What Not to Bring to Hawaii

Arriving: The Agriculture Declaration

Hawaii’s farms and forests have no defense against many pests and diseases common on the mainland, so the state checks what comes in. Every arriving passenger must declare plants, plant parts, seeds, soil, animals and certain foods to the Hawaii Department of Agriculture.

• Many inbound flights now use a digital declaration; on others, the crew hands out a paper form. Follow the instructions for your flight.
• Declare anything in doubt. Declared items can be inspected; undeclared ones can bring penalties.
• Fresh fruit, plants, cuttings and soil are the most common items held for inspection. It is simplest not to pack them.
• Snakes and many other animals are prohibited in Hawaii. Pets travel under separate rabies-prevention rules that take months of preparation.

Items to Leave at Home

• Non-mineral sunscreen, if you will be in Maui County (see the sunscreen page).
• Lots of formal clothes; resort casual covers almost everything.
• Heavy beach gear such as umbrellas and chairs, which hotels and rental shops supply.
• Drones, unless you have checked the rules for each park and area; many parks restrict them.
• Valuables you would hate to lose; car break-ins at trailheads and beaches happen, so leave nothing in a parked car.

A good rule of thumb: if it grew, crawled or came out of the ground, ask before you pack it. That covers most of the problems inspectors see on both the arrival and departure sides, and saves you a delay at the airport.

And on the way home: lava rock, sand and coral belong where they are. Taking natural materials from parks is prohibited, and many visitors simply prefer not to.