ISLAND
Oahu
STATE
Hawaii
COUNTRY
United States of America
CONTINENT
North America
LANGUAGE
English
CURRENCY
US Dollar
BEST TIME TO VISIT
mid-April to early June & September to mid-December
NEAREST AIRPORT
Honolulu International Airport
EMERGENCY HELPLINE NUMBER
911
INTERNET ACCESS
The internet symbol indicates a terminal is available, while the wi-fi symbol indicates a hot spot; either may be free or fee-based. Most hotels and resorts, and many coffee shops, bars and other businesses, offer public wi-fi (sometimes free only for paying customers). Honolulu, Waikiki and a few island towns have business centers with pay-as-you-go internet terminals (typically $6 to $12 per hour) and sometimes wi-fi. Hawaii’s public libraries (www.librarieshawaii.org) provide free internet access via their online computer terminals, but you will need a temporary non-resident library card ($10). Some library branches now offer free wi-fi (no card required).
Not all lodgings have wi-fi; some have wired connections (fees may apply). Look for wi-fi hot spots in hotel lobbies and cafes.
Visa
Visitors from Canada, the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and many EU countries don’t need visas for stays of less than 90 days. Citizens of other nations should check http://travel.state.gov.
Entering the USA
Everyone arriving in the US needs to fill out the US customs declaration. US and Canadian citizens, along with eligible foreign nationals participating in the Visa Waiver Program, can complete this procedure electronically at an APC (Automated Passport Control) kiosk upon disembarking. All others must fill out a paper customs declaration, which is usually handed out on the plane. Have it completed before you approach the immigration desk. For the question, ‘US Street Address,’ give the address where you will spend the first night (a hotel address is fine).
No matter what your visa says, US immigration officers have an absolute authority to refuse admission to the country, or to impose conditions on admission. They may ask about your plans and whether you have sufficient funds; it’s a good idea to list an itinerary, produce an onward or round-trip ticket and have at least one major credit card.
The Department of Homeland Security’s registration program, called Office of Biometric Identity Management, includes every port of entry and nearly every foreign visitor to the USA. For most visitors (excluding, for now, most Canadian and some Mexican citizens), registration consists of having a digital photo and electronic (inkless) fingerprints taken; the process takes less than a minute.
Grounds for Exclusion & Deportation
If on your visa application form you admit to being a subversive, smuggler, prostitute, drug addict, terrorist or an ex-Nazi, you may be excluded. You can also be refused a visa or entry to the USA if you have a ‘communicable disease of public health significance’ or a criminal record, or if you’ve ever made a false statement in connection with a US visa application. However, if any of these last three apply, you’re still able to request an exemption; many people are granted them and then given visas.
Communicable diseases include tuberculosis, the Ebola virus, gonorrhea, syphilis, infectious leprosy and any disease deemed subject to quarantine by Presidential Executive Order. US immigration doesn’t test people for disease, but officials at the point of entry may question anyone about his or her health. They can exclude anyone whom they believe has a communicable disease, perhaps because they are carrying medical documents, prescriptions or medicine. Being an IV drug user is also grounds for exclusion. Visitors may be deported if US immigration finds out they have HIV but did not declare it. Being HIV-positive is no longer grounds for deportation, but failing to provide accurate information on the visa application is.
The US immigration department has a very broad definition of a criminal record. If you’ve ever been arrested or charged with an offense, that’s a criminal record, even if you were acquitted or discharged without conviction. Don’t attempt to enter through the VWP if you have a criminal record of any kind; assume US authorities will find out about it.
Often United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will grant an exemption (a ‘waiver of ineligibility’) to a person who would normally be subject to exclusion, but this requires referral to a regional immigration office and can take some time (allow at least two months). If you’re tempted to conceal something, remember that US immigration is strictest of all about false statements. It will often view favorably an applicant who admits to an old criminal charge or a communicable disease, but it is extremely harsh on anyone who has ever attempted to mislead it, even on minor points. After you’re admitted to the USA, any evidence of a false statement to US immigration is grounds for deportation.
Prospective visitors to whom grounds of exclusion may apply should consider their options before applying for a visa.
More Information
Be warned that all visa information is highly subject to change. US entry requirements keep evolving as national security regulations change. All travelers should double-check current visa and passport regulations before coming to the USA.
The US State Department (www.travel.state.gov) maintains the most comprehensive visa information, providing downloadable forms, lists of US consulates abroad and even visa wait times calculated by country.
Short-term Departures & Re-entry
It’s temptingly easy to make trips across the border to Canada or Mexico, but on return to the USA, non-Americans will be subject to the full immigration procedure.
Always take your passport when you cross the border.
