Haiti - Clearance

The situation in Haiti is unstable, with gang violence paralysing the country.  Supplies of fuel, food and water are very limited and cholera is rife. Cruising there should not be attempted at this time. If you wish to assist in some way, contact Hopefleet/Kingsfleet, who are dealing with aid to Haiti. The below information has been updated, but refers to pre-crisis times.

ARRIVAL FORMALITIES

Ports of Entry:

Haiti has no "official" ports of entry for sailing vessels; however inward clearance can be carried out at essentially any seaport that deals with commercial shipping. Local police officers can assist in this process as well.

That said, the only cruiser-safe area on Haiti is Ile a Vache, where the local population understand yachts and have services to assist visiting sailors. See the Ile a Vache port page for more details.

All harbors do not follow the same clearance procedure or charge the same price. The north side of the north peninsula (Labadie) has the most commercial traffic and they will look to capitalize on any yacht that calls there. On the south side of the country where there is less commercial traffic, it is definitely easier and less expensive to clear in (but there may be more of a run-around).

Larger ports will treat you as they do commercial shipping, which can be expensive and complicated customs procedures. In smaller harbors, it is only necessary to clear with immigration.

General Process:

Yacht crew should clear-in with Immigration (who will stamp a crew list if asked) and get passports stamped.

CLEARING OUT

International clearance:

• All that is required is a visit to Immigration.
• They will not give you any paperwork, such as a despacho/zarpe or departure documents. This may be a problem if you need one for your next port of call.
• If staying a short time it is probably possible to clear in and out at the same time.
• Entrance and departure fees vary depending on where you clear. See Fees for more details.

Notes:

• There really is no yacht traffic in Haiti. If visiting the Customs office, most often they are not interested or not available. The law does require Customs clearance for anyone arriving with something to declare, but yachts do not usually have anything to declare. It is probably best to avoid the Customs office unless requested to do so.
• Semana is the government body charged with boat safety.  It was designed to protect Haitians for the many ferry boats that they use.  If a Semana inspector sees your boat he may very well visit you and ask for something in the way of a tip.  As the law is ambiguous as to whether he has jurisdiction over private yachts that do not carry passengers, one can beg off and refuse to pay anything or give a small gift.
• If sailing directly from Colombia to Haiti, it is recommended to first stop in Jamaica and clear in at Port Antonio before proceeding east to Haiti. Foreign boats sailing directly from Colombia have been boarded by the authorities in Haiti and subjected to extensive searching for a number of days.

Last updated:  December 2023