This topic looks at the procedural requirements for exporting and importing a standardized cargo of goods. Documents associated with every official procedure are counted—from the contractual agreement between the 2 parties to the delivery of goods—along with the time necessary for completion.
The information appearing on this page was collected as part of the Doing Business subnational project in Central America and the Dominican Republic 2015, which measures and compares regulations relevant to the life cycle of a small to medium-sized domestic business in cities and regions.
Click on city name to see details:
Puerto Limón (Costa Rica) | Puerto de Acajutla (El Salvador) | Puerto Santo Tomás de Castilla (Guatemala) | Puerto Quetzal (Guatemala) | Puerto Castilla (Honduras) | Puerto Cortés (Honduras) | Puerto Corinto (Nicaragua) | Puerto Caucedo (República Dominicana) | Puerto Plata (República Dominicana) | Puerto Manzanillo (Panamá)
Puerto Limón (Costa Rica)
| Nature of Export Procedures | Duration (days) | Cost (US$) |
|---|
| Documents preparation | 7 | 245 |
|---|
| Customs clearance and technical control | 2 | 105 |
|---|
| Ports and terminal handling | 3 | 220 |
|---|
| Inland transportation and handling | 2 | 450 |
|---|
| Total | 14 | 1,020 |
|---|
| Nature of Import Procedures | Duration (days) | Cost (US$) |
|---|
| Documents preparation | 7 | 215 |
|---|
| Customs clearance and technical control | 2 | 155 |
|---|
| Ports and terminal handling | 3 | 250 |
|---|
| Inland transportation and handling | 2 | 450 |
|---|
| Total | 14 | 1,070 |
|---|
| Export documents |
|---|
| Bill of lading |
|---|
| Commercial invoice |
|---|
| Customs export declaration |
|---|
| Technical standard certificate |
|---|
| Terminal handling receipts |
|---|
| Import documents |
|---|
| Bill of lading |
|---|
| Commercial invoice |
|---|
| Customs import declaration |
|---|
| Packing list |
|---|
| Terminal handling receipts |
|---|
Puerto de Acajutla (El Salvador)
| Nature of Export Procedures | Duration (days) | Cost (US$) |
|---|
| Documents preparation | 4 | 380 |
|---|
| Customs clearance and technical control | 3 | 120 |
|---|
| Ports and terminal handling | 3 | 145 |
|---|
| Inland transportation and handling | 3 | 400 |
|---|
| Total | 13 | 1,045 |
|---|
| Nature of Import Procedures | Duration (days) | Cost (US$) |
|---|
| Documents preparation | 3 | 370 |
|---|
| Customs clearance and technical control | 2 | 120 |
|---|
| Ports and terminal handling | 3 | 145 |
|---|
| Inland transportation and handling | 2 | 400 |
|---|
| Total | 10 | 1,035 |
|---|
| Export documents |
|---|
| Bill of lading |
|---|
| Cargo release order |
|---|
| Commercial Invoice |
|---|
| Customs export declaration |
|---|
| Packing list |
|---|
| Technical standard/health certificate |
|---|
| Terminal handling receipts |
|---|
| Import documents |
|---|
| Bill of lading |
|---|
| Cargo release order |
|---|
| Commercial invoice |
|---|
| Customs import declaration |
|---|
| Packing list |
|---|
| Technical standard/health certificate |
|---|
| Terminal handling receipts |
|---|
Puerto Santo Tomás de Castilla (Guatemala)
| Nature of Export Procedures | Duration (days) | Cost (US$) |
|---|
| Documents preparation | 10 | 225 |
|---|
| Customs clearance and technical control | 2 | 175 |
|---|
| Ports and terminal handling | 2 | 205 |
|---|
| Inland transportation and handling | 3 | 750 |
|---|
| Total | 17 | 1,355 |
|---|
| Nature of Import Procedures | Duration (days) | Cost (US$) |
|---|
| Documents preparation | 9 | 290 |
|---|
| Customs clearance and technical control | 2 | 200 |
|---|
| Ports and terminal handling | 3 | 205 |
|---|
| Inland transportation and handling | 2 | 750 |
|---|
| Total | 16 | 1,445 |
|---|
| Export documents |
