APHIS Agriculture Inspection Notice

Plant Protection and Quarantine August 2011

Predeparture 

Passenger Baggage 

Inspection Notice 

for Travelers from 

Hawaii to the U.S. 

Mainland and Guam

American agriculture is under constant threat from 

plant and animal pests and diseases. Every traveler, 

even those traveling from Hawaii to the U.S. mainland 

or Guam, could unknowingly carry hitchhiking pests 

and diseases that could seriously damage American 

agriculture. Plants, fl owers, fruits, and vegetables from 

Hawaii may be hosts for fruit fl ies and other destructive 

plant pests and diseases that are found in Hawaii but 

not in the continental United States or Guam. These 

pests have the potential to cause severe damage to 

crops and the environment in other parts of the United 

States.

To protect agriculture and the environment from 

the spread of invasive pests and diseases, the U.S. 

Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and 

Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) requires the 

inspection of all passenger baggage moving from 

Hawaii to the U.S. mainland and Guam. Inspections 

are performed prior to departure at the airport by 

APHIS inspectors. 

Please be prepared to open and close your own 

baggage. Do not tape coolers and boxes closed until 

after inspection. If you have any agricultural items 

with you, please inform the inspector. In addition, all 

agricultural items being shipped or mailed to the U.S. 

mainland must be inspected and/or certifi ed prior to 

being presented at airline cargo offices, the post office, 

or other courier services. Failure to declare these 

items can result in delays and the issuance of civil 

penalties of $300 or more per violation. 

Fresh Fruits and Vegetables

The shipment or mailing of most fresh fruits and 

vegetables from Hawaii to the continental United 

States is prohibited due to the risk of introducing 

certain invasive plant pests and diseases. Fresh 

pineapple and coconut are permitted after inspection. 

Fresh papaya, abiu, atemoya, banana, curry leaf, 

dragon fruit, longan, lychee, mangosteen, rambutan, 

starfruit, and sweet potato are permitted, but must 

be treated at a USDA-approved facility and packed 

in boxes that are properly marked and stamped. 

Shipping or mailing processed fruits and vegetables 

is permissible. 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. Please contact APHIS for more 

information about approved processing methods. 

Telephone numbers for local APHIS offices in Hawaii 

are provided below.

Items from Hawaii Allowed Entry into the U.S. 

Mainland and Guam (after passing inspection):

• Beach Sand

• Coconuts

• Commercially canned foods

• Dried seeds and decorative arrangements

• Fresh fl owers, leis, and foliage, except gardenia, 

jade vine, Mauna Loa, and any citrus or citrusrelated fl owers, foliage, or other plant parts

• 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*

• Plants and cuttings** 

• Rocks and stones

• Seashells, not land snail shells

• Seed leis and seed jewelry

• Wood (including drift wood and sticks) and wood 

roses (dried)

*Note: These fruits must be treated at a USDAapproved facility and packed in boxes that are 

properly marked and stamped.

** Note: For certifying rooted plant material, contact 

the State of Hawaii Department of Agriculture. 

Additional Items from Hawaii Allowed Entry into 

Guam:

• Beets

• Rutabagas

• Turnips (without tops)
Items from Hawaii Not Allowed Entry into the U.S. 

Mainland:

• Fresh fruits and vegetables, except for those listed 

above as permitted

• Berries of any kind, including fresh coffee berries 

and sea grapes

• Cactus plants or cactus plant parts

• Cotton and cotton bolls

• Fresh fl owers of gardenia, jade vine, 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)

• Sweet Potato (raw)

• Mock orange 

 This information is subject to change. For the 

most up-to-date information, contact your local APHIS 

office: 

Honolulu (808) 834-3220 

Kona (808) 326-1252

Kauai (808) 245-2831 

Hilo (808) 933-6931

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) 274-3071

Maui (808) 873-3555

Kona (808) 872-3848 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination 

in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national 

origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, 

familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic 

information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or part of an 

individual’s income is derived from any public assistance program. 

(Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with 

disabilities who require alternative means for communication of 

program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should 

contact USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720–2600 (voice and TDD). 

To fi le a complaint of discrimination, write to USDA, Director, Office 

of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 

20250–9410, or call (800) 795–3272 (voice) or (202) 720–6382 

(TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. 

United States Department of Agriculture • Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service • Safeguarding American Agriculture