Hawaii agricultural declaration form

Who fills it out

Everyone. Not just people with plants in their bag — every passenger completes it, and you fill it out whether the answer is yes or no. It is called the Plants and Animals Declaration Form.

As of the 2025 holiday season it is digital, not paper: a system called Akamai Arrival is live on every domestic flight to Hawaii, and every mainland airline has adopted it. You fill it out online — either up to five days before you fly or during the flight itself — instead of filling in a paper slip a flight attendant hands you. Hawaii rolled it out gradually through 2025, starting as a pilot on a handful of flights that March.

If you are carrying something on the list, you take it to the Agricultural Inspection Counter near the exits in the baggage claim area. The inspection happens there, before you walk out.

What counts

More than people expect. Plants and any part of a plant, seeds, cut flowers, soil, live animals that are not household pets, and cultures of microorganisms. All of it has to be inspected when it lands.

Soil is the one that catches people out. A plant you would happily describe as "just a houseplant" is still arriving in a pot of dirt, and the dirt is the part Hawaii cares about most — plant material has to arrive free of soil, insect pests and any sign of disease.

The reassuring half of that: most plants and plant parts are let in after inspection, as long as they turn out to be clean. Declaring something is usually the start of a short conversation, not the end of your plant.

The three you are most likely to have

• Houseplants Conditional Declare houseplants on arrival; an inspector checks them at baggage claim, clean and soil-free. Orchids, bromeliads and coffee need a permit; live palms are essentially barred — only palm seed gets in, not the plant.
• Seeds & bulbs Conditional Declare seed on arrival and an inspector checks it. Species decide the rest: pineapple, passion fruit, coffee and myrtle seed need a permit or certification arranged first, and palm seed is barred from regulated areas.
• Cut flowers & bouquets Conditional Declare cut flowers on arrival; an inspector checks they are clean and soil-free. Grasses and bamboo are the catch — any fresh grass part needs a permit — and cut pine branches are only allowed Oct. 20 to Dec. 31.

The other seven — potted plants, citrus and other fruit trees, nursery stock, firewood, hay and straw, soil and compost — are on the Hawaii page, each with its own source.

Just declare it

If you are not sure whether something counts, write it down. Declaring something that turns out to be fine costs you a minute at baggage claim. The form is a legal declaration, and the failure mode for guessing wrong in the other direction is worse than the one for being over-careful.