Port-au-Prince, Cap-Haïtien or Miragoâne: Which Port for Your Shipment?

Choose the port by where your family is, not by where the boat happens to leave from. Haiti's three names you will hear are Port-au-Prince in the west, Cap-Haïtien in the north and Miragoâne in the south — and the wrong choice adds a long, costly journey inside Haiti to the end of a shipment that already crossed the sea. The right choice puts the pickup close to the people who will actually stand at the warehouse with their identification.

Companies name their destination ports openly, which makes the choice practical. Antillean Marine Shipping Corp. ships to Cap-Haïtien and Port-au-Prince. AJ Bon Cargo Shipping serves Miragoâne and the South. Topaz Trans-Express LLC ships to Port-au-Prince, Cap-Haïtien and Les Cayes. Read each port below for who it serves best, then check that your company's route and your family's town point at the same name.

Port-au-Prince: who is it for?

Port-au-Prince is the capital's port and the default for families in the capital and the west, and for receivers who will clear goods — especially vehicles — through the main customs machinery. It is also the destination named by the widest range of companies: Velox Logistics runs containers to Port-au-Prince from Montreal, and most South Florida companies serve it as a matter of course. If your family lives in or near the capital, or your receiver is experienced at clearing there, Port-au-Prince is usually the straightforward answer.

Its size cuts both ways. More routes and more companies mean more choice and more frequent sailings; it also means a busier port where a prepared receiver — right papers, right name, money ready — moves noticeably faster than an unprepared one. The preparation lists are in the documents guide and, for cars, clearing a car through customs.

Cap-Haïtien: who is it for?

Cap-Haïtien serves the north — families in Cap-Haïtien itself and across the northern towns who would otherwise face the long road from the capital. If your people are in the north, shipping to Cap-Haïtien from the USA is the search worth making, because a northern arrival keeps the whole Haiti-side journey short: shorter travel for your receiver, less handling for your goods, less time between landing and home.

Companies serving the north include Antillean Marine on the container side from Miami, MD Shipping from the New York area with Cap-Haïtien as its named destination, and Topaz Trans-Express among its destinations. Compare them through the South Florida and New York & New Jersey corridor pages, and ask each one the same question: does this specific shipment land in Cap-Haïtien, or only some of your shipments? Routes vary by sailing, and your receiver's plans depend on the answer.

Miragoâne: who is it for?

Miragoâne serves the south — the Grand Sud — and for southern families it can be the difference between a manageable pickup and an expedition. AJ Bon Cargo Shipping, from Fort Lauderdale, names Miragoâne and the South among its destinations, shipping containers, barrels, boxes and vehicles. Shipping to Miragoâne from the USA is a smaller, more specific market than the capital routes — fewer companies, which makes asking early and booking deliberately more important, not less.

If your family is in the south, also ask about Les Cayes: Topaz Trans-Express names Les Cayes among its destinations alongside Port-au-Prince and Cap-Haïtien. Between Miragoâne and Les Cayes, choose by your family's actual town and by which company can put your exact load into that port — then confirm the destination port in writing on your receipt, because “to Haiti” is not a port.

How do you lock the choice in?

1. Name your receiver's town first, honestly — the port follows the town, never the other way round.
2. Shortlist companies that name that port among their destinations, from your corridor page — France — Paris senders included; ask Paris companies which Haitian ports their routes serve.
3. Confirm the destination port for your specific shipment, in writing, before you pay.
4. Send your receiver the port, the company's Haiti contact and the expected timing before the goods leave.

Customs charges are built the same documented way at every port — a 5% verification fee, a 10% TCA turnover tax and a 2% CFGDCT contribution, with vehicle duties on top — explained in Haitian customs charges, in plain words. The port and customs have the final word on your shipment wherever it lands. Choose the port your family can actually reach, and the rest of the process gets shorter at every step. Quick answers are on the frequently asked questions page.