Legal Information: Hawaii

Restraining Orders

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Updated: 
March 11, 2022

Do I have to register my protection order in Hawaii in order to get it enforced?

No. Your out-of state protection order does not have to be entered into the state or federal registry in order to be enforced by a Hawaii police officer. Hawaii state law gives full protection to an out-of-state protection order as long as you can show the police officer a copy of the order and the order appears to be “authentic on its face” (contains the name of both parties and remains in effect).1 A police officer can also verify the existence of an order through the registry without needing a paper copy.2

If the officer finds that the abuser has violated the out-of-state protection order, (s)he can arrest the abuser for violating the order in the same way an abuser would be arrested for violating an order from Hawaii.3

1 HRS § 586-24(a)
2 HRS § 586-24(b)
3 HRS § 586-24(c)

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