Property
Code civil of 1825 with deeds registration and pervasive title insecurity
Property law follows the Code civil of 1825, closely modelled on the French code, with transfers effected by notarial deed and recorded at the Direction Générale des Impôts, which holds the registry function. There is no comprehensive cadastre covering the country, and overlapping claims, unregistered inheritances and informal occupation are widespread. Foreign nationals face limits on the size of land they may hold and require authorisation for larger acquisitions.
Key rules
- Jurisdiction — National; DGI registry, with the Tribunaux de première instance for disputes
- Deadline — Registration of a notarial deed: within the period prescribed for enregistrement, to preserve priority
- Deadline — Transfer tax: paid at registration
- Deadline — Prescription acquisitive: 20 years' possession, or ten with just title and good faith
Governing law
- Code civil de 1825
- Loi sur l'enregistrement et la conservation foncière
- Décret sur l'Office National du Cadastre
- Loi sur l'expropriation pour cause d'utilité publique 1979
In practice
The absence of a national cadastre means that in Haiti a title search is a reconstruction exercise rather than a register check, and the same parcel may carry multiple notarial deeds from different chains. Acquisitive prescription is therefore not a marginal doctrine but a central mechanism by which possession hardens into ownership, and long undisturbed occupation is often the strongest evidence available.