Traveling to Hawaii: Do You Need a Passport?

Do you really need a passport to go to Hawaii from the United States?

At first glance, it might sound like a weird question for an American or someone living in the United States to be asking, considering Hawaii is the 50th state of the United States. But you’d be surprised how often people ask this question. In fact, I’ve personally received this exact question (and others like it) on the platform, which shows just how much confusion there is around U.S. travel rules.

The mix-up usually comes from the fact that Hawaii is so far out in the Pacific Ocean and feels very different from the mainland. It’s tropical and culturally unique from the rest of the United States. And furthermore, it is thousands of miles away. Owing to these factors, many people assume it must count as international travel.

But the simple truth is that U.S. citizens do not need a passport to travel to Hawaii. It’s domestic travel, and all you need is a valid government-issued ID, just like if you were flying to California, Florida, or New York.

Who Else Doesn’t Need a Passport to go to Hawaii?

In addition to U.S. citizens, another category of people in America who do not need a passport to visit Hawaii are U.S. Permanent Residents (Green Card Holders). If you hold a U.S. green card, you also don’t need a passport to visit Hawaii. Just carry your green card and another government-issued ID for travel purposes. Since Hawaii is part of the U.S., it’s considered domestic travel.

What About Tourists Already in America?

If you’re an international visitor who is already in the United States and thinking of taking a side trip to Hawaii, here’s what you need to know:

• Yes, you still need your passport despite the fact that you’re flying domestically within the United States. You are required to carry your passport as proof of legal entry into the country.
• You’ll also need to keep your U.S. visa or ESTA approval with you, since that’s the document that allows you to be in the United States in the first place.
• When boarding domestic flights, airlines may accept other IDs (like a foreign driver’s license) in some cases, but carrying your passport is the safest and most widely accepted option.
• If you’re on a visa waiver or tourist visa, your trip to Hawaii must still fall within the limits of your authorized stay in the U.S.

In short:

• U.S. citizens and permanent residents don’t need a passport to fly to Hawaii.
• International tourists inside the U.S. must carry their passport for identification and immigration purposes, even when traveling to Hawaii.

Scenario Example: Flying from New York to Hawaii

To make this easier to picture, let me share a simple scenario involving myself and two friends.

I hold a Ghanaian passport, and let’s say I’m in New York with a valid U.S. tourist visa. My American friend and another friend from Mexico, who has U.S. permanent residency, decide to join me on a trip to Hawaii. We all book the same domestic flight from New York to Honolulu.

• For my American friend: He only needs his driver’s license to board the plane. Because Hawaii is a U.S. state, for him it’s no different than flying from New York to California. Absolutely no passport required for him.
• For me, as a Ghanaian traveler: Even though it’s a domestic flight, I need to carry my passport because it’s my primary identification in the U.S. Along with it, I must keep my U.S. visa to prove that I’m legally allowed to be in the country.
• For my Mexican friend with U.S. permanent residence: She doesn’t need a passport either. Her green card plus another government-issued ID (like a state ID or driver’s license) is enough to travel to Hawaii.

In the end, we all end up in Honolulu without any issue. However, each of us needed different documents to get there. So the key takeaway is that whether you need a passport for Hawaii or not depends entirely on your status in the United States.