Starting October 1, international travelers to the U.S. will face a $250 visa integrity fee, one of the highest visa charges in the world. For Hawaii, the timing could not be worse. The fee threatens to stall the fragile recovery of international markets such as China and the Philippines and undo years of effort to diversify beyond traditional mainland visitors.
The U.S. says the fee is meant to “restore integrity” by holding visitors accountable to their visa terms. Travelers must pay $250 upfront and may only be refunded if they depart on time and follow the rules. The catch is that refunds will not be issued until the visa itself expires, and many U.S. tourist visas are valid for several years. In other words, Hawaii’s potential visitors could see hundreds or even thousands of dollars tied up with this charge for up to a decade.
How many Hawaii visitors are impacted?
Hawaii welcomed 9.7 million visitors in 2024. Approximately 80 percent of the arrivals came from the mainland, and 1.8 million international arrivals. Most of those were from visa-waiver countries, such as Canada (550,000), Japan (over 300,000), and South Korea (193,000). Visitors from Australia, New Zealand, and much of Europe are also exempt.
The new fee falls directly on those who do need visas. In 2024, this included approximately 173,000 arrivals from China and 111,000 from the Philippines, along with hundreds of thousands more from Mexico, India, and other non-waiver countries.
All told, this amounts to 500,000 to 600,000 visitors from Hawaii each year, or roughly five to six percent of the total. While that may sound like a sliver, their spending power is clearly oversized. At an average in-state spend of $2,200 per person per trip, these visitors contribute more than $1 billion annually, which exceeds the entire market of countries like Canada or Korea.
Hawaii’s long international courtship is on the line.
Hawaii has worked for years to court these visitors, a push that intensified under Governor Josh Green. The Hawaii Tourism Authority conducted sales missions in key cities, such as Beijing and Manila, to increase awareness. Airlines added and promoted routes from China and the Philippines.
Many hotels began tailoring services and packages to these groups. Progress was gradual, but the pandemic disrupted international travel and left a lasting impact.
Now, with Chinese arrivals still far below pre-COVID peaks and Hawaii’s overall international share severely lagging, this new barrier threatens to undo that progress. A family of four from Manila or Beijing would face an extra $1,000 tied up indefinitely.
At a time when Hawaii already carries the nation’s highest hotel rates and some of the steepest airfares, the optics of a “deposit to make sure you behave” may send precisely the wrong message.
How U.S. visa system looks abroad.
Globally, our visa system is already one of the most expensive and complex to navigate. The standard tourist visa fee is $185. Starting October 1, visitors who require a visa will also be charged the new $250 “visa integrity fee,” bringing the total cost to $435.
By comparison, Canada charges $100 for a tourist visa, and the European Union’s new ETIAS travel authorization will cost just €7. That puts the U.S. at nearly four times the size of Canada and more than sixty times the size of the EU, making it far less competitive at a time when other destinations are actively courting international travelers with lower entry costs and simpler systems.
Another uncertainty is how refunds will be handled. With some visas valid for up to ten years, visitors may not see their $250 deposit returned until long after their travels, and the process itself could prove cumbersome. With millions of travelers potentially eligible, experts warn the system could be overwhelmed, leading to long delays or disputes.
For Hawaii, the concern is straightforward. The state continues to invest heavily in marketing to bring back international visitors, yet higher visa costs risk discouraging exactly the travelers Hawaii has been working hardest to attract.
Where travelers may go instead.
Travelers from visa-required countries already shoulder long-haul flights and high costs. Add Hawaii’s hotel rates, now the highest in the U.S., 19 percent accommodation taxes, other fees and surcharges, and now an extra $250 visa fee that could be locked up for a decade. For many, the calculation tips toward different destinations.
Southeast Asia offers world-class beaches with far lower entry costs. Bali, Thailand, and Vietnam do not require such deposits. Mexico and the Caribbean are closer and cheaper. Even Australia and Europe are signaling openness at a time when the U.S. appears more complicated.
As one international traveler told a foreign news outlet last week, “Why would I pay hundreds more just to be treated like I’m not trusted? There are other places I can take my family.”
Hawaii’s international gamble.
This new fee hits about one in twenty Hawaii visitors. But these are not just any visitors. They are high-spending, often traveling in family groups, and precisely the markets Hawaii has invested in the most to grow.
Hawaii’s reliance on the mainland has already left it vulnerable. Eight out of ten visitors come from the U.S., which means a single domestic downturn could devastate the state’s economy. Losing ground with visa-required international markets only deepens that risk, since these travelers typically stay longer and spend more, with ripple effects across hotels, restaurants, and local businesses alike.
At the same time, Hawaii continues to make headlines for rising fees, potential rental crackdowns, and record prices. Visitors are already commenting that they feel less welcome. Added entry costs from abroad only compound that impression, creating yet another barrier for the international travelers Hawaii most needs to win back.