|---|
| Bill of lading |
|---|
| Commercial invoice |
|---|
| Customs export declaration |
|---|
| Export license |
|---|
| Inspection report |
|---|
| Packing list |
|---|
| Technical standard/health certificate |
|---|
| Terminal handling receipts |
|---|
| Import documents |
|---|
| Bill of lading |
|---|
| Commercial invoice |
|---|
| Customs import declaration |
|---|
| Packing list |
|---|
| Technical standard/health certificate |
|---|
| Terminal handling receipts |
|---|
Puerto Quetzal (Guatemala)
| Nature of Export Procedures | Duration (days) | Cost (US$) |
|---|
| Documents preparation | 10 | 225 |
|---|
| Customs clearance and technical control | 2 | 175 |
|---|
| Ports and terminal handling | 2 | 177 |
|---|
| Inland transportation and handling | 2 | 400 |
|---|
| Total | 16 | 977 |
|---|
| Nature of Import Procedures | Duration (days) | Cost (US$) |
|---|
| Documents preparation | 9 | 290 |
|---|
| Customs clearance and technical control | 3 | 230 |
|---|
| Ports and terminal handling | 3 | 195 |
|---|
| Inland transportation and handling | 1 | 400 |
|---|
| Total | 16 | 1,115 |
|---|
| Export documents |
|---|
| Bill of lading |
|---|
| Commercial invoice |
|---|
| Customs export declaration |
|---|
| Export license |
|---|
| Inspection report |
|---|
| Packing list |
|---|
| Technical standard/health certificate |
|---|
| Terminal handling receipts |
|---|
| Import documents |
|---|
| Bill of lading |
|---|
| Commercial invoice |
|---|
| Customs import declaration |
|---|
| Packing list |
|---|
| Technical standard/health certificate |
|---|
| Terminal handling receipts |
|---|
Puerto Castilla (Honduras)
| Nature of Export Procedures | Duration (days) | Cost (US$) |
|---|
| Documents preparation | 8 | 260 |
|---|
| Customs clearance and technical control | 2 | 150 |
|---|
| Ports and terminal handling | 1 | 98 |
|---|
| Inland transportation and handling | 2 | 1800 |
|---|
| Total | 13 | 2,308 |
|---|
| Nature of Import Procedures | Duration (days) | Cost (US$) |
|---|
| Documents preparation | 8 | 255 |
|---|
| Customs clearance and technical control | 3 | 200 |
|---|
| Ports and terminal handling | 1 | 104 |
|---|
| Inland transportation and handling | 3 | 1800 |
|---|
| Total | 15 | 2,359 |
|---|
| Export documents |
|---|
| Bill of lading |
|---|
| Commercial invoice |
|---|
| Customs export declaration |
|---|
| Foreign exchange authorization |
|---|
| Packing list |
|---|
| Import documents |
|---|
| Bill of lading |
|---|
| Cargo release order |
|---|
| Commercial invoice |
|---|
| Customs import declaration |
|---|
| Packing list |
|---|
| Terminal handling receipts |
|---|
Puerto Cortés (Honduras)
| Nature of Export Procedures | Duration (days) | Cost (US$) |
|---|
| Documents preparation | 8 | 260 |
|---|
| Customs clearance and technical control | 2 | 155 |
|---|
| Ports and terminal handling | 1 | 135 |
|---|
| Inland transportation and handling | 1 | 900 |
|---|
| Total | 12 | 1,450 |
|---|
| Nature of Import Procedures | Duration (days) | Cost (US$) |
|---|
| Documents preparation | 8 | 255 |
|---|
| Customs clearance and technical control | 4 | 215 |
|---|
| Ports and terminal handling | 2 | 260 |
|---|
| Inland transportation and handling | 2 | 900 |
|---|
| Total | 16 | 1,630 |
|---|
| Export documents |
|---|
| Bill of lading |
|---|
| Commercial invoice |
|---|
| Customs export declaration |
|---|
| Foreign exchange authorization |
|---|
| Packing list |
|---|
| Import documents |
|---|
| Bill of lading |
|---|
| Cargo release order |
|---|
| Commercial invoice |
|---|
| Customs import declaration |
|---|
| Packing list |
|---|
| Terminal handling receipts |
|---|
Puerto Corinto (Nicaragua)
| Nature of Export Procedures | Duration (days) | Cost (US$) |
