Haiti residence permit (permis de séjour)

The DIE defines the permis de séjour as the document granted to anyone who does not hold Haitian nationality, giving the right to remain on Haitian territory for a set period. The Embassy of Haiti in Canada, quoting the DIE, explains that all foreign citizens who will stay more than 90 days, except those of Haitian descent, must contact the DIE before the end of the 90-day courtesy stay to obtain a long-stay permit. The legal basis is the decree-law of 26 December 1978 on immigration and emigration, articles 31 to 34.

Long-stay (non-resident) visas and permanent residence are handled in Haiti by the DIE, part of the Ministry of the Interior and Territorial Communities (MICT), although the procedure can be started at a Haitian embassy.

The file starts with a letter to the Director of the DIE requesting the permit and stating the reasons. It must include a copy of the passport biographical page and an employment letter from the employer, or from the person taking charge of the applicant, that guarantees the stay in Haiti and repatriation if necessary. The employer's business licence (patente) must be attached, or the operating authorisation in the case of an NGO.

The DIE also requires a medical certificate no older than 30 days, two colour passport-format photos, a copy of the boarding card obtained at the last entry into Haiti, a copy of the birth certificate with a mandatory French translation, a bank attestation from a bank based in Haiti showing at least 7,500 gourdes or US$200, and a recent criminal record from the country of origin.

When the documents are handed in, the applicant has an interview and fills in the permis de séjour application form. Fingerprints are taken and stored in the DIE database. The fee of 5,000 gourdes is paid by manager's cheque made out to the Trésor public. The DIE head office is at 171 Avenue John Brown, Lalue, Port-au-Prince.

The Haitian embassy in France states that people who want to take salaried work in Haiti must obtain a work permit from the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour and a tax identification number from the Directorate General of Taxes, and that most professional sectors are open to foreign nationals.

The long-stay permit is valid for one fiscal year, from 1 October to 30 September. Under article 34 of the 1978 decree-law, each annual renewal request must include the receipt showing that income tax for the previous fiscal year has been paid.