Relocating to Maui: Hawaii Pet Quarantine Laws

Planning a move to Maui is exciting (and may be a little stressful) with all that is involved in transporting your furniture, cars, and other belongings. If you are planning to relocate with your cat or dog, however, please be aware of Hawaii's Pet Quarantine Laws.

Hawaii is a rabies-free state and wants to keep it that way, which means any cat or dog originating from the Mainland needs to undergo a 120 day quarantine process before entering the state to ensure your pet is rabies-free.

We underwent this process with our dog a few years ago before moving to Maui, and although it was very rigorous with the amount of paperwork and the number of deadlines to meet (not to mention the stress of transporting him in the cargo area of the airplane!), everything went smoothly and he arrived in Maui safe and sound.

Your pet can stay with you in the Mainland during the 120 day quarantine process, which is what we did. The 120 days is basically just a waiting period once the lab at KSU has received your pet's blood sample for the OIE-FAVN rabies blood test. Your local veterinarian helps you with this process, as well as other shots, microchiping, flea and tick treatment, and health certificate that is required for your pet.

Be sure to check the Hawaii's Pet Quarantine Laws website and follow their quarantine checklist to make sure you meet each and every requirement. Otherwise, your pet may have to stay in Honolulu until each requirement is met, which can be expensive, as well as a hassle.

It may seem like an intimidating process, at least it did for me, but as long as you follow each step and fulfill each requirement of the quarantine procedure, it's pretty easy to receive clearance for your pet to enter the state of Hawaii.