Haiti: Requirements and procedures to obtain a passport in the country and abroad (2014-2016)

Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ottawa

1. Requirements and Procedures to Obtain a Passport in Haiti

The website of the Haitian Administrative Information Centre (Centre de renseignements administratifs d'Haïti), a Haitian state entity that [translation] "provides general administrative information on ministries and public agencies" (Haiti n.d.i), states that the Directorate of Immigration and Emigration (Direction de l'immigration et de l'émigration, DIE), within the Ministry of the Interior and Local Government (ministère de l'Intérieur et des Collectivités territoriales, MICT) (ibid. n.d.c), is responsible for passport applications (ibid. n.d.e). The same source states that in order to obtain a passport an individual must go [translation] "to the immigration and emigration service" with the necessary documents, namely, two photographs and a birth certificate, unless the birth was declared late, in which case they must provide a legalized baptismal certificate, an affidavit or an unregistered birth certificate (ibid. n.d.b). The list of documents required, based on civil status and the applicant's status, is attached to this Response (see Attachment 1). The passport application form, accessible on the DIE Facebook page, is also attached to this Response (Attachment 2).

According to sources, the stamp duty required to obtain a passport must be paid to the Directorate General of Taxes (Direction générale des impôts, DGI) (ibid. n.d.d; VBI 7 Apr. 2015). Media sources report that the stamp duty went from 1,600 to 3,000 gourdes (HTG) [from approximately C$34 to 63] (HaïtiLibre 5 Nov. 2015; Le Nouvelliste 20 Oct. 2015) in early October 2015 (ibid.).

According to sources, since 13 May 2013, passport applications may also be sent by travel agencies, commissioned for this purpose by a presidential order (HaïtiLibre 11 May 2013; HPN 10 May 2013). According to a document from MICT and DIE, by dialing 8118, the telephone service launched on 8 December 2014, the applicant may make an appointment with DIE and obtain the list of documents required to submit their passport application (Haiti n.d.h, 5, 11). According to the same source, one of the objectives of this service is to reduce wait times (ibid., 2).

1.1 Effectiveness of Procedures

Media sources state that obtaining a passport has become an [translation] "ordeal" in Haiti (VBI 7 Apr. 2015; Le Nouvelliste 18 Jan. 2016). According to an article published by Le Nouvelliste, a Haitian daily, [translation] "passport applicants can wait months before receiving their document, even in cases of emergency" (ibid.). An article on the website of Vant Bèf Info [translation] "a media outlet grouping together professional journalists and citizen journalists in Haiti and abroad" (VBI n.d.), states that the number of applications that DIE receives is "very low," and that applicants spend "most of the time" with travel agencies, which can cost 7,500 to 10,000 HTG [about C$157 to 210] per passport application (ibid. 7 Apr. 2015). In an article in January 2016, Le Nouvelliste notes that even travel agencies [translation] "are not free from administrative hassle," such that some have decided to no longer offer this service (18 Jan. 2016).

2. Requirements and Procedures to Obtain a Passport Abroad

The list of documents to submit with a passport application, as it appears on the website of the Consulate General of Haiti in Montréal, is attached to this Response (Attachment 3). According to the same webpage, application for renewal or new passport applications are processed in 15 working days and cost US$93, while urgent requests are processed in 7 business days and cost US$133 (Haiti n.d.g). The website of the Haitian embassy in Washington states that the applicant must submit their passport application in person, either at the embassy or at a Haitian consulate (ibid. n.d.a). The website of the Haitian consulate in Chicago has instructions for sending passport applications by mail (ibid. n.d.f). Both websites note that it is possible to send passports by mail, at additional costs (ibid.; ibid. n.d.a).

In an article by Le Nouvelliste in 2014, a DIE administrator states that Haiti has two passport production centres, one in the country and the other in Washington (Le Nouvelliste 18 Feb. 2014). According to a former Haitian consul in the Dominican Republic, cited by HaïtiLibre, a citizen journalism website (HaïtiLibre n.d.), [translation] "all Haitian passport application files produced outside the country are sent to the Haitian embassy in Washington, which is the only issuing entity for Haitian passports abroad" (ibid. 20 juin 2014). Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

