Every flight to Hawaii comes with a small piece of paperwork most travelers overlook until the flight attendant hands it out mid-flight. The Hawaii Plant and Animal Declaration Form is a legal requirement for all arriving passengers, and filling it out correctly takes about 30 seconds. Here is what you need to know.
What Is the Hawaii Agriculture Form?
The agriculture declaration form is a one-page document administered by the Hawaii Department of Agriculture (HDOA). Its official name is the Plant and Animal Declaration Form.
The form asks a simple question: are you bringing any plants, animals, fruits, vegetables, seeds, soil, or other biological materials into the state? You check "yes" or "no," list any items, sign it, and hand it to inspectors after you land.
Hawaii's isolation in the middle of the Pacific Ocean makes its ecosystems extremely vulnerable. Species that are harmless on the mainland can devastate Hawaiian agriculture and native habitats. The brown tree snake, which wiped out most of Guam's native birds, is the nightmare scenario Hawaii is working to prevent.
When Do You Fill It Out?
Flight attendants distribute the form during the flight, shortly before landing. You get one form per traveling party (it asks for the number of people in your group), and on most flights the crew collects the completed forms before you land — you simply hand it back to a flight attendant.
Some airlines now let you complete it digitally instead. The state's ʻAkamai Arrival program, launched in March 2025 with the major carriers, lets you fill out the declaration in the airline app before takeoff or in the air. Check your airline before you fly.
What You Need to Declare
Declare any of the following items if you are carrying them:
- Fresh fruits and vegetables
- Plants, cuttings, or flowers
- Seeds, bulbs, or soil
- Live insects or other arthropods
- Live animals (including pets)
- Raw or unprocessed nuts
- Fresh-cut flowers or leis from the mainland
- Shells or coral
When in doubt, declare it. There is no penalty for declaring an item that turns out to be allowed. There are serious penalties for failing to declare something that should have been listed.
Prohibited Items
These items cannot enter Hawaii under any circumstances:
- Snakes — All snakes are illegal in Hawaii, no exceptions
- Most fresh fruits and vegetables — Especially citrus, berries, stone fruits, and most tropical fruits from the mainland
- Plants with soil attached — Soil can harbor pests, fungi, and invasive organisms
- Non-domestic animals — Ferrets, gerbils, hamsters, and reptiles are banned
- Live insects — Including pet insects, ant farms, or live bait
- Coffee plants or berries — To protect Hawaii's coffee industry from the coffee berry borer
- Raw cotton — Cotton pests can devastate crops
Items That Are Generally Allowed
You can bring these without issues:
- Commercially packaged and processed foods (chips, candy, dried goods)
- Pineapples and coconuts (already present in Hawaii, low pest risk)
- Dried flowers and dried leis
- Frozen or cooked meats and seafood
- Baked goods and bread
- Canned or jarred foods
- Roasted coffee beans
- Dried herbs and spices in sealed packages
- Dogs and cats that meet Hawaii's full entry requirements (two rabies vaccinations, a passing FAVN rabies blood test, microchip, and pre-arrival paperwork)
Pets require additional paperwork through Hawaii's strict rabies quarantine program. Dogs and cats that meet every requirement — including pre-arrival documents submitted at least 10 days before arrival — can qualify for direct release at the airport. Those that fall short face up to 120 days of quarantine. Start the process at least four to five months before your trip.
What Happens When You Land
The arrival process surprises a lot of first-time visitors, because there is no customs-style line. Most people simply hand the form back to a flight attendant before landing (or submit it digitally) and walk out of baggage claim. Here is how it actually works:
- Complete the form in the air and hand it to a flight attendant before you land — or submit the digital version in your airline app. There is no inspection desk where you turn in a paper form on the ground.
- If you declared agricultural items, present those items at the Agricultural Inspection Counter near the baggage-claim exits so an inspector can check them.
- If you have nothing to declare, collect your checked bags and head for the exit.
- Agriculture-trained detector dogs (usually beagles) and inspectors work the baggage-claim area and may approach anyone, declared items or not.
- Prohibited items are confiscated on the spot — no refund or compensation.
For most visitors with nothing to declare, the whole thing is a non-event: you fill out the card, hand it over, and you are on your way. Inspectors are friendly, and the dogs are very good at their jobs.
Penalties for Non-Compliance
Knowingly failing to declare agricultural items is a federal and state offense. Fines can reach $25,000 for individuals. In practice, most accidental violations result in confiscation of the item and a warning. But intentional smuggling of prohibited species is taken seriously. Hawaii has prosecuted people for bringing in snakes and illegal animals.
Inter-Island Travel
Most visitors do not complete the arrival declaration form again when flying between Hawaiian islands. There is an important exception: plants, cuttings, soil, and certain animals moving between islands may require inspection. Check the HDOA interisland inspection rules before traveling with a regulated item.
The inspection direction flips when you fly home. Every bag bound for the U.S. mainland, Alaska, or Guam is inspected by USDA before departure — checked bags behind the airline counter, carry-ons at a separate agricultural check. The USDA Plant Protection and Quarantine office operates at all major Hawaii airports.
Leaving Hawaii: What You Can Take Home
This is the one that catches people: don't buy fresh fruit like papayas on the way to the airport assuming it will fly home. Untreated fruit from a roadside stand won't clear the departure inspection. Here is the short version of what does and doesn't make it onto a mainland-bound flight, to the best of our knowledge. Confirm anything unusual against the USDA APHIS Hawaii page before you pack it.
Clears with no paperwork
- Pineapples and dry husked coconuts
- Macadamia nuts, dried fruit, and packaged or processed foods (coffee, candy, sauces, sealed baked goods)
- Roasted, ground, or whole-bean Kona coffee
- Cooked or vacuum-sealed seafood
- Most lei flowers: plumeria, dendrobium and vanda orchids, ti leaf
- Cleaned, dry shells and finished wood with no bark or live tissue
Allowed only if it's treated and certified
- Lychee, longan, and rambutan, treated and sealed in a mainland-ready box
- Papaya, commercially treated and packaged
- Live orchids and other plants: bare-root, no soil, with a USDA inspection sticker
- Sugarcane and certain root crops
The shortcut for this tier: buy from a certified farm or vendor that hands you a sealed, labeled box. The same fruit from a roadside cooler won't clear.
Won't clear, period
- Any plant with soil on the roots
- All citrus (oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruit)
- Fresh bananas and mangoes, unless commercially certified
- Loose seeds you collected yourself
- Jade vine and fresh gardenia lei, plus certain ferns
- Anything live, or anything with bark or live tissue
Leave it regardless of the rules
- Sand, coral, and lava rock. That is a legal and cultural line, not an agricultural one. Take the photo instead.
For the full rundown, see our guides to the airport inspection when leaving Hawaii and bringing souvenirs home.
Tips for Travelers
- Eat any fresh produce before your flight rather than trying to bring it
- Buy a pen before your flight — the form requires a signature and the flight crew may not have extras
- Declare everything you are unsure about — it is free and fast, and avoids any risk of a fine
- If you want to bring plants or produce to Hawaii, check the HDOA import permit requirements before you travel
- Pack snacks in sealed, commercially packaged containers to avoid any confusion
- Planning to bring your dog or cat? Start the rabies quarantine paperwork at least 4 months early
