eSIM for Haiti

eSIM, roaming or a local SIM in Haiti

Visitors to Haiti have three main options for mobile data, and the right choice depends on how long you stay and how much time you can spend on setup after arrival.

How much data to plan for

Most visitors to Haiti use their phones mainly for communication: messaging family and colleagues, coordinating transport, and checking in with home. Rough estimates:

• Messaging: light; WhatsApp is very widely used in Haiti.
• Maps and location sharing: a few megabytes per hour; sharing your live location with a trusted contact uses little data.
• Email and work tools: light to moderate.
• Video calls: typically several hundred megabytes per hour.
• Photos and social media: moderate.
• Streaming: heavy, often a gigabyte or more per hour in HD.

Before you go

Install the eSIM at home over Wi-Fi. First check your phone supports eSIM and is carrier-unlocked. Then follow the install guide for iPhone, Samsung or Pixel. Label the line "Haiti", keep your home SIM as default for calls and texts, and set the Spidot line for mobile data.

• Read your government's current travel advice for Haiti and register your trip with your embassy if that service is offered.
• Install the eSIM a day or two before departure.
• Save emergency contacts, your host's details and your organisation's security contacts offline.
• Download offline maps of the areas you will be in.
• Download French and, if available, Haitian Creole in your translation app.
• Pack a power bank; power cuts are common.
• Turn off data roaming on your home SIM before you land.

Arriving in Haiti

Haiti's main international airport is Toussaint Louverture International Airport in Port-au-Prince, and Cap-Haïtien in the north also has an international airport. Flight availability can change at short notice depending on the security situation, so check with your airline before travelling. Some visitors arrive overland from the Dominican Republic, and cruise ships have historically called at Labadee, a private resort area on the north coast.

On arrival, select the Spidot line for mobile data and turn on data roaming for it; our data roaming guide shows where. It may take a minute or two to connect. If not, switch flight mode on and off once.

Coverage in cities and the countryside

In Port-au-Prince, Cap-Haïtien, Jacmel, Les Cayes, Gonaïves and other towns, mobile data is generally available, although network performance can vary with power supply and conditions. Coverage often follows the main roads between towns.

Haiti is very mountainous, and coverage outside towns can be limited:

• Mountain areas: villages in the mountains, including the areas inland from Jacmel and the northern hills, can have weak or no signal.
• The Citadelle and Sans-Souci: the area around Milot and the climb to the Citadelle may have patchy signal.
• Rural roads: long journeys between regions pass through stretches with gaps in coverage.
• Islands: Île-à-Vache and La Gonâve may have limited coverage away from settlements.
• Coast: beaches and coves below cliffs can have weaker signal.

Data on the road

Visitors to Haiti generally travel with trusted drivers arranged through hosts, organisations or reputable hotels. Brightly painted shared vehicles known as tap-taps are the main form of local transport for Haitians, but travel advice often recommends against visitors using public transport.

Sharing data with a hotspot

When Wi-Fi at your accommodation or office drops, your phone's personal hotspot can keep a laptop online. It uses whichever line is selected for mobile data, so make sure that is the Spidot line.

Laptops use data quickly. Turn off automatic updates, cloud sync and backups before connecting, and check your remaining data regularly. If you tether every day for work, a larger or unlimited plan makes sense.

Using public Wi-Fi safely

Some hotels and offices offer Wi-Fi. It is useful but may be unreliable or insecure.

• Use your eSIM data for banking, work systems and sensitive logins.
• Ask staff for the exact network name.
• Turn off automatic joining of open networks.
• Update your phone and apps before travelling, and set up remote locking in case your phone is lost.

Practical tips for Haiti

Some practical details where a data connection helps:

• Currency: Haiti uses the gourde (HTG), and US dollars are also widely used. Prices are sometimes quoted in "Haitian dollars", an informal unit, so ask which currency is meant. Cash is the main way to pay.
• Language: Haitian Creole and French are the official languages. Creole is spoken by almost everyone; French is used in government, business and education. A translation app helps.
• Phone discretion: keep your phone out of sight in public places and in vehicles stopped in traffic.
• Emergency planning: know how to contact your embassy and your host or organisation, and keep these numbers saved offline.
• Hurricane season: the Caribbean hurricane season runs roughly from June to November. Keep weather apps installed and follow official advice.
• Earthquakes: Haiti lies in an earthquake-prone area. Familiarise yourself with basic safety advice.

Haiti and the Dominican Republic

Haiti shares Hispaniola with the Dominican Republic, and some travellers combine the two or route their journey through Santo Domingo. Others arrive via the United States or other Caribbean islands such as Jamaica.

The simplest approach is one eSIM per country. Most eSIM phones store several eSIMs, so install each plan before your trip and switch the mobile data line when you cross the border. Only the selected line uses data.