2.1 Effectiveness of Procedures

Sources from 2015 note that Haitians in the Dominican Republic have difficulties obtaining identity documents, including passports, in the Identification and Documentation of Haitian Immigrants Program (Programme d'identification et de documentation des immigrants haïtiens, PIDIH) (Radio métropole Haïti 8 July 2015; Le Nouvelliste 3 July 2015), a program that aims to provide identity documents to Haitians without documents so that they can regularize their stay in the Dominican Republic (ibid.) An HPN article from October 2015 states that Haitians in the country wait about 14 months to receive their passports when the passports should be issued within 22 days (HPN and GARR 22 Oct. 2015). According to a Le Nouvelliste article from July 2015, in one year, less than 3,000 people out of 48,000 had received their birth certificate, identity card and passport through PIDIH (ibid.). Information on delays in processing passport applications made in Canada could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

Haiti. N.d.a. Embassy in Washington. "Issuing Passports." [Accessed 19 May 2016]

_____. N.d.b. Centre de renseignements administratifs and Direction de l'immigration et de l'émigration (DIE). "Demande de passeport." [Accessed 19 May 2016]

_____. N.d.c. Centre de renseignements administratifs and ministère de l'Intérieur et des Collectivités territoriales (MICT). "Direction de l'immigration et de l'émigration." [Accessed 24 May 2016]

_____. N.d.d. Centre de renseignements administratifs and ministère de l'Économie et des Finances. "Droit de passeport." [Accessed 24 May 2016]

_____. N.d.e. Office de management et des ressources humaines, Centre de renseignements administratifs. "Services." [Accessed 24 May 2016]

_____. N.d.f. Consulate General in Chicago. "What to Send with Your Passport Application." [Accessed 25 May 2016]

_____. N.d.g. Consulate General in Montréal. "Service passeport." [Accessed 19 May 2016]

_____. N.d.h. Ministère de l'Intérieur et des Collectivités territoriales (MICT) and Direction de l'immigration et de l'émigration (DIE). Lancement 8118. [Accessed 19 May 2016]

_____. N.d.i. Office de management et des ressources humaines, Centre de renseignements administratifs. "Qui sommes-nous?" [Accessed 2 June 2016]

HaïtiLibre. 5 November 2015. "Haïti - Politique : Taxes et primes des ministres, le gouvernement s'explique…." [Accessed 24 May 2016]

_____. 20 June 2014. "Haïti - Social : 'Les autorités haïtiennes n'ont pas d'excuses' dixit Edwin Paraison." [Accessed 27 May 2016]

_____. 11 May 2013. "Haïti - Avis : procédures pour les demandes passeport ou de permis de séjour." [Accessed 24 May 2016]

_____. N.d. "Pourquoi HaïtiLibre?" [Accessed 8 June 2016]

Haiti Press Network (HPN). 10 May 2013. "Haïti - Immigration : Le service d'immigration en réparation, les passeports se font dans les agences." [Accessed 24 May 2016]

Haiti Press Network (HPN) and Groupe d'appui aux rapatriés et réfugiés (GARR). 22 October 2015. "Haïti-Rd : Manifestation des ressortissant(e)s haïtiens pour réclamer leurs documents d'identité." [Accessed 9 June 2016]

Le Nouvelliste. 18 January 2016. "Le calvaire des demandeurs de passeport." [Accessed 20 May 2016]

_____. 20 October 2015. "Wilson Laleau tente de se défendre." [Accessed 24 May 2014]

_____. 3 July 2015. "PIDIH, l'échec de l'État haïtien." [Accessed 25 May 2016]

_____. 18 February 2014. "Des livrets de passeport sans problème d'ici May 2014." [Accessed 27 May 2016]

Radio métropole Haïti. 8 July 2015. "Le gouvernement haïtien constate l'échec du PIDIH." [Accessed 19 May 2016]

Vant Bèf Info (VBI). 7 April 2015. "Haïti - Gouvernance : le calvaire pour la réalisation d'un passeport…" [Accessed 20 May 2016]

_____. N.d. "Vant Bèf Info." [Accessed 24 May 2016]

Additional Sources Consulted

Oral sources: Haiti - Consulate in Montréal.

Internet sites, including: ecoi.net; European Union - Public Register of Authentic Travel and Identity Documents Online (PRADO); Haiti - Consulates in Atlanta and Paris, ministère de la Communication, Primature; Haïti Aqui; Keesing Reference Systems; United Nations - Refworld.

Attachments

1. Haiti. N.d. Centre de renseignements administratifs and Direction de l'immigration et de l'émigration (DIE). "Demande de passeport." [Accessed 19 May 2016]

2. Haiti. N.d. Centre de renseignements administratifs. Demande de passeport. [Accessed 19 May 2016]

3. Haiti. N.d. Consulate General in Montréal. "Service passeport." [Accessed 19 May 2016]