Haitian Customs Process

Note: It is important to realise that there are always two components to importing humanitarian goods: Obtaining a Duty and Tax Exemption AND Customs Clearance.

General Information

• Due to the earthquake, the main Customs Office has relocated. It is no longer located in the centre of town but in the Customs Building located near the Seaport of Port-au-Prince Port (APN).

Registration

• In order for an organisation to qualify for a duty and tax exemption on the importation of goods into Haiti, they normally must first be a registered entity within the country. This was previously done at the Ministry of Planification for NGOs and at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for UN organisations. The Ministry of Planification is not currently operational; therefore, according to recent changes in the Customs procedures, organisations who are not currently registered in the country can seek the assistance of the Direction de la Protection Civile (DPC) with registration / clearing their goods. Non-registered organisations may also seek the assistance of registered partners.
• If an organisation is currently registered in the country, they should not be clearing their goods via the DPC but via a Customs Broker.

Duty and Tax Exemption

• Once registered, in order to qualify for subsequent duty and tax exemptions on the importation of goods, all organisations (NGO and UN) must first present themselves to the Direction Generale de Impots (DGI) and make an application for a “Quitus Fiscal”. This document must be renewed quarterly and is certification from the tax authority that the organisation is in good financial standing with the Government. However, due to the disruption of various government entities following the earthquake, this requirement has currently been suspended until April 30.
• Afterwards, organisations must present themselves to the Ministry of Finance main office and make an application for a Demande de Franchise Authorisation. This Authorisation will allow an organisation to submit a Demande de Franchise upon importing items into the country. It usually takes approximately 2 days to obtain this authorisation.

Importing Goods

• In order to import humanitarian goods into Haiti, the minimum required documents for Customs purposes include the following:
• Declaration Form*
• Packing List
• Bill of Lading/Airway Bill
• Freight Certificate
• Declaration of Value or Invoice
• Gift Certificate (if applicable)
• Vehicle Title (if applicable)
• Certificate of Origin(if applicable)
• Phyto-sanitary Certificate(if applicable)
• Relevant ministry certificates (i.e. Ministry of Health certificate for medicines, Ministry of Agriculture certificate for seeds)

These documents must be ORIGINALS, often even stating ‘ORIGINAL’ on the document. “Non- Negotiable” documents, even if they are signed, are not considered originals and are not sufficient.

It is preferable, however, to obtain copies of the needed documents in advance of the arrival of the goods as, with a Customs Broker, the process can be started with copies. Originals will have to follow shortly after arrival or penalties will be incurred. This is particularly important when importing by road.

* A single declaration form has a cost of approximately USD$1 can list multiple truckloads as long as it is accompanied by the proper documentation (see above). This applies even to split shipments as long as each convoy has copies of the required paperwork. For organisations, the declaration form needs to be completed and certified by a Ministry of Finance-registered Customs broker/entity in possession of a valid ID number (or via the DPC). For the Malpasse-Jimani border crossing (may apply to other points of entry), this form must be computer generated using the software that a registered broker will have ...hand-written documents will no longer be accepted.

Vehicle Importation by non-registered organisations

If non-registered organisations wish to import vehicles this may be done via the DPC or registered partners. Note that, if seeking the assistance of the DPC, the DPC may wish that the vehicles be handed over to them or to another local entity upon the organisation’s departure from the country. These arrangements should be determined and agreed upon in advance.

• Once the Customs-required documents are collected, the following two additional documents are also needed in order to apply for, and avail of, a “duty and tax exemption” on the imported goods. All of these documents together must be first submitted to the Ministry of Finance (MoF).
  • Quitus Fiscale(requirement suspended until 30 April)
  • Demande de Franchise Application
  The MoF will review the claim/file, verify the Quitus Fiscale and certify the Demande de Franchise against the earlier-mentioned authorisation (see bullet point 5).
• The Ministry of Finance will then forward all documentation to the Customs Administration for final clearance.
• The same above process applies in order to import organisational support equipment (computers, office equipment, etc.). However, as these are not considered humanitarian goods, duties and taxes may apply and/or the DPC may not be willing to import them on behalf of non-registered organisations and/or may place stipulations on the importation (see Vehicle Importation by non- registered organisations above).

Processing Time

• For many items, once a direct and formal declaration is made to Customs the goods can be immediately released and the process either minimised, waived or done retroactively.
• With other items such as vehicles, the above process must be carried out in its entirety. The normal processing time for vehicles can be up to 14 days. However, with a certified Customs Broker or the DPC, a vehicle may be cleared in less time, sometimes between 1-3 days. Brokers and the DPC are accustomed to the normal practices and, as they are known to the Government, are able to have their applications expedited.
• Importing vehicles by road may often take a longer period of time than importing by sea or by air into Port au Prince. This is due to the fact that the main Customs office that does the processing is located in Port au Prince and all clearances must be obtained from there. During the process, they may also wish to inspect the goods which can be done in a timely manner if the goods are in the Capital.
• In the event that commodities need to be cleared in an exceptionally urgent manner, there is a Cellule D’Urgence office located in the Customs Building. A broker/organisation may be able to avail of their services or present their case directly to the Director General of Customs.

Haitian Government Certified Customs