Crossing Border Between Dominican Republic and Haiti

Dominican Republic and Haiti border crossing

There are three border crossings open to foreigners between the Dominican Republic and Haiti. In order from north to south they are at Ouanaminthe – Dajabon, Belladere – Comendador (Elias Pina), and Malpasse – Jimani.

The southern most crossing, which links Santo Domingo with Port au Prince is the most used, followed by the northern crossing which links Santiago with Cap Haitien.

How to travel between the Dominican Republic and Haiti

Travel between these two countries is relatively easy. There are two popular ways of getting across the border using public transport.

The first is to use the international bus service that is run by Caribe Tours that goes from Santiago, Dominican Republic to Cap Haitien, Haiti and from Santo Domingo to Port au Prince. All you need to do is board one of these buses, sit back, and take the ride. The bus conductor does all of the immigration and customs procedures for you.

The second way is to take public transport to a border town, walk across the border, and then find transport to your destination from there. This is the cheaper option, and is not an extremely difficult maneuver to pull off.

Just remember that when crossing into Haiti to find out how much the cost of transport is to the city of your choice. As of March 12, 2010, the cost from the Haitian border at Ouanaminthe to Cap-Haitien was 100 Gourde, or around $2.50. [If anybody knows the cost to other destinations, please contribute that information here].

Address of bus terminals

The Caribe Tours terminal in Santo Domingo is:

27 de Febrero esq. Leopoldo Navarro
Santo Domingo, R.D.
(809) 221-4422‎

Caribe Tours bus terminal in Santo Domingo map

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The address of the Caribe Tours station in Santiago is:

27 de Febrero in Los Colinas

Note: buses to Haiti only leave from this station, which is 3 KM north of the city center. They do not leave from the Los Jardines station.

Address of Caribe Tours in Cap Haitien:

Rue A24 on the far north edge of the city

Address of Caribe Tours in Port au Prince:

Rues Clerveaux and Gabart, Petionville

Cost of bus travel

If using Caribe Tours:

20 USD between Santiago and Cap Haitien
[??] USD between Santo Domingo and Port au Prince

If taking local transport
5 USD Santiago to Dajabon (border), 2.50 USD Ouanaminthe to Cap-Haitien

[If you know the cost to other destinations across the border please enter it here]

Border crossing fees

The border crossing fees are a little pricey. If leaving the Dominican Republic, you must pay a $25 departure tax, when entering the Dominican Republic you must pay $10 for a tourist card. When exiting Haiti there is a $10 tax.

Links and resources

• Crossing border Dominican Republic to Haiti

Border crossing photos