How Passport Services Are Organised Across the Hawaiian Islands

Hawaii has no state-run passport office. U.S. passports are issued by the federal Department of State, and the offices listed on this page are acceptance facilities. Staff there check your identity documents, watch you sign the application, collect the fees and send everything off for processing. In Hawaii, that work happens in a mix of campus offices, a state library and neighborhood sites stretching from Hanalei on Kauai to Hakalau on the Big Island.

Nationally, acceptance facilities are usually post offices, public libraries, county clerk offices and some colleges. Hawaii follows the same pattern. The Hawaii State Library at 478 S. King Street in Honolulu handles passports through its Federal Documents Section. Hawaii Community College in Hilo, Leeward Community College in Pearl City and a University of Hawaii site in Kealakekua all list campus-based service, so call before you go and ask about their hours.

Who Handles Which Piece of the Process

Several bodies are involved, and mixing them up wastes trips. The State Department sets the fees, the rules and the processing. The acceptance facility only handles the in-person step. The Hawaii Department of Health, through its vital records office, issues certified Hawaii birth certificates, the standard proof of citizenship for anyone born in the islands. County driver licensing offices issue licenses and REAL ID cards, but they do not process passports.

The State Department also runs a regional passport agency in Honolulu. It serves urgent international travel by appointment, so routine applications still go through the acceptance facilities described below. If your trip is more than a few weeks away, a local office is the right choice.

Oahu Passport Offices: Honolulu, Windward and Leeward Sites

Oahu holds most of the state's population, and Honolulu County, which covers the whole island, has the largest share of listings in our database. Use that county page for the full list. Here is how the main sites divide up geographically.

In town, the Makiki Passport Office at 1111 Lunalilo Street and the State Library on South King Street serve the urban core. On the Windward side, you will find the Kailua office at 335 Hahani Street and the Kaneohe office at 46-036 Kamehameha Highway. Farther up the coast, Hauula has a site at 54-316 Kamehameha Highway, and Haleiwa on the North Shore lists one at 66-437 Kamehameha Highway.

Leeward and central Oahu have the Aiea office at 99-040 Kauhale Street, the Ewa Beach office at 91-760 Papipi Road, and the Leeward Community College site in Pearl City. East of Diamond Head, the Hawaii Kai office at 7040 Hawaii Kai Drive saves you a drive downtown.

Traffic is the real constraint on Oahu. H-1 slows to a crawl at rush hour, and crossing the Koolau Range on the Pali or Likelike Highway adds time. Choose an office on your own side of the island, and aim for a mid-morning weekday visit if you can. If you work downtown, the State Library is convenient on a lunch break, but confirm its passport hours first by calling 808-586-3477.

Neighbor Island Options in Hawaii, Maui and Kauai Counties

Outside Oahu, distance matters more than crowds. A poor choice can mean a long drive or even an inter-island flight, so look at where each office sits before you set a date.

Hawaii Island

Hawaii County covers the largest island in the chain, and travel between its sides takes real time. The drive from Hilo to Kona can take two hours or more. On the east side, Hawaii Community College at 200 West Kawili Street in Hilo is the best-known site, with Keaau (16571 Keaau-Pahoa Road) and Hakalau (29-2270 Old Mamalahoa Highway) nearby. The Hamakua coast has Honokaa at 45-490 Lehua Street. Waimea is served by the Kamuela Passport Office at 67 Mamalahoa Highway, using the postal name Kamuela. In Kona, look at Kealakekua on Halekii Street and Holualoa on Mamalahoa Highway.

Maui, Molokai and Lanai

The Maui County listings include the Kahului Passport Office at 138 S Puunene Ave, close to the airport and the island's commercial center. Kihei at 1254 South Kihei Road serves South Maui, and Haiku at 770 Haiku Road serves the north shore side. Molokai residents can use the Kaunakakai office at 120 Ala Malama Street, which avoids a flight to Maui. Our database shows no Lanai listing, so Lanai residents should confirm their options before booking a trip.

Kauai

The Kauai County listings sit along Kuhio Highway or just off it: Kapaa (4-1101 Kuhio Highway), Anahola (4-4350 Kuhio Highway), Hanalei (5-5226 Kuhio Highway) and Kilauea (1 Keneke Street). The road to Hanalei crosses one-lane bridges, which slow traffic. Our database shows no Lihue or west-side entries, so call ahead before driving across the island.

Hours differ from office to office, and small-town sites may close at midday. A short phone call can save a long drive. Kahului is 808-871-2487 and Kapaa is 808-822-0093, for example.

What to Bring to a Hawaii Passport Appointment

First-time applicants, children under 16, and anyone whose last passport was issued more than 15 years ago or before age 16 must apply in person. Bring the following:

For an adult first-time applicant, the application fee is $130 for a passport book and $30 for a passport card. For children under 16, the book fee is $100. Fees change, so verify them on the State Department's travel website before you go.

Children under 16 need both parents or guardians present, or one parent with a signed, notarized consent form from the other. This catches many families off guard, especially when one parent is on another island or deployed from one of Oahu's military bases. Plan for it early.

