Incoming air travelers to Hawaii must complete a digital form upon arrival declaring agricultural products beginning March 1.
State officials rolled out the digitized form at a news conference Monday at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL) in Honolulu.
Travelers on 82 inbound routes from the U.S. to all airports in Hawaii must complete the Akamai Arrival form to specify whether they’re bringing in potential threats to Hawaii’s agricultural system, including raw vegetables and animals. One form per family is required.
“Any person who defaces this declaration form, gives false information, or fails to declare prohibited or restricted articles in their possession, including baggage, or fails to declare these items on cargo manifests is in violation of Chapter 150A, Hawaii Revised Statutes and may be guilty of a misdemeanor punishable, in certain instances, by a maximum penalty of $25,000 and/or up to one-year imprisonment,” according to the Hawaii Department of Agriculture.
“Intentionally smuggling a snake or other prohibited or restricted article into Hawaiʻi is, in certain circumstances, a Class C felony punishable by a maximum penalty of $200,000 and/or up to five years imprisonment,” according to the department.
Even so, Hawaii has not enforced this policy in 10 years, and state legislators are considering downgrading these offenses to civil penalties, per reporting by Honolulu Civil Beat.
A full list of flights participating in the pilot program is detailed online, and it includes all Southwest and American Airlines flights into Hawaii. The Akamai Arrival form is available online and must be completed for incoming flights as of March 1.
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