checklist aligned with the official rules and follow the State of Hawaii Animal Quarantine guidance. Your pet also travels with an original health certificate in English from a licensed veterinarian, issued within 14 days of arrival, as Checklist 1 asks. That Animal Quarantine page, read 29 October 2026, also requires a certifying statement on it: “All animals were inspected and found free of evidence of New World Screwworm infestation.”
Planning Timeline for Pet Shipping to Hawaii
Hawaii publishes a minimum of its own, and it runs longer than the spacing rules alone suggest. The division’s quarantine branch page carries the figure, read on 18 September 2026: four months or more where an adult pet already has one rabies vaccination, and ten or more for a puppy or kitten born today. Where an animal is already carrying a passing FAVN result whose receipt date sits inside 36 months, what remains is the paperwork deadline and a vaccination that has not lapsed.
For a line by line breakdown of what this route costs, see our cost page for Canada to Hawaii.
Every Pet Travels Differently
Different destinations, different routes, different challenges.
Because timelines, airline rules, and Hawaii’s entry requirements all affect each other, we build a plan that fits your pet and your move date.
Destination-Focused Planning
We use the State of Hawaii Animal Quarantine rules as the baseline, then turn them into a simple checklist and timeline you can follow.
Smart Routing and Logistics
We help choose practical routes, travel windows, and handoff procedures so your pet’s trip is safer and more predictable.
Personalized Support
Pet Travel Advisors assigns a move coordinator who keeps you updated and checks details before travel so nothing important is missed.
Questions about moving a pet to Hawaii
Request a QuoteHow much does it cost to move a pet from Canada to Hawaii?
Hawaii’s own fees are published and exact, in US dollars because Hawaii charges them: Direct Airport Release in Honolulu is USD $185 when your documents are received 10 days or more before arrival, and USD $244 when they are not. Release at Kona, Kahului or Lihue needs a USD $165 Neighbor Island Inspection Permit plus a private vet’s inspection fee. The full schedule is on the Hawaii Animal Quarantine fee page.
On the Canadian side, the CFIA’s page on exporting cats and ferrets to the United States, read 29 October 2026, says endorsement by an official CFIA veterinarian “is not required and the CFIA does not play a role in U.S. State level requirements”, and its page on dogs travelling to the United States says the CFIA “does not play a role in U.S. State level requirements”. Hawaii’s Checklists 1 and 2, read the same day, ask for an original health certificate in English and name no government endorsement of it.
Every quote is built for your pet and route. The main components: the FAVN lab work, Hawaii Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity program fees, airline transport from Canada via Vancouver or Toronto, the crate, and door to door service on both ends. We price the full journey up front, program fees included.
Add airline cargo from your Canadian city, the crate, and ground service at both ends. Our Canadian pet shipping cost guide shows what drives each line, and we quote the full journey up front.
Does my pet have to quarantine in Hawaii?
Every dog and cat arriving in Hawaii enters its rabies program; what the preparation decides is the length of the stay. Complete each step before departure and the pet is inspected on arrival and handed straight back. Miss one and Checklist 1 holds it until the gap is closed, for as long as 120 days, or sends it back out of the state at your cost.
What are the most common reasons pets miss same day release?
The titre blood draw left too late, so the 30 day wait has not run out by the time the pet lands; a file that reaches the quarantine station inside the ten day cut off; two rabies vaccinations whose dates are 30 days apart or closer, which fails the spacing test; and a chip that will not scan on arrival, which Checklist 1 treats as no identification at all. Our sequencing exists to prevent all four.
How does Pet Travel Advisors handle a Canada to Hawaii move?
One coordinator owns your file: vet scheduling in the right order, the FAVN test and its 30 day clock, US entry paperwork, the document package to the Animal Quarantine Station, the crate, the flight, and same day release at Honolulu.
Ready to start?
Book door-to-door pet relocation, or only the parts you need.