(BIVN) – Under new federal requirements, the State of Hawaiʻi will once again welcome international travelers to the islands starting on Monday, November 8th.

Governor David Ige held a news conference on Tuesday to announce the new international travel procedures, shaped by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Starting November 8th, the State says NON-U.S. citizens traveling directly to Hawaiʻi from an international destination “must present BOTH a vaccination records AND a negative COVID-19 test result (NAAT or antigen) within three days of boarding a flight to the United States.”

Officials say U.S. citizens flying directly to Hawaiʻi from an international destination have two options:

• Fully vaccinated travelers must provide proof of vaccination and present a test taken within three (3) days of boarding flight to U.S.; OR
• Travelers not fully vaccinated must provide proof of negative COVID-19 test result within one (1) day of boarding flight to U.S.

“There will be no additional State of Hawaiʻi requirements for passengers flying directly into Hawaiʻi from an international destination,” the State says. “The airlines will screen passengers prior to their departure to the U.S. If foreign passengers fail to meet BOTH requirements and if U.S. citizens fail to meet ONE of the two requirements, they will not be allowed to board the flight. Once in Hawaiʻi, the CDC will conduct compliance checks.”

“Tests do NOT have to be done with Trusted Travel Partners under the new international federal requirements, but they MUST be done with a Trusted Travel Partner for unvaccinated domestic travel,” the State noted.

On the same date, international passengers entering the U.S. from another state or territory “will be treated as domestic travelers when entering the State of Hawaiʻi.” The Safe Travels Hawaiʻi program remains in place for domestic travelers, officials say. Current Safe Travels Hawaiʻi requirements for domestic travelers include:

• Creating a Safe Travels Hawaiʻi account on a digital device
• Entering trip details
• Filling out a health form, and
• Attesting that all information is correct.

Travelers may still bypass the state’s mandatory 10-day quarantine by uploading a vaccination document, or by uploading a negative NAAT test result (as long as the test is taken by a Trusted Travel Partner within 72 hours of departure for Hawaiʻi.)

On Monday, the State will accept vaccines approved or authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, as well as vaccines listed for emergency use by the World Health Organization.

“Thanks to the people of Hawaiʻi for their patience and for taking precautions to keep our communities safe. Our state continues to see one of the lowest incidences of COVID-19 and death rates related to the virus. As more and more people are vaccinated, we are moving to ease pandemic mitigation measures – including travel restrictions – in a way that ensures the health and safety of our communities,” said Gov. Ige.

“The new federal requirements for international arrivals build upon the success of the Safe Travels program, reflecting the solid foundation upon which Hawaii has been welcoming visitors back,” commented Hawaii Tourism Authority CEO and president John De Fries. “These uniform national requirements will allow us to welcome back visitors directly from international locations, complementing the Safe Travels program that will remain in effect for transpacific travelers arriving from the United States.”

“We are only able to reopen the visitor industry because of the measures taken by the people of Hawaii throughout this pandemic to keep each other safe and keep our community healthy,” De Fries added. “Thanks to your efforts, we can now continue the work of bringing Hawaii’s economy back to support our local small businesses and kamaaina working families. The recovery of Hawaii’s international travel market will be a gradual process extending well into next year and beyond, so we advise our tourism industry partners to continue being patient as visitors become accustomed to these new travel guidelines.”