Identity is More Than a Card in Hawaii
You don't need any special ID card to visit Hawaii, but moving here does not make you Hawaiian.
As with other states, to take a Hawaii vacation you need no special ID card or permission (such as a visa or passport) if you are a US resident. If you come from another country, you need the same entry requirements as visiting the mainland United States. Everyone needs a photo ID to get on a plane these days, and that's plenty here. The only time you're likely to need even that is if you pay by credit card and the merchant wishes to confirm your identity.
However, unlike other states, moving to Hawaii does not make you Hawaiian. A friend recently returned to the mainland for a visit and was horrified when her mother introduced her by saying "My daughter is a Hawaiian." Living in Kansas may make you a Kansan but living in Hawaii does not make anyone Hawaiian. As another friend explains, "Hawaiian" is an ethnicity, not a state of mind. Local residents are called "islanders" or "kama‘aina" (child of the land).
Often, places in Hawaii offer a discount for kama‘aina to encourage locals to patronize them and to recognize that we are not spending vacation dollars when we do. A visitor asked if I could get that same discount for everyone in our party by using my Hawaii ID (driver's license). In general, the answer is "no". The reasons that the kama‘aina discount is offered don't apply to visitors, even when they are family or friends. However, one luau offered the same price to everyone in our party with one local ID and that was a very nice gesture.
Visitors, locals and Hawaiians are different identities, but most of the time it won't matter. Everyone enjoys being in Hawaii!
Published by Bruce Fisher
Since 2006 Bruce Fisher has been publishing the Hawaii Vacation Blog and the Hawaii Vacation Connection Podcast which, create daily content about Hawaii Travel and Tourism. This Blog is the only online resource providing Hawaii-based information aimed at travelers seven days per week. Postings reflect the Hawaiian Islands, their culture and their lifestyle as accurately and thoroughly as possible.
Entry Filed under: Fun Stuff,Hawaiiana,How to Hawaii
August 11th, 2010
5 Comments Add your own
1. Bob Smith | August 11th, 2010 at 11:39 am
If I sailed in a canoe from the South Pacific to the Hawaiian Islands, would I then be considered Hawaiian?
2. Fat Jeff | August 11th, 2010 at 3:28 pm
Bob, not you. The opportunity to be the first human inhabitant of the Hawaiian Islands has long since passed…
3. Cindy | August 11th, 2010 at 6:46 pm
Bob – arriving in Hawaii today is different from early settlers who created a kingdom. It is in some ways similar to contemporary US immigration laws that early European settlers would not have been able to meet. Times change.
The point of the post is that the term “Hawaiian” has a different significance than the term “Kansan” or the reference to inhabitants of other states. Thanks for the comment!
4. travel guide | August 16th, 2010 at 7:37 pm
Hawaii is a place which is worthwhile visiting I suppose. There are a lot of beautiful stuff to see and experience.
5. Lisa @ Oahu Mom | April 25th, 2011 at 2:16 pm
When taking visitors with me to places with kama'aina discounts I just ask how many discounts they allow per ID. Sometimes it's just one, sometimes two and like you said, occasionally it's for everyone in the group.
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