Moving to Sint Maarten: permits, work and costs

Your passport decides most of the paperwork. If you or a parent is a Dutch national born on Sint Maarten, Curaçao, Bonaire, Sint Eustatius or Saba, the admission law does not apply to you at all. Everyone else is sorted into two groups: people admitted by law, who apply for a declaration, and people who need a residence permit plus an employer-sponsored work permit.

• Born on the islands with a Dutch passport? The Landsverordening toelating en uitzetting does not apply to you, and it does not apply to your children either.
• Dutch passport, born elsewhere? You are admitted by law under article 3, on proof of conduct, housing and means. The declaration costs NAf 200.
• US passport? A 2014 Joint Court ruling put US citizens on the same footing. The route is the Model 4 form.
• Any other passport? Residence permit (NAf 500 temporary, NAf 750 for the permanent version, adults) plus an employment permit your employer applies for.
• Timing. Immigration says permit requests generally take 6-8 weeks; the employment permit page lists 6 weeks.

Four routes, not one

The Landsverordening toelating en uitzetting (LTU) is the law that decides this, and it sorts people before any form is filled in.

Born on the islands: outside the law

Article 1 of the LTU says the ordinance does not apply to "Nederlanders, geboren in Curaçao, Sint Maarten, Bonaire, Sint Eustatius of Saba", nor to "de kinderen van de onder a en b genoemde Nederlanders".

That second-generation clause is the one diaspora families miss. If a parent is a Dutch national born on one of those islands, you are covered too. You still request a declaration confirming it; the fee schedule prices that "verklaring van niet toepassing" at NAf 200.

Dutch passport, born elsewhere

Adults not covered by article 1 are admitted by law under article 3, first paragraph, letter f. You have to satisfy the Minister of Justice on two points: a certificate of good conduct covering the last five years, issued by the competent authority within two months before your arrival, and housing plus sufficient means of subsistence.

Minor children with Dutch nationality are covered separately under letter h, provided a parent with parental authority meets the letter f conditions. The declaration itself is issued on request, and costs NAf 200.

US passport: a court ruling, not a statute

This route rests on case law. In December 2014 the Joint Court ruled that, under the Dutch-American Friendship Treaty of 1956, the rules for Dutch nationals not born in the Caribbean parts of the Kingdom apply equally to US citizens. In September 2015 Sint Maarten's Minister of Justice announced full implementation.

Treat this as solid in principle and worth checking in practice. The law firm that documented it noted the forms had not been adjusted and still did not mention US citizens. Call Immigration before you book a flight.

Work permit: your employer applies, and you must be abroad

The rule is blunt: an employer may not let a foreign national work without a tewerkstellingsvergunning. The employer applies, not you.

Two details catch returnees off guard. First, the employer must hand in a declaration from the Department of Labor Affairs that the employee is currently off island. Second, the employer must prove the vacancy was notified as the employment ordinance requires, and supply the newspaper advert with its date. The job has to be offered locally first.

You supply your side: passport, photo, an educational background form, and originally notarised diploma copies, translated into English or Dutch by a certified translator. Start collecting those before you resign anything.

Who is exempt

People admitted by law under article 3 letter f are exempt from the work permit requirement, unless a national decree introduces one on economic grounds. There is also a treaty exemption for cases where an agreement with another state forbids requiring a permit, which is the hook the US route hangs on.

Practical reading: if you are Dutch or American, expect the declaration to be the whole story. Confirm the current position with the Department of Labor Affairs anyway, because that exemption is written with an escape clause.

What it costs

• Declaration of admission by law: NAf 200
• Declaration that the law does not apply: NAf 200
• Temporary residence permit: NAf 500 (adult), NAf 200 (under 18)
• Residence permit: NAf 750 (adult), NAf 250 (under 18)
• Employment permit: NAf 1,600 non-management, NAf 3,000 supervisory and management, NAf 800 household staff

The ordinance still writes NAf. Since 31 March 2025 the currency in circulation is the Caribbean guilder, worth exactly the same, and it is pegged at US$1 = 1.79. Note that proof of payment of the employment permit fee sits in the document list for the non-national, not the employer. Agree who actually pays before you sign a contract.

The job market: tourism, and a data gap

Be honest with yourself about what you can verify. Sint Maarten's economy grew 3.5% in 2025 against 3.0% in 2024, and tourism was the main driver, per the central bank's June 2026 bulletin. That is where the hiring is: airport, harbour, accommodation, food service, construction.

What you cannot get is a current unemployment rate. The last full Labour Force Survey was 2018, when it stood at 9.9%. The 2022 census put unemployment at 6.5%. A new survey collected data from July to September 2026, so a fresh figure is coming, but at the time of writing it is not published.

Because of the off-island rule, sequencing matters: find the employer first, from where you are now. If you want to watch what comes up before you commit, set up a job alert or browse open roles across the islands.

Cost of living: housing and energy carry the bill

Consumer prices have been stable. The index reached 115.78 in Q1 2026, up 0.43% on the previous quarter and 0.66% year on year.

The shape of the basket matters more than the headline. Housing, water and energy is weighted at 36.1%, by far the largest category. Over the year to Q1 2026 that category fell 1.57%, pulled down by electricity at -9.78%, and the statisticians noted more affordable apartments entering the market.

Two things moved against you: air transport was up 13.88% year on year, which is real money if you plan to fly back regularly, and gasoline rose 5.0%.

What is not published is a rent index by neighbourhood. Ask people who live there, and ask more than one.

Tax and social insurance

Income tax runs off a table, not a flat rate: the official explanation to the income tax return refers to the "normal progressive rate". That is as far as this page will take you on numbers. Tax Administration Sint Maarten is the body that levies and collects the taxes and publishes the income tax forms, so get the current table from them or from a local tax advisor, not from a blog, including this one.

Employers are required by law to register with SZV, the social and health insurer. Budget for that as an employment cost, not an optional extra.

Retiring back: the penshonado rule

There is a specific regime for people arriving at retirement, and its conditions are strict:

1. You lived abroad for at least 60 consecutive months before moving.
2. You are at least 50 at the time of registration with the civil registry.
3. Within two months of that registration you ask the Tax Inspector to be treated as a pensioner.
4. Within 18 months you own a home on Sint Maarten worth at least NAf 450,000, for your own use and unleased.
5. You hold a residence permit for an unlimited period, and you do not work on Sint Maarten.

Qualifying foreign income is then taxed at 10%; the return form also asks whether the 5% or the 10% rate applies to your situation. Domestic income is taxed normally. And the rule is explicit that a penshonado still pays AVBZ premium and, depending on age, AOV/AWW.

That fifth condition is the one to raise early if you expect to be admitted by law rather than by permit. Put the question to the Tax Inspectorate in writing before you buy a house.

Before you commit

1. Establish which of the four routes is yours, from the place of birth on the passports in your family.
2. Ask Immigration in writing what your route requires now, and what the current fee is.
3. If you need an employment permit, line up the employer while you are still abroad.
4. Get the police certificate timed correctly: within two months before arrival.
5. Get diplomas notarised and translated before you move.
6. Ask a local tax advisor about the current tax table and, if relevant, the penshonado conditions.