Documents
Documents Needed to Ship a Car to Hawaii and Back
Going to Hawaii takes no paperwork at all: your booking number and a photo ID at the gate. Coming back is where documents matter. Here is the whole list, by direction.
Going to Hawaii takes no paperwork at all: your booking number and a photo ID at the gate. Coming back is where documents matter. Here is the whole list, by direction.
This is the question we answer more than any other, and the answer is a relief. There is no document package to gather, nothing to email us, and no forms to fill out.
No title. No registration. No bill of sale. The ID matters for one reason only: the name you show at the gate should match the name on the booking. That is the entire requirement going west.
Hawaii requires proof that the car is yours before it can go off-island, so we need two things by email before your drop-off date:
Put your booking number in the subject line and send them at least 24 hours before you drop the car off. Earlier is better: people forget, then they are standing at the port with a car they cannot drop. Do not email us your ID; that one is a gate item.
A financed car means the bank holds your title, so there is no title for you to photograph. That is completely normal and it does not stop your shipment.
Instead of the title, we need a lienholder authorization letter: written permission from your bank or finance company saying the vehicle may be shipped. Send it with your current registration, same 24-hour window.
Call your lender and ask for a letter authorizing vehicle transport off-island. Most have a standard form for it. Start early, because it is the one document that depends on somebody else's turnaround time rather than yours.
Plenty of titles are in two names, most often a married couple. Either both people come to the drop-off together, or one of you signs a power of attorney authorizing the other to handle it alone.
The power of attorney needs to be notarized, and you can attach it to the same email as your title and registration. No separate errand.
Maybe you have already flown to the mainland and a family member is handling the drop-off, or a friend is taking the car down for you. Entirely workable.
Whoever physically drops the car off needs a notarized power of attorney from the registered owner. Attach it to your document email with the title and registration, and the person dropping off brings their own government-issued photo ID to the gate.
A government-issued photo ID is presented in person at the guard gate when the car arrives at the port. Never email it to us or to anyone else.
The name on that ID should match the name on the title and registration, and the name on the booking. When those three agree, the drop-off is quick. When they do not, tell us in advance so we can sort it out before you make the trip.
If you are dropping off at Hilo, the port additionally asks for a current safety check certificate, the yellow or blue paper from your inspection.
Honolulu, Kahului and Nawiliwili do not ask for it. If your Hawaii registration is current you have almost certainly passed a safety check already, since renewal requires one, so this is usually a matter of finding the certificate rather than getting a new one.
None. From the mainland to Hawaii there is no title, registration or bill of sale to send. Bring your booking number and a government-issued photo ID to the port and you are done. The name on the ID should match the name on the booking.
Two: your title, photographed front and back, and your current vehicle registration. Email both with your booking number in the subject line at least 24 hours before drop-off. Your photo ID is shown in person at the gate, never emailed.
A lienholder authorization letter: written permission from your bank or finance company saying the vehicle may be shipped off-island. Call your lender and ask for a letter authorizing vehicle transport off-island; most have a standard form. Send it with your registration in the same 24-hour window. Start early, because this is the one document that depends on someone else.
Either both of you come to the drop-off, or one of you signs a notarized power of attorney authorizing the other to handle it alone. Attach the power of attorney to the same email as the title and registration.
Yes. Whoever drops the car off needs a notarized power of attorney from the registered owner, attached to your document email, and brings their own government-issued photo ID to the gate.
Hilo additionally asks for a current safety check certificate, the yellow or blue paper from your inspection. Honolulu, Kahului and Nawiliwili do not ask for it. If your Hawaii registration is current you have almost certainly passed one already; it is usually a matter of finding the certificate.
Every shipment has its own wrinkle: direction, who owns the car, whether a bank is involved. Call us at (808) 378-7540 and we will tell you exactly what yours needs, in about two minutes. Related reading: the full article, how it works, and shipping a car from Hawaii.
