If you are going to Haiti, you should know that it is a country located in North and South America (Caribbean). The capital of this country is Port-au-Prince, and the territory covers 27750 km2. The spoken languages are French and Haitian.

Persons coming to Haiti for tourism or business purposes cannot stay more than 90 days for 180 days, an extension of stay is possible. 

Residence permits:

• When first applying for a residence permit, the fee is 5,000 HTG, 2,500 HTG for renewal, 530 HTG for a duplicate if the permit is lost.
• Catholics and authorized religious workers are not subject to the same obligations. In particular, they are exempt from paying tax. If you find yourself in this situation, contact the consular service
• Persons working in Haiti must obtain a work permit from the Ministry of Social Security and Labour and a tax identification number from the General Tax Office, in addition to a residence permit.

Work Visa for Haiti: How to Get an Entry Permit

Do I need a visa, passport or simple ID to travel to Haiti? It is very important to have all administrative documents at the time of travel, otherwise you may be denied entry into the country. For short or long-term stays, you sometimes need to fill out a form online or at the embassy.

A work visa allows you to enter and stay temporarily or permanently in a foreign country. As a rule, visas are valid for a certain period of time. Visas can be of different types: tourist, business, study... Visas are issued by foreign embassies located in your country or nearby. 

For a short term visa is not required, there is freedom of movement, but if work abroad is considered, a visa is considered mandatory. With a visa, you can move around the country for 90 days.

For more information, contact the Haitian embassy or consulate.

Since Haiti is not part of the Schengen area, a valid passport is required to enter the country. There are systematic identity checks at customs.

Please note that an unaccompanied minor must have an exit permit filled out by a parent or legal guardian. Before visiting the country, we recommend purchasing a checklist from VW. Get expert support on relocation, employment, tourism, medicine in Haiti and other countries.

A passport is also necessary to travel abroad or obtain a visa. A passport is a document that must be presented at customs to obtain permission to enter a foreign country.

Regardless of the reason for your stay, contact the Haitian Consulate General, who will inform you of the rules for entering and staying in Haiti that you must follow.

Under no circumstances are you allowed to work in Haiti without proper authorization, including work from home as a freelancer requires reporting and taxation. 

Visa procedure

Foreign nationals must obtain a residence permit from the Department of Immigration and Emigration (DIE) if their stay in Haiti exceeds 90 days.

This residence permit is valid for a fiscal year from October 1 to September 30.

The procedure for obtaining a work visa is divided into several consecutive steps:

Step 1:

Please note that you must make an appointment to visit the visa office. Please provide your name, date of birth, passport number, phone number, and applicant's email address.

Please note that you are not allowed to make an appointment in the system if it is more than 2 months from the date of your appointment.

Step 2:

Please read the detailed instructions and lists of visa documents posted on the websites to prepare a complete application through the online form. The visa centre staff is available to help you complete the online application form. 

Step 3:

Please contact SOGEBANK in Haiti to pay the application processing fee. Please note that payment must be made to the bank and not to the Centre. You must present the applicant's passport to make the payment.

The application processing fee is $60 per application, regardless of age or type of visa. 

Step 4:

Apply in person at the Visa Centre in Port-au-Prince. Contact the Centre for assistance in completing the form.

All applications must include:

• the receipts listed in step 3 above;
• properly completed and signed appropriate forms;
• a signed consent form, in duplicate for each applicant;
• all required documents listed in the list of documents to be submitted.

Step 5:

If necessary, visa centre staff will make a follow-up phone call to let you know when you can pick up your passport and additional documents, as well as the visa decision at the Centre.

The mechanism for hiring employees

Despite the provisions of current legislation, the hiring of workers is not regulated by any rules. This applies to both locally-oriented companies and subcontracting companies. The hiring is done without any contract, neither written nor oral, neither collective nor individual, the main requirement being work experience or professional skills.

It should be stressed at once that no employer signs a collective bargaining agreement in his company. When it becomes necessary for a non-subcontracting company to sign a commitment, the boss automatically rejects any idea of a collective bargaining agreement. Only the NPU (National Port Authority) employee union operates under a collective bargaining agreement. But this is a state enterprise.

The high unemployment rate partly explains this situation, because so many people are looking for work. When hiring a newcomer there is little concern about formalities.