HONOLULU — The Honolulu Department of Customer Services is reminding motorists with out-of-state license plates that they need a permit to operate their vehicle on Oahu.

Motorists who bring a vehicle to Hawaii from another state have 30 days from the date of arrival to either register the vehicle with the city or obtain a permit allowing the out-of-state registration and plate to remain valid until their expiration.

The reminder was prompted by a 30% drop in the number of out-of-state permits issued by the city over the past four years.

According to the department, out-of-permits fell to 2,545 in 2022 from 3,655 in 2019.

The decrease means fewer vehicles are getting a Hawaii safety inspection, which is required to obtain an out-of-state permit on Oahu.

“The reminder is part of a larger effort to help ensure that vehicles with out-of-state license plates are safe to operate on the city’s public roadways,” said CSD director Kim Hashiro.

Motorists needing an out-of-state permit should schedule a satellite city hall appointment via alohaq.org. The fee for the permit is $5.

More information about the out-of-state permit is included in this short video.

Michael Tsai covers local and state politics for Spectrum News Hawaii. He can be reached at michael.tsai@charter.com.

Editor's Note: Kim Hashiro's title was corrected.