If you were born in Hawaii and do not have a certified copy of your birth certificate, order one from the Department of Health first. That step can take longer than the passport appointment itself, so do it before you book.

Apply early. Many countries require six months of validity beyond your travel dates, and routine processing takes weeks, not days. Hawaii residents flying to Asia or the South Pacific should start at least two to three months before departure.

Passport acceptance facilities in Hawaii are distributed across post offices, county clerks' offices, and public libraries, providing residents with accessible locations to submit passport applications without traveling to a regional agency. Hawaii residents with urgent travel needs may also have access to a regional passport agency for in-person expedited service.

Passport Offices locations are available in 39 cities across Hawaii. They are spread across 5 counties.

Cities with the highest concentration of passport offices include Honolulu, Urban Honolulu, Waimea, reflecting larger populations and greater volumes of international travelers requiring passport services.

Residents of Hawaii should verify that their chosen acceptance facility accepts walk-ins or requires an appointment, as policies vary by location. Processing times fluctuate with seasonal demand, so applying several months before planned international travel is strongly advised.

Passport Offices by Counties

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Residents of Hawaii applying for a passport should complete their application form in advance, gather all required documents including proof of citizenship and a compliant passport photo, and confirm whether their chosen facility requires an appointment. Many passport renewal applicants in Hawaii can mail their DS-82 form directly to a processing center, avoiding an in-person visit altogether.

Browse Passport Offices by county across Hawaii to find the nearest location.

Passport Logistics That Are Specific to Hawaii

Island geography shapes every passport plan in Hawaii. The main airports are Daniel K. Inouye International in Honolulu, Kahului on Maui, Hilo and Kona on Hawaii Island, and Lihue on Kauai. Most international departures leave from Honolulu, so travelers from other islands often connect there. Build in time for that extra leg, and keep your passport in your carry-on, not in checked luggage.

Addresses also need care. Hawaii Island and Kauai use hyphenated street numbers, such as 4-1101 Kuhio Highway in Kapaa or 76-5921 Mamalahoa Highway in Holualoa. Write the hyphen exactly as it appears, because a dropped digit can send mail to the wrong place. The DS-11 has separate lines for mailing and permanent addresses, so fill in both if you use a post office box.

If you live on Oahu, the Honolulu County listings are organised by town, from Hawaii Kai to Haleiwa. On a neighbor island, start with the page for your own county. Choose the office closest to where you live or work, and expect to make one trip. A second trip on a neighbor island can cost a day.

Passport Office FAQs for Hawaii

It depends on the site. Some offices set specific passport hours or take appointments, while campus offices may limit service to certain days. Call before you go. The Hawaii State Library Passport Office is 808-586-3477, the Kahului Passport Office is 808-871-2487, and the Kailua Passport Office is 808-266-3996. If you must travel within about two weeks, ask about the State Department's regional passport agency in Honolulu, which sees urgent travelers by appointment only. Bring proof of your travel dates, such as an airline itinerary, when you contact them.

Fees are set by the State Department, not by Hawaii. An adult first-time passport book costs $130 for the application, plus a $35 acceptance fee paid to the office, for $165 in total. A passport card costs $30 plus the same acceptance fee. Children under 16 pay $100 for the book. Expedited service adds $60, and faster delivery costs extra. The application fee is normally paid by check or money order to the U.S. Department of State, so bring that along with a way to pay the facility. Verify current amounts before you go, since fees do change.

Often yes. You can renew by mail with Form DS-82 if your most recent passport is undamaged, was issued when you were 16 or older, was issued within the last 15 years, and carries your current name or you can document the change. The fee is $130 for a book, with no acceptance fee, because no in-person step is needed. For neighbor island and Molokai residents, that can save a flight or a long drive. The State Department has also been opening online renewal to eligible adults, so check its travel website first. If you are not eligible, you will apply in person like a first-time applicant.

Request it from the Hawaii Department of Health's vital records office. The department posts its current ordering options, fees and processing times, so check there before you order. The copy must be a certified copy showing your full name, date and place of birth, your parents' full names and the registrar's seal. Hospital souvenir certificates and plain photocopies do not qualify. Order well before your passport appointment, because mail adds days, especially if you live on a neighbor island. If you lost your original certificate, this is the first step in the process.

Molokai residents can apply at the Kaunakakai Passport Office, 120 Ala Malama Street, phone 808-553-5845. On Kauai, our database lists offices in Kapaa (808-822-0093), Anahola (808-822-4710), Hanalei (808-826-1034) and Kilauea (808-828-1721), all on the east and north side. The Kauai County page shows the full set. Residents of Lihue or the west side should call the nearest listed site to confirm hours before driving over.

No. Hawaii is a state, so flights between the islands and the mainland are domestic and do not require a passport. You do need acceptable ID at the TSA checkpoint. Since May 7, 2025, adult travelers need a REAL ID-compliant license or another accepted document, and a valid U.S. passport is one of them. If your Hawaii license is not marked as REAL ID compliant, your passport covers you for domestic flights. You need a passport for any international trip, including flights to Japan, Canada or the Philippines.