|---|
| Documents preparation | 10 | 310 |
|---|
| Customs clearance and technical control | 3 | 110 |
|---|
| Ports and terminal handling | 3 | 120 |
|---|
| Inland transportation and handling | 5 | 600 |
|---|
| Total | 21 | 1,140 |
|---|
| Nature of Import Procedures | Duration (days) | Cost (US$) |
|---|
| Documents preparation | 11 | 325 |
|---|
| Customs clearance and technical control | 4 | 200 |
|---|
| Ports and terminal handling | 3 | 120 |
|---|
| Inland transportation and handling | 2 | 600 |
|---|
| Total | 20 | 1,245 |
|---|
| Export documents |
|---|
| Bill of lading |
|---|
| Certificate of origin |
|---|
| Commercial invoice |
|---|
| Customs export declaration |
|---|
| Quality certificate |
|---|
| Import documents |
|---|
| Bill of lading |
|---|
| Commercial invoice |
|---|
| Customs import declaration |
|---|
| Fiscal solvency |
|---|
| Packing list |
|---|
Puerto Caucedo (República Dominicana)
| Nature of Export Procedures | Duration (days) | Cost (US$) |
|---|
| Documents preparation | 3 | 215 |
|---|
| Customs clearance and technical control | 2 | 200 |
|---|
| Ports and terminal handling | 1 | 325 |
|---|
| Inland transportation and handling | 2 | 300 |
|---|
| Total | 8 | 1,040 |
|---|
| Nature of Import Procedures | Duration (days) | Cost (US$) |
|---|
| Documents preparation | 5 | 235 |
|---|
| Customs clearance and technical control | 2 | 200 |
|---|
| Ports and terminal handling | 2 | 410 |
|---|
| Inland transportation and handling | 1 | 300 |
|---|
| Total | 10 | 1,145 |
|---|
| Export documents |
|---|
| Bill of lading |
|---|
| Commercial invoice |
|---|
| Customs export declaration |
|---|
| Pre-shipment inspection clean report of findings |
|---|
| Import documents |
|---|
| Bill of lading |
|---|
| Cargo release order |
|---|
| Commercial invoice |
|---|
| Customs import declaration |
|---|
| Terminal handling receipts |
|---|
Puerto Plata (República Dominicana)
| Nature of Export Procedures | Duration (days) | Cost (US$) |
|---|
| Documents preparation | 3 | 215 |
|---|
| Customs clearance and technical control | 2 | 212 |
|---|
| Ports and terminal handling | 1 | 311 |
|---|
| Inland transportation and handling | 2 | 375 |
|---|
| Total | 8 | 1,113 |
|---|
| Nature of Import Procedures | Duration (days) | Cost (US$) |
|---|
| Documents preparation | 5 | 235 |
|---|
| Customs clearance and technical control | 3 | 212 |
|---|
| Ports and terminal handling | 2 | 318 |
|---|
| Inland transportation and handling | 1 | 375 |
|---|
| Total | 11 | 1,140 |
|---|
| Export documents |
|---|
| Bill of lading |
|---|
| Commercial invoice |
|---|
| Customs export declaration |
|---|
| Pre-shipment inspection clean report of findings |
|---|
| Import documents |
|---|
| Bill of lading |
|---|
| Cargo release order |
|---|
| Commercial invoice |
|---|
| Customs import declaration |
|---|
| Terminal handling receipts |
|---|
Puerto Manzanillo (Panamá)
| Nature of Export Procedures | Duration (days) | Cost (US$) |
|---|
| Documents preparation | 5 | 160 |
|---|
| Customs clearance and technical control | 1 | 50 |
|---|
| Ports and terminal handling | 1 | 65 |
|---|
| Inland transportation and handling | 3 | 390 |
|---|
| Total | 10 | 665 |
|---|
| Nature of Import Procedures | Duration (days) | Cost (US$) |
|---|
| Documents preparation | 6 | 150 |
|---|
| Customs clearance and technical control | 1 | 225 |
|---|
| Ports and terminal handling | 1 | 265 |
|---|
| Inland transportation and handling | 1 | 390 |
|---|
| Total | 9 | 1,030 |
|---|
| Export documents |
|---|
| Bill of lading |
|---|
| Commercial invoice |
|---|
| Customs export declaration |
|---|
| Import documents |
|---|
| Bill of lading |
|---|
| Commercial invoice |
|---|
| Customs import declaration |
|---|
