Driving Tests

Driving in Hawaii With a Foreign License: One Year, IDP, Exchange

informational·how to guide·Published October 12, 2026·Updated October 20, 2026

Can I drive in Hawaii on my foreign license?

Yes, for up to one year from the date you arrived in the United States, if you are 18 or older. The Hawaii Driver's Manual gives this one-year rule for a foreign license with an International Driving Permit (IDP). Carry the license, the IDP and your passport, which shows your entry date. Only valid licenses from Japan, Korea and Taiwan can be exchanged for a Hawaii license.

Where these rules come from

The one-year rule comes from the Hawaii Driver's Manual (2023 edition). The exchange steps come from the City and County of Honolulu foreign driver's license page, and the country list and dates come from the Hawaii Department of Transportation reciprocal countries list dated December 20, 2018. Other details come from the Honolulu driver's license FAQ, road test, requirements, limited purpose license and motorcycle pages, a Honolulu news release of October 16, 2026, the HDOT limited purpose license FAQ and a Hawaii law excerpt in an HDOT moped sheet. Driver licensing is run by each county, so the Honolulu (Oahu) steps can differ on other islands. This guide is current as of 2026. Confirm the rules with your county driver licensing office or the Hawaii Department of Transportation (hidot.hawaii.gov) before you drive.

Foreign license in Hawaii at a glance

Foreign license in Hawaii at a glance
Question	Answer
How long can I use it?	One year from the date you arrived in the United States (your first port of entry)
What do I carry?	Your foreign license, an International Driving Permit (IDP) from the same country and a valid passport that shows your entry date
Minimum age	18
Which countries?	Countries that ratified the 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic; Honolulu also names the Inter-American traffic convention
Exchange for a Hawaii license?	Only valid licenses from Japan, Korea and Taiwan, for Hawaii residents
Any other country	A Class 3 (car) instruction permit and a general knowledge test (Honolulu)

The one-year rule and the IDP

Under the Hawaii Driver's Manual, a foreign license with an IDP issued in the same country is valid for one year from the date you arrived, which is your first port of entry into the United States. In Honolulu (Oahu), the driver must also be at least 18, and the license must come from a country that ratified the 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic. Carry the IDP together with the license. Your passport shows the date on which your year starts, so keep it with you when you drive.

What to do in common situations

You are 18 or older, you are visiting, and you entered the United States less than one year ago

Drive with your foreign license, your IDP and your passport. The passport proves your entry date.

You live in Hawaii and hold a valid license from Japan, Korea or Taiwan

You can apply to exchange it for a Hawaii license. Follow the Honolulu steps below and book an appointment.

You live in Hawaii and your license is from any other country

There is no exchange. Apply for a Class 3 instruction permit and take the general knowledge test.

Your foreign license has expired

An expired foreign license cannot be transferred. A Japan, Korea or Taiwan license holder then needs the written and road tests too.

One year has passed since you entered

Your foreign license no longer lets you drive in Hawaii. If you live in Hawaii, ask your county licensing office how to get a Hawaii license.

Japan, Korea and Taiwan: who can exchange a license

Hawaii has driver license reciprocity agreements with only three countries: Japan, Korea and Taiwan, with conditions. Hawaii extended the privileges to Korea on August 24, 2016, to Taiwan on April 5, 2017 and to Japan on December 20, 2018. Act 131 of 2015 lets the Director of the Hawaii Department of Transportation grant them. The HDOT list of these countries is dated December 20, 2018. To find out if a country was added after that date, ask your county driver licensing office or HDOT. In Honolulu, applicants who qualify do not need the written test, and the road test may be waived. The application follows the same steps as a mainland license transfer, plus a letter from your consulate.

How the exchange works in Honolulu (Oahu)

1
Get the consulate letter
Ask your consulate for a verification letter that is notarized, translated and sealed. For Taiwan, this is the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Honolulu.
2
Collect your documents
Bring your valid foreign license, proof of legal name, date of birth and legal presence, and two proofs of Hawaii residence. Social Security documents have been optional since June 18, 2021. You must be 18 or older.
3
Book an appointment
You must apply in person. Book an appointment for an out-of-state license transfer at AlohaQ.
4
Hand in your license and take the eye test
The office takes your foreign license, marks it invalid and returns it to you. You also take an eye test and fingerprinting.
5
Get the temporary license
You get a temporary Class 3 license, and the plastic card comes by mail in 4 to 5 weeks. The TSA does not accept the temporary paper license at airport security.

Other countries: the Class 3 instruction permit in Honolulu

For a license from any other country, the Honolulu steps start with a Class 3 (car) instruction permit. A foreign national with a valid foreign license applies for this permit and takes a general knowledge test. All documents must be translated into English. The temporary permit expires on the same date as your legal stay in the United States. The plastic permit comes by mail in about six to eight weeks. The instruction permit validity question in our free practice test shows the usual permit period and its exception for an authorized stay.

Students and exchange visitors: the limited purpose driver's license

If you live in Hawaii, the limited purpose driver's license needs no proof of legal presence. You still prove your legal name, date of birth and Hawaii residence. For name and date of birth, a Form I-20 or Form DS-2019 is accepted, and so is a foreign driver's license with a certified translation or an affidavit of translation into English. This license is not REAL ID compliant, so the TSA does not accept it by itself to board a commercial aircraft. The limited purpose license guide gives the full steps.

Key takeaways

A foreign license with an IDP is valid in Hawaii for one year from the day you arrived in the United States, at age 18 or older.
Carry the license, the IDP and your passport, which shows your entry date.
Only valid licenses from Japan, Korea and Taiwan can be exchanged. In Honolulu, you also need a consulate letter, an eye test and fingerprinting.
Holders of other foreign licenses start with a Class 3 instruction permit and a general knowledge test. Each county runs its own licensing, so check with yours.
Next step: practice on the free Hawaii Class 3 learner's permit practice test.

Hawaii foreign license: common questions

Can I drive in Hawaii without an International Driving Permit?

Carry one. The one-year rule in the Hawaii Driver's Manual is for a foreign license with an IDP from your own country, and Honolulu asks for the IDP and your passport at a road test. The IDP also helps you avoid language problems when you talk with police officers.

How do I prove when I entered the United States?

Show your foreign passport, which has your date of entry. Your one year starts on that date, so keep the passport with you when you drive. If you take a road test in Honolulu, the passport must show an entry date of less than one year at the time of the test.

Is a Canadian driver's license treated as a foreign license in Hawaii?

No. Hawaii law (HRS 286-105) exempts a person who is 18 or older and has a valid license from a Canadian province, a U.S. state or a U.S. territory, for the type of vehicle that the person drives. The license must be equal to a Hawaii license. The one-year IDP rule is for licenses from other countries.

Can I exchange a motorcycle license from Japan, Korea or Taiwan?

No. In Honolulu, motorcycle endorsements on licenses from Japan, Korea and Taiwan do not transfer to Hawaii, and the exchange gives you a Class 3 (car) license. To ride a motorcycle in Hawaii, you need a Class 2 license, which needs a special knowledge test and an off-street skills test.

Do the same rules apply on Maui, Kauai and the Big Island?

The one-year rule comes from the Hawaii Driver's Manual of the Hawaii Department of Transportation. The exchange and permit steps in this guide are the Honolulu (Oahu) steps, and each county runs its own driver licensing. On Maui, Kauai or the Big Island, call your county licensing office before you apply.