Hawaii COVID Testing Requirements

John Derrick

Hawaii COVID Testing Requirements

According to Governor Ige, the state of Hawaii will drop the current 'Safe Travels' program for domestic U.S. travelers at midnight on March 25, 2022.

That now means as of March 26th, domestic travelers to Hawaii will no longer need to fill out online forms via Safe Travels, no longer have to worry about QR codes, no longer have to provide proof of vaccination, and ultimately, there won't be any additional requirements or restrictions to fly to Hawaii on a domestic flight.

More information, including all travel advisories, and the steps for international travels can be found on our Hawaii Travel Updates page.

All of the following information is now for historical purposes only!

Including Hawaii's Pre-Travel Test Procedures & Rules

Official Pre-Travel Testing Program now allows the bypass of quarantine

Last Updated: March 1, 2022, at 2:00 pm HST

Hawaii's pre-travel testing program has now effectively opened up the islands to visitors, as long as they bring along proof of a negative COVID-19 test from a state-approved trusted testing partner and complete a State Dept. of Agriculture paper form (which is distributed on all flights) prior to arrival within the state. There are also now vaccine exemptions available for those vaccinated within the U.S. (as of July 8, 2021), in addition to new International Traveler rules & requirements that went into effect on November 8, 2021; see below for additional details.

Trans-Pacific travelers who, upon entry into the state, provide written confirmation from a state-approved COVID-19 testing facility of a negative test result from a test administered to the traveler within 72 hours from the final leg of departure, will be able to bypass Hawaii’s mandatory quarantine order. Additionally, all travelers wishing to bypass the 5-day (number of required days changed on January 3, 2022) mandatory quarantine must have their negative COVID-19 test results - from a trusted testing partner - prior to departure for the State of Hawaii. See our Hawaii Testing Details section for more information.

As always, we also encourage all travelers to continue to check and monitor the official Hawaii state website for related COVID-19 and Hawaii travel information during the pandemic.

Travel update for all vaccinated International Travelers

As of December 6, 2021 - travelers vaccinated Internationally have new requirements

New rules and requirements went into place as of November 8, 2021 for International Travelers. Due to the Omicron variant, the travel rules were updated for December 6, 2021, for all International Travelers and for U.S. citizens flying from International Destinations.

Direct International Travel to Hawaii

All air passengers 2 years of age or older with a flight departing to the United States from a foreign country at or after 12:01am EST (5:01am GMT) on December 6, 2021, are required to show a negative COVID-19 viral test result taken no more than 1 day before travel, or documentation of having recovered from COVID-19 in the past 90 days, before they board their flight.

Air passengers will also be required to confirm in the form of an attestation that the information they present is true.

See our Travel Restrictions page and the section for International Travel for full details. For the full list of requirements and exemptions, please review the language in the Order.

Trans-pacific pre-arrival test details

Hawaii Testing Procedures, Rules, & Protocols until March 26, 2022

Pre-Travel Test - What to do with your results.

State of Hawaii 'Safe Travels' - Mandatory for all Travelers

Hawaii Airlines and Airport Rules & Protocols

While travelers are in-flight or deplaning, they must follow the guidance of their air carrier with regard to physical distancing, mask-wearing, and sanitation processes.

Testing Timeline Example

When Should You Take The Test?

Remember, you must take your pre-travel test 72 hours from the final leg/city of departure before arriving in Hawaii. You must then ensure you receive your negative result prior to departure for Hawaii. As an example, we've included a 72-hour timeline chart to help visualize this.

Typically, many flights to Hawaii will arrive in the evening hours, which means they will depart from the last major continental U.S. city ('final leg of departure') sometime between 3 pm and 7 pm PST. For example, a flight that departs from Oakland International Airport (OAK) at 4:30 pm PST on Monday, means you need to take the test anytime after 4:30 pm PST (7:30 pm EST) on Friday.

Don't worry about what time it is in Hawaii (HST) when getting the test, you simply need to take the test 72-hours before departing the final city to Hawaii (typically PST); so if anything - worry about the timezone of your final continental U.S. airport and/or the timezone of where you take the test.

Example Departure & Test Times