Kokua Line: Can I get Hawaii’s vaccine exemption for interisland travel if my ID is from out of state?
Question: I am a military dependent who was vaccinated on Oahu, but my driver’s license is from out of state. Will I be able to get the vaccine exemption to travel interisland?
Answer: Yes, assuming that you meet the other requirements, including being able to supply your original CDC vaccination card or Vaccine Administration Management System printout verifying that you were vaccinated against COVID-19 in Hawaii, according to the state Department of Health.
Currently, this exemption is only for interisland travelers vaccinated in Hawaii. “This includes military/students with out-of-state ID, who received their vaccination in Hawaii, and are fully vaccinated,” DOH says on Hawaii’s COVID-19 portal.
“Travelers are considered fully vaccinated on the 15th day after the completion of their vaccine,” it says.
Q: Can I upload my vaccine card on Safe Travels now even though I don’t have my plane tickets? I want to get it done and just do it once for all future travel.
A: No, at this time the Safe Travels system “will only allow intercounty travelers to upload their vaccine card or Vaccine Administration Management System (VAMS) printout if it is linked to a trip,” the portal says.
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Reminder: There is no fee to create an account on the Safe Travels system, which is found at travel.hawaii.gov/#/.
Q: Both my spouse and I are fully vaccinated, live on Oahu and want to travel interisland with our child. Because our 3-year-old is not vaccinated, would we have to quarantine on the Big Island if we go there? There is no COVID-19 vaccine for toddlers.
A: No, because Hawaii’s travel quarantine doesn’t apply to children under age 5. The vaccine exemption allows eligible interisland travelers to avoid pre-travel COVID-19 testing or quarantining upon arrival in Maui, Kauai or Hawaii counties. Your toddler wouldn’t be subject to those rules anyway.
Q: Can we choose which vaccine we want?
A: Yes, if you are an adult and you make your appointment at a location that offers your preferred COVID-19 vaccine, or walk into such a location (if walk-in service is available). You can use the website vaccines.gov to search for the availability of a specific vaccine near you. This website primarily lists retail pharmacy locations and allows you to limit your search to a specific vaccine type within your ZIP code.
You also can check hawaiicovid19.com/vaccine, on the state of Hawaii COVID-19 portal, which lists most vaccination sites in the state, including mass-vaccination clinics, mobile clinics and retail pharmacy locations. This broader list does not specify the type of vaccine offered at each location, but with a little extra searching you can narrow it down.
Children ages 12 to 17 are limited to the Pfizer vaccine, but adults 18 and older are eligible for the Pfizer, Moderna or Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine.
Q: When should I start worrying about my driver’s license? I submitted my renewal by mail on April 5 and haven’t heard anything.
A: This answer also applies to many other readers, who submitted the same question but with a different application date. Honolulu County says it takes up to eight weeks to process driver’s license renewals by mail, so anything less than that is considered to be within the normal turnaround time. After eight weeks, follow up by email to dl.sid.help@honolulu.gov. Include your name, contact information, driver’s license number and the date your submitted your application.
Renewal by mail is limited to drivers 72 and older who also meet other requirements. For more information, see honolulu.gov/csd.
Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu 96813; call 529-4773; fax 529-4750; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
