Question 1

Do I need to provide a short-stay caribbean visa, unless you qualify for an exemption?

Accepted Answer

If your nationality is not on the Kingdom of the Netherlands' visa-exemption regulation, you need a visa for Sint Maarten (the text is in Dutch; Sint Maarten's own government pages give no list). Guyana and Jamaica are on the list but the regulation excludes Sint Maarten for them. Peru is on the list too, but the regulation's table of US/Canada-visa holders also has a Peru row for Sint Maarten that the sources don't explain, so this app treats Peru as needing a visa: check with a Dutch embassy. You are exempt if you hold a valid multiple-entry short-stay Schengen visa, or a valid multiple-entry visa for the United Kingdom or Ireland, or a valid residence permit for the Schengen area, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom or Ireland (or one for at least six months for a Caribbean part of the Kingdom, or for French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Mayotte, Réunion, Saint-Barthélemy or Saint Martin). A visa for the French side, Saint Martin, also exempts you for Sint Maarten, but not for the other Caribbean parts of the Kingdom. If you are a national of Bolivia, China, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Guyana, Haiti, India, Jamaica or Venezuela, a valid multiple-entry US or Canada visa (not an ESTA) also exempts you. Cruise passengers who stay no more than 48 hours, and air passengers in transit on the same calendar day (with the documents for the next country), are covered too. Check the regulation's wording before you rely on one of these.

Question 2

Do I need to provide completed and signed caribbean visa application form?

Accepted Answer

Print the form, sign it, and bring it with your other documents (original).

Question 3

Do I need to provide passport photo to dutch requirements?

Accepted Answer

A colour photo no more than 6 months old, 3.5 cm by 4.5 cm, on a white or light-coloured background. If you apply through an external service provider you don't bring a photo, because a digital one is taken at the appointment.

Question 4

Do I need to provide proof of legal residence in the country where you apply?

Accepted Answer

For example a passport or other travel document, a residence permit (valid for at least 3 months after you leave the Caribbean parts of the Kingdom), a visa or a work permit. Bring the original and a colour copy. If you don't live in the country where you apply, you must show why you can't apply in your country of residence.

Question 5

Do I need to provide valid travel document?

Accepted Answer

Your passport must be no more than 10 years old, have at least 2 empty visa pages, be valid for at least 3 months after you leave the Caribbean parts of the Kingdom, and carry your signature. Bring the original.

Question 6

Do I need to provide proof of who pays for your travel and stay?

Accepted Answer

You must show who pays for your international travel and your stay. If you pay yourself, bring your bank statements for the previous 3 months and, if you are employed, 3 recent payslips (colour copies). The checklist does not give a minimum amount.

Question 7

Do I need to provide visa application fee?

Accepted Answer

A fee is charged when you apply, and it is not refunded if the application is rejected as incomplete. This checklist page gives no amount, so ask the embassy or consulate where you apply.

Question 8

Do I need to provide be ready for the entry checks at the border?

Accepted Answer

Even if you don't need a visa, the Kingdom's foreign ministry lists the entry checks: a passport issued within the last 10 years and valid for your whole stay, proof you can return to your country of departure or travel on, proof of why you are visiting (such as a hotel reservation or an invitation), enough money (USD 150 to 200 a day in a hotel, USD 100 a day with family, or a sponsor who takes financial responsibility), and medical or travel insurance covering at least USD 15,000. You must not be seen as a threat to public order, public health, national security or international relations. The ministry adds that the local authorities may still refuse you entry or allow a shorter stay.

Question 9

Do I need to provide proof of where you will stay?

Accepted Answer

A hotel reservation or rental agreement for the whole trip, or proof that you own a home or other immovable property in the Caribbean parts of the Kingdom. Bring a colour copy.

Question 10

Do I need to provide travel medical insurance?

Accepted Answer

Proof of insurance in your name. It must cover all the Caribbean parts of the Kingdom for your whole stay and at least USD 15,000 of medical costs, including a hospital stay and treatment, emergency care, prescription medication, and repatriation to your country of residence (including if you die). Bring a colour copy.

Question 11

Do I need to provide proof of social or economic ties to the country where you live?

Accepted Answer

Employed: a recent statement from your employer with your job title, contract length and salary (or a certificate of employment), plus bank statements or payslips from the previous 3 months. Self-employed: a business permit or a copy of your income tax return, plus 3 months of bank statements. Student: proof of enrolment that states your field of study and the length of the programme. Otherwise you can use, for example, proof that you are a caregiver, that you own a home or other immovable property, or that your children go to school there. Bring a colour copy.

Question 12

Do I need to provide apply in person, at a dutch embassy or consulate?

Accepted Answer

The Kingdom's foreign ministry says you apply in the country where you live, in person (children under 18 too), at a Dutch embassy or consulate-general or its external service provider, no earlier than 3 months before you travel, and that you are told within 15 calendar days in most cases. If your Sint Maarten visa is rejected, the ministry says you cannot lodge an objection.

Question 13

Do I need to provide get the visa before you travel?

Accepted Answer

A short-stay Caribbean visa lets you visit and travel between Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, Saba, St Eustatius and St Maarten for up to 90 days in a 180-day period. For St Maarten the Kingdom's foreign ministry gives a maximum of 90 consecutive days in a 180-day period. It does not let you work, and it is not valid for the European Netherlands or any other Schengen country. Even with a visa or an exemption, officers may refuse entry.

Question 14

Do I need to provide reservation for your travel to and from the caribbean parts of the kingdom?

Accepted Answer

A reservation in your name, or another document showing your travel plans. You don't need a paid ticket. Bring a colour copy.

Question 15

Do I need to provide sint maarten entry form (ed card), completed online before you arrive?

Accepted Answer

Sint Maarten's government says that under article 15a of the Admission Decree everyone arriving in or leaving Sint Maarten must complete an Embarkation Disembarkation (ED) card, and that the online Sint Maarten Entry Form at entry.sx fulfils this. It applies to everyone visiting, transferring through or living on the island, including overnighting crew, and each person in a family or group must complete one. Have your travel document, contact details, and accommodation and flight details ready. The site says to complete it before you arrive.

Question 16

Do I need to provide attend the appointment prepared, and sign the declaration?

Accepted Answer

The Netherlands foreign ministry's checklist says that in most cases you must apply in person, babies and children too. At the appointment you sign a declaration that you understand you must hand in all the documents for your application to be processed, and that an incomplete application may be rejected without a refund of the fee. The ministry may ask for an interview or for more documents.

Question 17

Do I need to provide if you're under 18 and travel without one or both parents or guardians: consent and family documents?

Accepted Answer

The ministry's checklist asks for a recent extract of the child's birth certificate (original and colour copy) and a consent form signed by the parent or guardian who is not travelling. It also asks for colour copies of that parent's or guardian's signed, valid travel document; if one of them holds a valid Caribbean visa, the data pages of their passport and visa; a death certificate if a parent has died; proof of guardianship if a guardian was appointed; and permission from the court if a court order is in place. Children under 18 also apply in person.

Democratic Republic of the Congo → Sint Maarten: Short-stay tourist

Required documents

Identity

Financial

Purpose of travel

Accommodation

Insurance

Employment

Travel

Other

Why applications on this route get refused

Sources