Viral image
Viral image
stated on June 14, 2021 in a Facebook post:

“Hawaii to no longer recognize out-of-state driver’s licenses.”

False

You can drive in Hawaii with out-of-state licenses

If your time is short

  • You can drive in Hawaii with a valid driver’s license from another state if you’re 18 or older.
     
  • The Department of Transportation in Hawaii told Snopes this post is wrong.
 
See the sources for this fact-check

“Hawaii to no longer recognize out-of-state driver’s licenses,” begins a Facebook post making claims about driving requirements for visitors. 

The post claims that starting Jan. 1, 2023, visitors who wish to drive in the state “will be required to apply for a driving test to be administered on arrival before they are allowed to rent a vehicle.” 

The post was published by an account called “The State of Hawaii,” but it’s not a government account. The state’s Facebook page is called “State of Hawaii” — no “The.” That Facebook page is labeled as a “Government Organization.” “The State of Hawaii” page, meanwhile, is labeled as an “Entertainment Website.” 

This post was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Facebook.)

We found no legislation, laws or news reports to corroborate the claims in this Facebook post. 

The County of Kaua’i notes on its website that “you may drive in Hawaii with a valid driver’s license issued by another state if you are 18 years of age or older.”

So does the County of Maui

The City and County of Honolulu further says that residents of countries that ratified the Geneva Convention on Road Traffic may use their foreign national driver’s license along with a passport to legally drive in Hawaii. 

The Hawaii Department of Transportation did not respond to PolitiFact’s query about the post. But a spokesperson for the agency told Snopes that the post is wrong and that the state isn’t introducing these restrictions. 

We rate this post False.

Our Sources

Facebook post, June 14, 2021

State of Hawaii Facebook page, visited June 23, 2021

County of Kaua’i, Out of state license transfers, visited June 23, 2021

County of Maui, Out of state license transfers, visited June 23, 2021

City and County of Honolulu, Hawaii Driver License FAQ, visited June 23, 2021

Snopes, Will Hawaii no longer accept out of state driver’s licenses? June 16, 2021