Answers · Driving on Oʻahu

I shipped my car to Oʻahu. How long do I have to register it?

Thirty days. Within 30 days of the vehicle's arrival on Oʻahu, it must get either an out-of-state permit or a Hawaiʻi registration, the Department of Customer Services says.

First take it to an official Hawaiʻi safety inspection station; a car that passes every other item will fail for lacking a valid Honolulu registration. Then bring the vehicle documents, the shipping documents (bill of lading) with the vehicle identification number and the failed inspection certificate to a satellite city hall, where an AlohaQ appointment is required, or to the vehicle registration office at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam.

After the permit or registration is issued, return to the inspection station within 30 days of the original failed inspection to get the safety inspection emblem and certificate. Hawaiʻi requires two license plates, front and rear.

From

City and County of Honolulu, Department of Customer Services: Department of Customer Services, Motor Vehicle Registration

As of

Sept. 27, 2026, when the Ledger read the agency's page

Applies to

Oʻahu (the City and County of Honolulu)

• How and when do I renew my vehicle registration on Oʻahu?
• Does my car need a safety inspection in Hawaiʻi?
• Do veterans get a break on vehicle registration fees on Oʻahu?
• How do I renew my driver's license on Oʻahu, and can I fly with the temporary card?
• How long is a driver's license good for once I'm over 72 in Hawaiʻi?
• How do I get the newly redesigned Hawaiʻi driver's license?

Basis. Every sentence above comes from the page or document named, read on Sept. 27, 2026, in the agency's words as closely as a sentence allows; the agency's page governs if it has changed since. The Ledger adds no advice of its own. Corrections: the corrections log.