If your immigration card still has plenty of time on it, you will probably be able to re-enter using the same one, but if it has nearly expired, you will have to apply for a new card, and border control may want to see your onward air ticket, sufficient funds and so on.
Traditionally, a quick trip across the border has been a way to extend your stay in the USA without applying for an extension at a USCIS office. Don’t assume this still works. First, make sure you hand in your old immigration card to the immigration authorities when you leave the USA, and when you return make sure you have all the necessary application documentation from when you first entered the country. US immigration will be very suspicious of anyone who leaves for a few days and returns immediately hoping for a new six-month stay; expect to be questioned closely.
Citizens of most Western countries will not need a visa to visit Canada, so it’s really not a problem at all to cross to the Canadian side of Niagara Falls, detour up to Québec, or pass through on the way to Alaska.
Travelers entering the USA by bus from Canada may be closely scrutinized. A round-trip ticket that takes you back to Canada will most likely make US immigration feel less suspicious.
Mexico has a visa-free zone along most of its border with the USA, including the Baja Peninsula and border towns such as Tijuana and Ciudad Juárez. As of 2017, residents of the US, Canada, the UK, Japan, and Schengen countries (Europe) no longer need a tourist visa anywhere in Mexico. Others may need a Mexican visa or tourist card to travel beyond the border zone.
Visa Applications
Apart from most Canadian citizens and those entering under the Visa Waiver Program, all foreign visitors will need to obtain a visa from a US consulate or embassy abroad. Most applicants must schedule a personal interview, to which you must bring all your documentation and proof of fee payment. Wait times for interviews vary, but afterward, barring problems, visa issuance takes from a few days to a few weeks.
Your passport must be valid for the entirety of your intended stay in the USA, and sometimes six months longer, depending on your country of citizenship. You’ll need a recent photo (2in by 2in) and you must pay a non-refundable $160 processing fee, plus in a few cases an additional visa-issuance reciprocity fee. You’ll also need to fill out the online DS-160 non-immigrant visa electronic application.
Visa applicants are required to show documents of financial stability (or evidence that a US resident will provide financial support), a round-trip or onward ticket and ‘binding obligations’ that will ensure their return home, such as family ties, a home or a job. Because of these requirements, those planning to travel through other countries before arriving in the USA are generally better off applying for a US visa while they’re still in their home country, rather than while on the road.
The most common visa is a non-immigrant visitor’s visa: type B-1 for business purposes, B-2 for tourism or visiting friends and relatives. A visitor’s visa is good for multiple entries over one or five years, and specifically prohibits the visitor from taking paid employment in the USA. The validity period depends on what country you are from. The actual length of time you’ll be allowed to stay in the USA is determined by US immigration at the port of entry.
If you’re coming to the USA to work or study, you will need a different type of visa, and the company or institution to which you are going should make the arrangements.
Other categories of nonimmigrant visas include an F-1 visa for students attending a course at a recognized institution; an H-1, H-2 or H-3 visa for temporary employment; and a J-1 visa for exchange visitors in approved programs.
Visa Waiver Program
Currently under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP), citizens of the following countries may enter the USA without a visa for stays of 90 days or less: Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Chile, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan and the UK.
If you are a citizen of a VWP country, you do not need a visa only if you have a passport that meets current US standards and you have received approval from the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) in advance. Register online with the Department of Homeland Security at https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/esta at least 72 hours before arrival; once travel authorization is approved, your registration is valid for two years. The fee, payable online, is $14.
Visitors from VWP countries must still produce at the port of entry all the same evidence as for a non-immigrant visa application. They must demonstrate that their trip is for 90 days or less, and that they have a round-trip or onward ticket, adequate funds to cover the trip and binding obligations abroad.
In addition, the same ‘grounds for exclusion and deportation’ apply, except that you will have no opportunity to appeal or apply for an exemption. If you are denied under the VWP at a US point of entry, you will have to use your onward or return ticket on the next available flight.
HOTEL
Hotels & Resorts Range from luxurious pleasure palace resorts to cheap and simple places to rest your head.
Condominiums Lots of vacation rentals available online and through agencies.
Camping Some great, if simple, beachside camping to be had all around Oʻahu.
Hostels A small number of hostels and backpacker places, mostly in Waikiki.
B&Bs & Inns A small number dotted around the island.
B&Bs & Inns
This section of the accommodation industry here has been undergoing a revolution of late due to online companies such as Airbnb announcing that it has over 10,000 active listings in Hawaii. A lot of people rent out rooms, apartments and entire houses now on Oʻahu.
