Entering Hawaii - A Step by Step Guide

Covid-19 Travel Update - A Step by Step Guide to Travel into the State

The requirements for entering Hawaii are still the same as they have been over the past several months, although there is talk of additional requirements being added. At present, however, the guidelines remain the same. 

Having left the state for the first time in two years over the holidays to see family on the mainland, we ourselves had to go through the process any traveler has to go through for entry into the state, so I now have first had experience, and want to share this guidance with you!

STEPS TO GETTING YOU READY FOR ENTRY INTO HAWAII TO AVOID QUARANTINE:

1) The first thing you will need to do is to register with the Hawaii Safe Travels program (https://travel.hawaii.gov/#). Every adult needs to create their own account and register with them separately. Any minors (i.e. children under the age of 18) can be registered under a parent or guardian's account.

2) Once registered, you'll scroll down to the icon that says, "Trips" (it has a picture of a cruise ship and an airplane in a circle). Click it, and enter your airline trip information. If your flights change, you can remove any previous trips and simply add the new ones.

3) Next, in order to avoid the mandatory quarantine after arriving in the State, you can apply for an Exemption/Exception from Quarantine, go back to the home page on the Safe Travels site, and scroll down to the "Apply for an Exemption/Exception from Quarantine" icon (which has a hand holding a cell phone in a circle). Click on this icon.

Here, you will see options on how to get the exemption - i.e. you can upload your vaccination cards or negative test results from one of the state approved testing partners (clicking on that icon will give you full instructions as well as a link to the approved testing partners), or you can link your vaccination records from the CommonPass app (see the icon for CommonPass Exception) or the Clear app (see the icon for Clear Exception). 

4) Once you have uploaded or linked your vaccination records or uploaded your negative test results, the State will email you a QR code, which you will need during the pre-screening process.

HAVE READY THE DAY OF TRAVEL:

1. The QR code from the State (Have the email handy on your phone, or, do what we did, and just take a screenshot of the QR code so that it's handy on your phone and easy to find).
2. Your vaccination card or negative test results (which also must be uploaded into the system)
3. Your Photo ID

5) At the airport, if you have enough time before the final leg to your trip into the state, ask an airline agent where the pre-screening line is for Hawaii.

If you are flying directly to Hawaii with no other stops before you arrive in the State, plan to be at the airport early to take care of this. If you have a connection, you may not have enough time in between to do this (don't worry if you don't; you can do this upon landing in the state). Usually this is a long line, since the airlines seem to screen flights to every island in one line, but I've heard it's shorter than the one once you arrive.

If you do have time, stand in this line to have your QR code scanned and your ID checked (and have your vaccination cards/test records on hand just in case). They will give you a bracelet to wear indicating you have been pre-screened, which means you won't have to wait in any lines once you arrive in Hawaii, but can just go to baggage claim as usual.

If you don't have time to get pre-screened at the airport - don't worry! - you can do this upon arrival to Hawaii. I've heard from couples that sometimes the line is a breeze, and other times the line is a couple of hours, depending on how many flights are arriving at that time, and how many passengers were pre-screened on each flight. 

Either way, once you are in, you are in, and your wedding awaits! 

As always, if you are one of our couples here at Simple Kona Beach Weddings, just reach out if you have any questions! We are here to help you make everything surrounding your wedding day a breeze, and can't wait to see you!