Haiti
General Information for Haiti
Geo-political:
Capital City: Port-au-Prince.
Nationality: (noun) Haitian, (adjective) Haitian.
Population: 9,035,536.
Communications:
International Direct Dial Code: 509.
Number of Internal Airports: 4.
Major Languages Spoken: French (official), Creole (official).
Economy:
Currency: 1 Gourde (HTG) of 100 Centimes.
Main Industries: Sugar refining, flour milling, textiles, cement and light assembly based on imported
parts.
Environment:
Territorial Sea: 12 n.m.
Other Maritime Claims: Contiguous Zone: 24 n.m. Continental Shelf: to depth of exploitation. Exclusive Economic Zone: 200 n.m.
Coastline Extent: 1,771 km.
Climate: Tropical; semiarid where mountains in east cut off trade winds.
Natural Resources: Bauxite, copper, calcium carbonate, gold, marble and hydropower.
Natural Hazards: Lies in the middle of the hurricane belt and subject to severe storms from June to
October; occasional flooding and earthquakes; periodic droughts.
Terrain: Mostly rough and mountainous.
DOCUMENTS:
See "
Pre-Arrival Information".
PRATIQUE:
The Pan American Sanitary Code:
Established by the signatory governments of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa
Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Panama,
Paraguay, Peru, United States of America, Uruguay, and Venezuela, being desirous of
entering into a sanitary convention for the purpose of better promoting and protecting
the public health of their respective nations, and particularly to the end that effective
cooperative international measures may be applied for the prevention of the international
spread of the communicable infections of human beings and to facilitate international
commerce and communication. Full details available from the Pan American Health Organization
website.
www.paho.org/
Bills of Health:
- The Master of any vessel or aircraft which proceeds to a port of any of the signatory governments is required to obtain at the port of departure and ports of call, a Bill of Health, in duplicate, issued in accordance with the information set forth in the appendix and adopted as the standard Bill of Health.
- The Bill of Health will be accompanied by a list of the passengers, and stowaways if any, which shall indicate the port where they embarked and the port to which they are destined, and a list of the crew.
- Consuls and other officials signing or countersigning Bills of Health should keep themselves accurately informed with respect to the sanitary conditions of the ports, and the manner in which this code is obeyed by vessels and their passengers and crews while therein. They should have accurate knowledge of local mortality and morbidity, and of sanitary conditions which may affect vessels in port. To this end, they shall be furnished with any information they request pertaining to sanitary records, harbours, and vessels.
- The signatory governments may assign medical or sanitary officers as public health attaches to embassies or legations, and as representatives to international conferences.
- If at the port of departure there is no consul or consular agent of the country of destination, the Bill of Health may be issued by the consul or consular agent of a friendly government authorised to issue such Bill of Health.
- The Bill of Health should be issued not to exceed 48 hours before the departure of the ship to which it is issued. The sanitary visa should not be given more than 24 hours before departure.
- Any erasure or alteration of a Bill of Health shall invalidate the document, unless such alteration or erasure shall be made by competent authority, and notation thereof appropriately made.
- A clean Bill of Health is one which shows the complete absence in the port of departure of cholera, yellow fever, plague, typhus fever, or of other pestilential disease in severe epidemic form, liable to be transported by international commerce. Provided that the presence only of bona fide imported cases of such disease, when properly isolated, shall not compel the issuance of a foul Bill of Health, but notation of the presence of such cases will be made under the heading of "Remarks" on the Bill of Health.
- A foul Bill of Health is one which shows the presence of non-imported cases of any of the diseases referred to in 8. above.
- Specific Bills of Health are not required of vessels which, by reason of accident, storm or other emergency condition, including wireless change of itinerary, are obliged to put into ports other than their original destinations, but such vessels shall be required to exhibit such Bills of Health as they possess.
- It shall be the duty of the Pan American Sanitary Bureau to publish appropriate information which may be distributed by port health officers, for the purpose of instructing owners, agents, and masters of vessels as to the methods which should be put in force by them for the prevention of the international spread of disease.
Other Sanitary Documents:
Every vessel, carrying a medical officer will maintain a sanitary log which will be
kept by him, and he will record therein daily: the sanitary condition of the vessel,
and its passengers and crew; a record showing the names of passengers and crew which
have been vaccinated by him; name, age, nationality, home address, occupation and
nature of illness or injury of all passengers and crew treated during the voyage;
the source and sanitary quality of the drinking water of the vessel, the place where
taken on board, and the method in use on board for its purification; sanitary conditions
observed in ports visited during the voyage; the measures taken to prevent the ingress
and egress of rodents to and from the vessel; and the measures which have been taken
to protect the passengers and crew against mosquitoes, other insects, and vermin.
The sanitary log will be signed by the Master and medical officer of the vessel, and
will be exhibited upon the request of any sanitary or consular officer. In the absence
of a medical officer, the master shall record the above information in the log of
the vessel, insofar as possible.
