Business in Haiti

Entrepreneurial activity in Haiti covers commerce, services, agriculture, industry and many small activities conducted from streets, homes or informal premises. FinScope MPME 2023 recorded about 660,845 micro, small and medium enterprise owners, 710,337 establishments and 1,122,557 workers. Microenterprises represented 71.15% of establishments, small enterprises 23.90% and medium enterprises 4.95%. About 67% of owners were women and 65% of establishments were urban, with major concentrations in Ouest, Artibonite and Sud. Only about 11% of establishments were registered or licensed, so informal activity remains the dominant practical model. Informality does not provide the same legal status, contractual protection, access to public or formal financial services, or compliance position as a registered enterprise. Formalization can support contracts, banking relationships, public-sector business and financing, although access to finance remains difficult because many businesses lack records and fear qualification requirements or debt. In FinScope MPME 2023, 17% of respondents had borrowed during the previous twelve months, 5% used a bank, 5% a formal non-bank provider and 13% informal sources; 83% had not borrowed. Informal financial mechanisms were used by 58%, while 30% had no formal or informal financial product and only 3% had insurance. Customer payments were almost entirely cash-based at 99%. A formal setup commonly begins through the MCI Guichet with a prior search for the commercial name, identity documents, personal or company information and an online submission. An entreprise individuelle generally requires a commercial name, a Numéro d’Immatriculation Fiscale (NIF), a patente and a Carte d’Identité Professionnelle (CIP). A patente is the business tax or operating levy associated with an establishment. Partnerships such as an entreprise en nom collectif or société en commandite simple use contracts or statutes and required publication. A société anonyme normally involves a lawyer or notary, statutes, a constitutive deed, a capital deposit of at least one quarter, MCI authorization and publication in Le Moniteur. A foreign succursale requires consular or notarial legalization, certification, translation, legal assistance and coordination with CFI or MCI. Haitians generally provide a NINU or identity card, while foreign applicants use a passport and residence permit. The MCI reviews the application and may inspect the premises before issuing the CIP. The NIF is required for every entreprise individuelle and legal entity, and each establishment generally needs its own patente. Current published figures include 50 HTG for an NIF, approximately 163 HTG plus a 25 HTG seal and 11 HTG in stamps for a commercial-name procedure, and approximately 400 to 2,000 HTG for a patente; CIP-related charges include about 1,000 HTG and MCI processing of roughly 250 to 500 HTG. Published processing times include about 48 hours for a CIP and approximately one and a half to two weeks for publication of a foreign branch, but fees, portals and processing times should be checked again before filing. Registration does not remove sector-specific requirements. Examples include pharmacy documents through the Ministry of Public Health and Population, maritime agency requirements through APN, customs-broker authorization through the customs administration, and requirements for currency-exchange activities. The Ministry of Commerce and Industry handles registration, the commercial register, CIP issuance and some sector permissions; the Direction Générale des Impôts handles the NIF, patente, tax filings and closure-related charges; CFI supports investment applications; the customs administration handles imports and exports; and local authorities or sector ministries may have additional requirements. Employers also have ongoing obligations. The Office National d’Assurance-Vieillesse contribution is 6% for the employee and 6% for the employer, and the Office d’Assurance Accidents du Travail, Maladie et Maternité requires an E1 form and employee list, with the E1 submitted within eight days of receipt. Employer contribution rates stated in the research are 2% for commerce, 3% for agriculture, industry and export, and 6% for mining. Payroll and insured-person records should be retained for at least five years. Importers generally submit the customs declaration within 21 days after arrival. Commercial declarations use an authorized commissionnaire en douane, and commonly require a bill of lading and original invoice. A DPI and SGS advance verification apply from an import value of 5,000 USD, while agricultural and fishery products can require a DQCPAP application and origin, phytosanitary or zoosanitary certificates. Registered businesses can apply to CFI for incentives when they are new enterprises, new projects or enter a new sector. The dossier can require a letter, application form, five-year business projections, import list, legal proof, NIF, CIP, valid patente, quitus fiscal, opening balance sheet and definitive income-tax declarations. Eligible sectors for 2025–2026 include export and re-export, agriculture, handicrafts, national industry, tourism and services, free zones and special regimes. The Investment Commission decides on incentives after review and sectoral no-objection opinions; current rules may allow exemptions for up to ten years in several sectors, subject to the applicable legislation. Businesses also face significant operational risks from inflation, insecurity, road blockades, gang tolls, delivery costs and political or climate shocks. Business continuity planning, cash and asset protection, and diversification of suppliers and sales channels are practical safeguards. Closing a business requires more than stopping activity. An inactive société anonyme may retain legal existence, and the DGI requires an annual notification by 15 January and a special tax of 500 HTG payable within 30 days of the assessment notice. A DGI closure application is reported at 25,000 HTG. NIF, patente, CIP, tax and employer obligations should be settled before final closure. Temporary non-operation is different from liquidation. Haiti has no single documented standard workflow for transferring or inheriting a business; the solution depends on the legal form, statutes and contracts and may involve MCI, the commercial register, DGI, publication and a notary. Published sources also do not establish one universal definition for MPMEs, one nationwide licence path or one complete fee and deadline table for every legal form.