The stakes for Hawaii.
Will the $250 visa integrity fee be just another cost visitors absorb, or the tipping point that drives them away? For Hawaii, the stakes are real. More than a billion dollars in annual spending is on the line, and so is the state’s ability to diversify its tourism base.
Hawaii’s push into new markets has never been more urgent. Yet higher entry costs risk undoing years of progress with a single stroke. For a destination already under pressure, the question is unavoidable: can Hawaii adapt to yet another challenge, or will this added barrier quietly close the door on the visitors it needs?
How do you think this fee will affect Hawaii’s already fragile international markets?
Lead Photo Credit: Beat of Hawaii at Chinese New Year in Honolulu.
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A few thoughts:
1) this is a Federal Fee – not much the State of Hawaii can do about it.
2) it seems hypocritical for Hawaii to complain about a fee on tourists after the State implemented several fees and increased taxes.
3) anyone planning on overstaying will not be deterred by $250. Only legitimate middle-class tourists will look at options.
4) most people will not bother to apply for a refund years later. The US government is counting on this windfall.
5) ESTIA is the same as US ESTA. very different from a visa.
6) the fees will apply to international students as well
7) HTA should not focus their efforts on 20% of the market – don’t take your mainland visitors for granted.
God Bless Hawaii and its high taxes and cost 🙏 Lots of hopes and best wishes with this situation. Hoping to visit family and friends either in 2026 or 2027. Wow never thought it would come to this? All so sad. Aloha 🌈
Hopefully this additional cost will deter the hoards of budget travelers on 1-way tickets (the street folk/hobos/vagrants/druggies)that are being dumped into Hawai’i BY Social Services on the mainland (Long Beach, CA location in particular) turning ‘their problem’ into ‘our problem’. Additional cost Good in this scenario..an asset to the aina.
Just one more way Hawai’i is saying they don’t want you. Stay home and mail Hawai’i a check for the privilege of supporting a people who hate mainlanders. Or better yet, go somewhere with nicer people and less rip-offs. There’s an idea.
You do realize that travel visas fall under the feds right?
From reading most of the comments, people clearly don’t understand that this ‘$250 visa integrity’ fee is not being imposed by the State of Hawai’i, rather by the U.S. Federal government. The headline “Hawaii Visitors Hit by $250 U.S. Visa Fee Shock” may have confused some of the readers into thinking that the State of Hawai’i was yet imposing another unwanted fee upon visitors to the islands.
The same politicians that bring you state wide abandoned cars can’t stop shooting everyone in the foot as they fill their pockets.
This is an action by the federal government, not the Hawaiian government.
Plenty to criticize the Hawaiian government about, but not this specific item.
What would this 250 be good for? Taking our jobs instead of traveling? If visa us ten years for stay here?
The Hawaiian government wants fewer, richer people.
There ya go.
Cite actual numbers as no way India sends us thousands per yr, could be uspr or h1b , not indian tourists, get hotels to lower prices n profits versus new visa fee., hotell charge $350for 1970s hotel Auwe
We were at Hanauma Bay this week. There was a large group of two families in SUV’s I spoke with. They told me they were visiting from India. Just saying.
No one said Hawaii gets “no” visitors from India.
Make it an investment, like a savings bond. With the $250 earning monthly interest over lifespan of the visa. Pro rate multiple uses.
Otherwise it just seems like an abusive hidden fee or penalty.
This VISA fee is going to be the death of nearly half of tourism in Hawaii.
Stop being greedy. Be more conservative with what you get. Find the leaks and plug them. You spending on the wrong stuff.
Good. No need for overtourism. It’s the laziest way to get money and ruin the Aina at the same time.
The US then gets to hold on to the money for a decade, make millions off before it ever goes back the visitors. If at all.
Most of the travelers own Hawaii Condos worth millions of dollars.
They are not concerned with paying $250 for a Visa which gets them in and out of the U.S. often.
Check your reasoning for many of these visits by China, and Asia.
They buy property on the islands sending Real Estate prices far out of the reach of young locals.
I think tourism as a whole will continue to suffer as long as our government continues to abuse other countries as well as individuals. Many visitors will ask themselves why they should go to a country and spend hard earned money when the country is putting a financial burden on them. Our government is causing more harm than good with all the new changes. Now other countries are banning together and leaving the US out of negotiations. I don’t think the US is the world leader in anything anymore except ruining our own economy. When will officials wake up and do something to save us? Sorry, but Tighten your belt, Hawaii, just like everyone else.
Hawaii’s Hotel rates now the highest in the US, is the bottom line and the End of the Story.
‘The Goose that laid the Golden Eggs’ has become a vision of the past.
‘And to all a good night.’
How is this a bad thing for the outer Islands? Have you ever tried to Drive from Lihue to Princeville? Or Lihue to Poipu? Or Kahului to Kaanapali? The islands don’t need more visitors, they need less. The county plans dictate 30% to local population visitor rates and we are far beyond that.
