Effective January 1, 2007 wineries will need an approved Direct Wine Shipper’s Permit to ship directly to consumers in Hawaii. Each of the 4 counties (Kauai, Maui, Honolulu and Hawaii) in the state of Hawaii has a separate application, application fee and reporting requirements. The annual permit fee for the County of Kauai, County of Maui and County of Hawaii is $48.00. The annual permit fee for the County of Honolulu is $120.00. Wineries can only ship to a consumer if the winery has been issued a permit by the local liquor commission of the county in which the consumer resides. Wineries must also register with the State of Hawaii Department of Taxation, pay a $20 application fee and pay all applicable general excise and gallonage taxes.
The holder of a direct wine shipper permit may ship up to six nine-liter cases of wine per household annually. Wineries are responsible for reporting no later than January 31 of each year to the local Liquor Commission the total amount of wine shipped to persons in each county during the preceding calendar year.
Links to the direct shipping applications can be found on the Wine Institute website. It will take approximately 4-8 weeks for permits to be processed.
Should you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact Annie Bones at 415-356-7530.