Equal or similar forms for Quarantine Declarations, Certificates of Fumigation, and
Certificates of Vaccination, set forth in the appendix (not reproduced), are hereby
adopted as standard forms.
PRE-ARRIVAL INFORMATION:
Vessel should submit a Notice of Arrival (Notification d'Arrivee) to the Centre de
Communications et d'Operations d'Urgence Maritime et Portuaire 72 hours before arrival
at a Haitian port and 24 hours for any vessel arriving from the Greater Caribbean.
Any changes, when known, must be notified accordingly.
Notice of Arrival should be emailed directly, or via Agent, to each
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
STEVEDORES:
Working Hours:
For all ports in Haiti, Monday to Friday 0700–1600 with meal break 1200–1300; overtime
can be worked up to 2200, with extension to finish. Saturday 0700–1200, work after
noon at 100% extra. Sunday and holidays, work possible at overtime rate of 100% extra.
Shift work on ordinary working days performed at no increased rates.
MEDICAL:
Normal medical facilities are very limited in Haiti, offering a poor standard of care.
You should bring adequate supplies of essential medicines, especially for specific
medical conditions such as diabetes, etc.
If you are ill or bitten by an animal whilst in Haiti you should seek prompt medical
advice.
In the 2010 Report on the Global AIDS Epidemic the UNAIDS/WHO Working Group estimated
that around 110,000 adults aged 15 or over in Haiti were living with HIV; the prevalence
percentage was estimated at around 1.9% of the adult population compared to the prevalence
percentage in adults in the UK of around 0.2%.
Also see "
General".
HOLIDAYS:
1 January (New Year's Day); 2 January (National Hero's Day); Carnival; Ash Wednesday;
Maundy Thursday (half day); Good Friday; 1 May (Labour Day); 18 May (Flag Day); 15
August (Assumption BV Mary); 17 October (Anniversary of Death of Dessalines); 1 November
(All Saints' Day); 2 November (All Souls' Day); 18 November (Vertiere Battle); 24
December (half day); 25 December (Christmas Day).
WEATHER/TIDES:
The hurricane season in Haiti runs from June to November. You should monitor local
and international weather updates from the US National Hurricane Center and follow
the advice of local authorities. Emergency services are ill equipped to cope with
a major disaster. Should a hurricane strike Haiti, basic services - transport and
communications -could be severely disrupted.
Flash floods and landslides occur regularly.
The Caribbean plate runs off the north coast of Haiti and slight earth tremors occur
occasionally.
National Hurricane Center.
www.nhc.noaa.gov/
Also see "
General".
TELEPHONES:
Mobile telephone networks are generally reliable. Mobile telephones are widely used
and roaming is available for some service providers (e.g. Orange, Codetel, and Digicel).
Signal reception varies according to location, but is generally acceptable around
Port-au-Prince. Local SIM cards and prepaid cards can be purchased at outlets throughout
the main centres.
Also see "
General".
BANKS:
You can exchange US dollars cash or travellers' cheques for local currency in commercial
banks. Other foreign currencies may be exchanged at the discretion of the bank. Some
hotels and shops accept payment in USD. Most credit cards may be used in major hotels,
and in some shops and businesses in the capital. You are advised not to change money
on the street.
Also see "
General".
CUSTOMS:
Administration Generale des Douanes.
www.douanes.gouv.ht/
Regional Offices:
Cap Haitian. Departement du Nord.
20ch@douane,gouv.ht
Gonaives. Departement de l'Artobonite.
[email protected]
Miragoanes. Departement des Nippes.
[email protected]
Port-au-Prince. Departement de l'Ouest.
[email protected]
SHORE LEAVE:
The risk of crime is high and the general security situation unpredictable. Many Haitians
carry guns. The Haitian National Police (PNH) is both visible and active and supported
by MINUSTAH, the UN peacekeeping force. The police are heavily armed, often with pump-action
shotguns and automatic weapons. There have been random shootings of civilians in incidents
of street robbery. Foreign nationals have also occasionally been caught in the crossfire
of gang violence.
Across Haiti, pickpockets and theft of valuables are common.
There is a serious threat of kidnapping in Port-au-Prince (particularly in Petionville).
Kidnappers do not discriminate on the basis of nationality, religion, gender, age
or profession. You should be aware that the risk of kidnapping remains high. The motives
of hostage takers have so far been for financial gain.
Also see "
General".
GENERAL:
Information obtained from the Foreign & Commonwealth Office website. Updates available
from
www.gov.uk/fco/
AUTHORITY:
Head Office:
Direction Generale Autorite Portuaire Nationale, #1 Boulevard La Saline, Port-au-Prince,
HT-6100, Ouest, Haiti.
Tel: +509 3701 5372.
Fax: +509 3701 5374.
[email protected]
http://www.apn.gouv.ht
Contact: Chef de Service, Direction de l'Exploitation.