I don’t know how old you are, but I was…Let’s say an adult with children, working two jobs When 9/11 happened.
I saw what happens to how easy economy when tourism stopped.
Zero people coming in, and zero people leaving.
Much like doing the COVID farce.
Let’s tourism means less income for companies and locals alike.
It’s not like during the sugar. Cane boom when we had so much money coming in do the agriculture.
I thought I had a job that was tourism safe. Meaning, if tourism went away completely, I’d be fine, I’d be happy. I was very wrong. I nearly lost my job and the place I worked nearly had to close its doors.
So be careful what you wish for because you just might get it.
Hi my name is Michael i will coming from Australia on the 11 October and leaving on a cruise ship back to Australia on the 13 October i have Esta do I have to pay 250 dollars more
No, you’re all set
Born here, first words “Mama & Daddy “.. 85 years later, it’s “Tax & More Tax”…. When does it stop?
The new visa fee will stop some. Problem was people overstayed there visa!
Hawaii should be happy because they say there are to many tourists!
Be careful what you ask for Hawaii!
And you think $250 is going to prevent that? The vast majority don’t overstay and those who don’t, do not want to deal with more pain in the ass paperwork
The fee gets refunded. All it does is force people to go home on time. If … Hawaiians . . . are upset about that then oh well.
Less than 2% overstay their tourist visa, which also include ESTA that’s not getting this fee, so we’re talking less than 1%. You think another hoop to jump through is a good idea? You know what comes next? Reciprocity fees for Americans traveling abroad. We also overstay our visas.
It’s not refundable if means you won’t see it for 10 years. Sounds like a way for the federal government to collect fees and hold onto money.
Does it take ten years to find out if you in who’s eyes misbehaved? How do you get a refund if you traveled when you’re in your 80’s and may not live long enough to obtain the refund? I figure if hotel management can determine if you got argumentive, complain, or were a nuisance they could what? Fill out a form on such guest information in regards to a negatively behaved tourist report with guest information. IMO sounds like another lawsuit just waiting to happen.
Please publish the list of countries affected. What does it mean to ‘stay on their best behavior’ while in Hawai’i in relation to the additional charge? How would that be implemented and if the visitor ‘crossed that line’ and what are the behaviors which are being warned about? (interacting with protected animals like nene, monk seals..straying in areas where signs are posted…going off-trail while hiking necessitating in rescue..not payment of fees/charges/vehicle tickets..please list them)
Hawaii shouldn’t be upset about this policy. After all, this state charges green fees, tourist taxes, resort fees, hotel taxes, airport taxes, and entrance fees that add up to much more than $250. The visa $$$ get refunded The Hawaiian fees .. Never.
Well said!
Everyone should be annoyed by this fee it’s idiotic on its face and adds more bureaucracy to the federal govt for no benefit. The feds are asking people for a $250 deposit, in theory, to try and prevent overstays and eventual undocumented immigrants. That is farcical. 97% of visitors leave timely and we’ve created a system that will require us to collect, track, and process refunds on all these funds for Zero benefit. For the 3% of people who over stay, forfeiting $250 is likely not a significant impediment considering legal immigration can cost thousands. This is just more political theater that does nothing to address real issues; a common theme with this admin.
“Stupid is, as Stupid does”, Governor Green and One-Party Rule, love the way how they massage the ‘North American’ traveler!
Economic/ artificial barriers to entry.
Are those Not apart of the state’s plan to limit tourist numbers while keep margins higher per tourist? Would this not be keeping in the same lane as that?
This is par for the “new” course… but slightly different since levied by Uncle Sam.
International, high income travelers wont blink an eye.
If this leads to fewer visitors, I thought that was what Hawaii wanted.
It is an interesting strategy to focus a marketing plan on the 20% of visitors from foreign countries and not the 80%. Why try to induce travellers to fly 10-13 hours instead of 5-6? A few years ago they were targeting Europe. Why not spend advertising money on those that will come again and again rather than the one and done? I had no idea Hawaii was so poorly run until after buying there.
We are looking for a new vacation spot after 10 years! Hawaii, you are killing yourself.
The $250 integrity fee deposit is levied on countries with a high incidence of overstaying visas and becoming illegal immigrants. The majority of pax from China, Mexico’ Philippines etc are wealthy to afford the expensive flights and hotel fees. There may be an effect on the budget travel segment but Hawaii is looking to focus on fewer visitors who contribute more to the economy. Reducing illegal immigration to Hawaii and exposure to possible criminal immigration, trafficking and the drugs trade should be positive for the islands.
Less than 1% overstay these types of visas. The rest might think twice about another hoop to jump through to vacation here. And guess what comes next: Reciprocal fees for Americans traveling abroad. We overstay our visas too