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United States Department of Agriculture
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

Information for Travelers Coming to the U.S. Mainland from Hawaii

Last Modified: Mar 12, 2019
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USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) prohibits or restricts the entry of many agricultural products from Hawaii into the U.S. mainland, including most fresh fruits and vegetables and certain types of plants and flowers. That’s because these items could harbor a dangerous stowaway—an invasive pest or disease. Just one piece of fruit or a single plant that is carrying an invasive pest or disease could lead to millions of dollars in damage, expensive eradication efforts, lost trade revenue, and higher food prices. So, before you mail, ship, or carry any agricultural products into the U.S. mainland, please click on the links below to find out what’s allowed and what’s prohibited. For more information, please contact the APHIS offices in Hawaii at the numbers provided below.

Travelers: You must present all food, plants, and other agricultural items to the USDA inspector at the airport before you leave Hawaii. If your items are generally allowed, the inspector will check them to make sure they are free from pests and disease before you begin your trip to the U.S. mainland.

See also:

  • Fresh fruits and vegetables, some exceptions are those listed below as permitted
  • Berries of any kind, including fresh coffee berries and sea grapes
  • Cactus plants or cactus plant parts
  • Cotton and cotton bolls
  • Fresh flowers of jade vine, and Mauna Loa
  • Kikania and fresh pandanus
  • Live insects and snails
  • Seeds with fruit clinging and fresh seed pods
  • Soil or any plants in soil
  • Sugarcane
  • Swamp cabbage (unchoy)
  • Mock orange
  • Beach sand
  • Coconut
  • Coffee: Travelers are permitted to bring back unlimited quantities of roasted coffee or green (unroasted) coffee beans without restriction through any continental U.S. port of entry.
  • Commercially canned or processed foods, including processed fruits and vegetables  
    • Accepted processing methods include cooking, drying, or freezing. If freezing, all fruits must be frozen solid at the time of inspection. Frozen mango must be without seeds.
  • Dried seeds and decorative arrangements
  • Fresh flowers, leis, and foliage, except any citrus or citrus-related flowers, leaves, or other plant parts, as well as jade vine or Mauna Loa
  • Hinahina (Spanish moss)
  • Irish or white potatoes
  • Fresh pineapple
  • Treated fruit, such as papaya, abiu, atemoya, banana, curry leaf, dragon fruit, longan, lychee, mangosteen, rambutan, starfruit, and sweet potato
    • These fruits must be treated at a USDA-approved facility and packed in sealed boxes that are properly marked and stamped.
  • Plants and cuttings
    • Some States may require rooted plants to be certified by the Hawaii Department of Agriculture before they may be moved to the U.S. mainland. Please contact the Hawaii Department of Agriculture for more information. Contact numbers are provided at the bottom of this page.
  • Rocks and stones
  • Seashells, not land snail shells
  • Seed leis and seed jewelry
  • Wood (including driftwood and sticks) and wood roses (dried) 
  • Beets
  • Rutabagas
  • Turnips (without tops)
  • Chayote
  • Lima bean
  • Okra
  • Green banana
  • Green onion
  • Pea
  • Pumpkin
  • Snow pea
  • String bean
  • Watermelon
  • Winged bean
  • Winter melon
  • Yard long bean
  • Zucchini

Additional Information

The information provided on this page is subject to change without notice. For the most up-to-date information, contact your local APHIS office:

  • Honolulu (808) 834-3220
  • Kona (808) 326-1252
  • Kauai (808) 632-2511
  • Hilo (808) 933-6930
  • Maui (808) 877-5261

For information on how to certify plants and cuttings, contact the Hawaii Department of Agriculture:

  • Honolulu (808) 832-0566
  • Hilo (808) 974-4141
  • Kauai (808) 241-7135
  • Maui (808) 872-3848
  • Kona (808) 326-1077
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