Active duty service members who have orders to Hawaii are authorized the shipment of 1 personally owned vehicle (POV) at government expense. The cost to ship a car to Oahu starts around $1,000, but if you are coming from anywhere father than the West coast of the mainland you should expect the cost to jump a few thousand dollars. The timeline for shipping your car to the islands varies from 2 weeks to month, also depending on how far you are coming from and weather conditions.
Once your vehicle(s) arrive on Oahu, call the Vehicle Processing Center at Horizon Lines to arrange for pick up. You can find the address and contact info for the VPC here.
Within 30 days of arrival, you must register your POV with the Hawaii Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), and renew this registration annually. Your POV must pass a Hawaii State Safety Inspection in order to get registration approval. There are a number of auto shops that can perform a state approved safety inspection. See places to take your vehicle near Kailua, Kaneohe, Pearl Harbor, Ewa Beach & Kapolei, and Schofield.
You can find the list of DMV locations here.
If you do not want to register your POV you can get an out of state permit. You will need the following documentation to get the out of state permit:
· Current out of state registration
· Shipping document (Bill of Landing
· Fill out the out of state permit application (form CS-L (MVR))
· Current Hawaii Vehicle Inspection Certificate showing a passed Hawaii State Safety Inspection
Here are a few laws you need to know if you’re going to be driving on Oahu:
Talking and texting on your cell phone is against the law.
Passengers are allowed to sit in the bed of a pickup truck if all the seats are taken in the cabin.
All passengers must wear seatbelts.
Motorcycle riders are not required to wear helmets off base. Military installation rules are different than civilian motorcycle laws.
Motorcycle and moped requirements (for all riders entering military installations) include:
Helmet
Must be Department of Transportation-approved safety helmet securely fastened with a chin strap.
Eye Protection
Eyes must be protected by shatter-resistant goggles or a face shield attached to the helmet. A windshield, eyeglasses or fairing alone is not considered proper eye protection.
Shoes
Must wear closed-toe, over-the-ankle shoes with hard soles. Sandals, slippers, tennis shoes and other similar footwear are not authorized.
Reflective Vest
During daylight hours, riders must wear a brightly colored, outer upper garment or high-visibility reflective vest. During hours of darkness, riders must wear a high-visibility reflective vest of bright orange, lime green or yellow with reflective striping. Do not cover or conceal the vest while riding a motorcycle or moped. Military personnel may wear the vest over the uniform of the day. Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam requires a vest both day and night.
Attire
Must wear long trousers, long-sleeve shirt or jacket and full-fingered gloves. Riding apparel designed specifically for motorcycle riders is strongly encouraged.