Decree Relating to the Customs Code

Published under the masthead of Le Moniteur (142nd year, Monday 13 July 1987), this decree of the National Government Council enacts the Code Douanier (Customs Code) governing Haiti's customs administration. The captured portion covers Chapter XIII, "Administration Générale des Douanes — Organization Administrative — Attributions des Différents Services." Article 297 states that the administrative organization, staffing structure and administrative regulations of the Administration Générale des Douanes are as set out below.

Article 298 defines its core attribution: collecting customs duties and enforcing customs regulations. Article 299 splits the administration into central services (Administration Centrale) and external services (Bureaux de Douane et Agences douanières). Article 300 lists the components of the Administration Centrale: the Direction Générale, the Secrétariat, the Cabinet du Contentieux, the Bureau de Recherches et de Statistiques, the Division Administrative and the Division de Contrôle. Article 301 describes the Direction Générale, led by a Director General assisted by a Deputy Director General who acts in his absence, with the Director General personally handling matters of exceptional importance while delegating routine business.

Consultants and advisors may be attached to conduct special studies and provide technical advice. Article 302 defines the Secrétariat's role in correspondence, registration, filing and public reception, and Article 303 introduces the Cabinet du Contentieux, tasked with advising the Direction on legal questions and the legal implications of its decisions. As a Customs Code chapter, the decree sits within Haiti's broader customs legal framework administered by the Ministry of Economy and Finance.