A practical path from production to export
Export requirements in Honduras vary by product, destination and customs regime. At a high level, companies define the shipment, complete the applicable export and customs requirements, and coordinate transportation to the destination market.
Puerto Cortés · Honduras' principal maritime gatewayFrom shipment planning to dispatch
Requirements depend on the product, destination and applicable regime, but the export process generally follows three main stages.
Define the shipment
Identify the product, destination market, shipment value, quantities and mode of transportation. These details determine which export, customs and destination-market requirements apply.
Complete the applicable requirements
Complete the required exporter registration, Export Declaration and any permits, certificates or customs documentation applicable to the product and destination.
Coordinate customs and transport
Prepare the corresponding customs and transport documentation and dispatch the shipment by sea, land or air through Honduras' logistics network.
Documentation by mode of transport
Each mode of transportation uses a corresponding transport document issued by the carrier or transport operator.
Bill of Lading
The Bill of Lading is the principal transport document for maritime shipments and records the carrier's receipt or loading of the cargo for transportation.
Carta Porte
Carta Porte is used as the road transport document. Central American customs transit may also require the applicable DUCA-T documentation depending on the operation.
Air Waybill / Guía Aérea
The Air Waybill or Guía Aérea is the transport document used for cargo shipped by air.
Options for different shipment requirements
Export operations can use a range of ocean and air cargo formats for full-container, consolidated, temperature-controlled, oversized and time-sensitive shipments.
Introduced in June 2026, the Hand Carrier customs sub-process allows companies operating under the Free Zone regime to move urgent goods through enabled air customs under an accompanied-baggage modality. Integrated with the SARAH customs system, the mechanism is designed for time-critical shipments that require expedited entry or exit.
Full Container Load
FCL is used when a shipment occupies a full container, providing dedicated container capacity for one shipper's cargo.
Consolidated cargo
Less-than-Container Load allows smaller shipments from multiple shippers to share container capacity when a full container is not required.
Dry containers
Standard dry equipment includes common 20-foot, 40-foot and high-cube configurations for general containerized cargo.
Temperature-controlled cargo
Reefer containers support products that require controlled temperatures throughout maritime transportation.
Oversized & special equipment
Open Top, Flat Rack and other special-equipment configurations can accommodate cargo that does not fit standard container dimensions.
General & special air cargo
Air freight supports both general cargo and shipments requiring specialized packaging, documentation, temperature control, security or handling.
Official platforms for export procedures
Use these government platforms to confirm the requirements, declarations and customs procedures applicable to each export operation.