Traditionally, B&B accommodations on Oʻahu have often been spare bedrooms at residential homes. With restrictive local regulations, the majority of B&Bs and vacation rentals are technically illegal. Officials know this, but usually turn a blind eye unless there’s a complaint.
Camping
Oʻahu has no full-service campgrounds with swimming pools and wi-fi as on the US mainland, but you can pitch a tent at many county and some state parks around the island. Expect basic facilities: restrooms, open-air showers and some picnic tables or grills. The Windward Coast contains the best camping options. Two beach parks down in Waimanalo are well recommended; you can camp in the shadow of the majestic Koʻolau Range at a botanical garden in the Kaneʻohe Bay area; and Malaekahana State Recreation Area has both a public and a private campground. On the North Shore, camping options are extremely limited, but there is a church camp in Mokuleʻia that accepts campers when it’s not group-booked. We don’t recommend camping on the Waiʻanae Coast in leeward Oʻahu, where some homeless islanders have set up permanent tent cities. There are no suitable campgrounds near Waikiki.
Condominiums
This section of the accommodation industry has been growing exponentially as the modern traveler becomes savvy with systems for online travel bookings – and Oʻahu is no exception. Online offerings include rooms, condos and entire houses all over the island, and if you want to stay somewhere where there are few hotels or traditional accommodation options such as on the North Shore or the Windward Coast, this is a great way to go.
There is also a huge number of Waikiki and Honolulu condos available both directly online and through local agencies, such as Captain Cook Resorts (www.captaincookresorts.com). Condos are usually much larger than hotel rooms and are well equipped so that owners can live in them, but rent them out when they are not there.
Typically, a vacation rental means renting an entire apartment, duplex, condo or house (with no on-site manager and no breakfast provided), but many places also rent rooms and stand-alone cottages. Often all these kinds of properties, which typically have kitchens, are handled by a rental agency on behalf of the owner, but recent trends see owners taking bookings and handling all communications and arrivals directly. Check about added cleaning fees when making a booking.
Hotels & Resorts
All the big boys are on Oʻahu and you’ll find luxury hotels and resorts by Hilton, Starwood, Marriott and Disney, among others. Your degree of luxury at these tropical pleasure palaces is only limited by the extent of your wallet. While there are plenty of top-class hotels and resorts to choose from in Waikiki, there’s a Four Seasons and Disney’s Aulani hotel-resort out west in Ko Olina, and Turtle Bay Resort on the North Shore.
In terms of less expensive hotels, most are in Waikiki, where most visitors tend to stay. Generally speaking, hotels near the beach will be more expensive than those a few streets back. You may want to be a tad wary of the term ‘ocean view’ – an ‘ocean view’ room a few streets back from the beach may require a periscope to see the surf!
It’s common for hotels to discount their published rack rates, if they publish them at all. You may be able to get good discounts by booking early and online, particularly at slow times of the year such as May and June, and September through December. Check whether a hotel charges mandatory ‘resort fees’ and what is included if they do.
Hostels
Oʻahu has only two hostels associated with Hostelling International USA (www.hiusa.org), one in Waikiki and one near the University of Hawaiʻi at Manoa. There are also a number of other privately-run hostels, mostly in Waikiki, that cater to backpackers and provide decent quality low cost accommodation. As to be expected, things are a bit spartan, with dorm beds, a common kitchen, internet access, bulletin boards and lockers. Expect to pay $20 to $40 nightly for dorm beds, and from $50 to $100 for semi-private or private rooms. The different hostels have differing amenities on offer, so make sure to check out exactly what is included in prices on the hostel websites. Make sure to check if linen, towels and hot showers are included. Most hostel prices do not include almost 14% of tax which will be added.
Waikiki’s hostels are used by visitors from all over the globe, so expect the opportunity to meet and converse with other travelers. Check what is available at Hostels.com (www.hostels.com) and/or Hostelword.com (www.hostelworld.com).
COST OF LIVING
Honolulu is by far the largest and busiest city in Hawaii, and its Waikiki Beach is a lovely and famous stretch of sand, but most people go elsewhere on the islands in search of their own paradise.
Still, many do base themselves in Honolulu, which might be the best place for budget-minded travelers, since the big city means there are affordable options for those who look. It’s still not cheap, but you can actually find reasonably priced meals and drinks and such if you stay away from the big hotels and the tourist places surrounding them. Hotels in Honolulu tend to be fairly busy all year round, but the peak season for prices and crowds is the weeks around Christmas and New Year’s, and general high season runs from November through April at many places. There is also a high season from June through August at some hotels, so the best deals are generally September through November. There’s also plenty of free and cheap things to do in Honolulu, including just chilling on the beach, so those on a tight budget can still have a good time without spending every cent they have.
