Hawaii Film Office

No.1 Capitol District Building
250 S. Hotel Street, 5th Floor
Honolulu, HI 96813

Phone: (808) 586-2570
Fax: (808) 586-2572
Email: info@hawaiifilmoffice.com

Updated May 26, 2021: The State of Hawaii is reactivating ePermits for DLNR Open and Accessible Sites. If you'd like to reactivate your ePermits account, please email: info@hawaiifilmoffice.com. Instructions and information will be provided via email. The Hawaii Film Office staff continues to work remotely at this time and anticipates responding to emails within 3-4 business days. Thank you and we appreciate your continued patience and understanding during this time.

Open and Accessible ePermit Application

Aloha! Welcome to Open and Accessible (O/A) ePermits. This site is for obtaining O/A ePermits to film and photograph on State of Hawaii DLNR Open/Accessible Sites only. The application process is described below. Please read and follow the instructions.

To qualify, you must adhere to the following criteria:


  1. No more than 20 cast & crew in total, on location;
  2. No more than 4 vehicles (No vehicle larger than a 15-passenger van);
  3. No large props/sets;
  4. No water activity;
  5. No use of animals, special effects, helicopters, UAs (aka drone), picture vehicles, water vessels, simulated gunfire or explosives;
  6. No special parking arrangements; and
  7. Equipment needs cannot require special attention or create public disturbances (e.g. long cables, noisy generators, dolly tracks).
  8. All productions applying for an ePermits account and film permits must have a current Certificate of Insurance (COI) that meets the State’s requirements.
(Please do NOT send a hard copy of your COI to the office. Submit electronically only)
If your production meets the criteria above, you may apply for an O/A ePermit. If your production does NOT meet the criteria above, or your desired shoot locations are NOT listed on the DLNR Open/Accessible Sites list, you will need to obtain a Standard Film Permit.

To start the application process:


  • Click the ‘Start Application’ button at bottom of this page to create an account.
  • Upload your Certificate of Insurance (COI).
  • Once your COI is uploaded, you will receive email notification that your COI was successfully uploaded.
  • The Hawaii Film Office will also be notified and the COI will be reviewed within 1-3 business days.
  • Once your account is approved, you will be notified via email and may log in with your username and password and apply for an O/A ePermit.
  • Each ePermit is $10 and must be paid online with a credit card.
  • We will be approving all O+A accounts for up to a 4-week period. You may obtain two (2) permits for up to two-weeks at a time. These permits will need to be applied for the 2-week time frames individually. If you attempt to apply for the entire 4-week period, the system will give an error notice. The fee will be $10 for each 2-week period.
  • A copy of your permit will be emailed to you as a PDF. Please forward this copy to our film office along with your shoot location details 24 hours in advance ( Ex. 2/14/22 Waikiki, 5 people). NOTE : You may shoot up to 5 locations per approved permit.
Note: The State of Hawaii Risk Management Division is very strict about insurance coverage for film productions, the level of insurance coverage and the required wording on the COI must be correct before an ePermit account can be can be approved. Please see requirements here: minimum requirements for an Open and Accessible permit.

To diagnose a problem with logging on:

If you are unable to log on, it is due to one of the following:

  • Your COI is under review and your account has not yet been approved.
  • There is an issue with your COI.
  • Your COI has expired and needs to be updated.
  • You are logging in with an incorrect passcode.
If you experience a problem with logging on, to inquire about the status of your account or to request a new passcode, please email the Hawaii Film Office at info@hawaiifilmoffice.com. Please do not create a duplicate account.

To update your COI:

If your COI has expired, you will not be able to access your ePermit account until the COI has been updated. Email the newly updated COI, in PDF format, to the Hawaii Film Office at info@hawaiifilmoffice.com.

  • Once the COI is reviewed and approved, it will be uploaded to your account.
  • An email notification will be sent to inform you that your COI was successfully uploaded and your account has been re-activated.
  • Once your ePermit account is reactivated, you may log in with your username and password and apply for an O/A ePermit.
Note: The Hawaii Film Office will only accept COIs in PDF format via email. This is to streamline the process and reduce environmental waste. Please do not mail in or have your Insurance company mail in your COI.

To get help:

For questions regarding O/A ePermits, please call the Hawaii Film Office at (808) 586-2570, Monday-Friday, excluding State holidays,7:45am-4:30pm. If you experience technical difficulties with this site, please contact HIC Customer Support via live Help Chat or call (808) 695-4620, Monday-Friday excluding State holidays,7:45am-4:30pm, HST. You may also email help@ehawaii.gov.

 

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