Do I need a visa for the Caribbean parts of the Kingdom?

Travelling without a visa

You can travel to the Caribbean parts of the Kingdom (Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, Saba, St Eustatius and St Maarten) without a visa if any of the following applies to you.

Please note: There are rules on travelling to the Caribbean parts of the Kingdom without a visa.

No visa is required for nationals of your country

You do not need a visa if you are a national of 1 of the following countries:

• Albania
• Andorra
• Antigua and Barbuda
• Argentina
• Australia
• Austria
• Bahamas
• Barbados
• Belgium
• Belize
• Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Brazil
• Brunei Darussalam
• Bulgaria
• Canada
• Chile
• Colombia
• Costa Rica
• Croatia
• Cyprus
• Czech Republic
• Denmark
• Dominica
• Ecuador
• El Salvador
• Estonia
• Finland
• France
• Germany
• Greece
• Grenada
• Guatemala
• Guyana (visa required for St Maarten)
• Honduras
• Hong Kong – holders of British National Overseas passport
• Hong Kong – holders of Special Administrative Region passport
• Hungary
• Iceland
• Ireland
• Israel
• Italy
• Jamaica (Curaçao only – visa required for Aruba, Bonaire, Saba, St Eustatius and St Maarten)
• Japan
• Latvia
• Liechtenstein
• Lithuania
• Luxembourg
• Macao – holders of Special Administrative Region passport
• Malaysia
• Malta
• Mauritius
• Mexico
• Moldova
• Monaco
• Montenegro
• Netherlands
• New Zealand
• Nicaragua
• North Macedonia
• Norway
• Panama
• Paraguay
• Peru
• Poland
• Portugal
• Romania
• San Marino
• Serbia
• Seychelles
• Singapore
• Slovakia
• Slovenia
• South Korea
• Spain
• St Kitts and Nevis
• St Lucia
• St Vincent and the Grenadines
• Suriname
• Sweden
• Switzerland
• Taiwan – holders of a passport bearing their identity card number
• Trinidad and Tobago
• Ukraine – holders of a biometric passport
• United Arab Emirates
• United Kingdom
• United States of America
• Uruguay
• Vatican City

You hold a valid visa or residence permit for certain other countries

You do not need a visa for the Caribbean parts of the Kingdom if any of the following applies to you:

Schengen country

If you hold a multiple-entry short-stay Schengen visa or residence permit for the Netherlands or another Schengen country, you do not need a visa.

Overseas France

If you hold a valid residence permit for (French) Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Mayotte, Réunion, Saint Barthélemy or Saint Martin, you do not require a visa.

St Maarten

If you hold a residence permit or proof of return for Saint Martin (the French part of the island), you do not need a visa to enter St Maarten (the Dutch part of the island).

If you hold a visa for Saint Martin, you do not need a visa to enter St Maarten. However, you do need a visa for the other Caribbean parts of the Kingdom.

United Kingdom or Ireland

If you hold a multiple-entry visa or residence permit for the United Kingdom or Ireland you do not need a visa.

United States or Canada

If you hold a residence permit for the United States or Canada, you do not need a visa.

If you hold a multiple-entry visa (this is not an ESTA) for the United States or Canada and are a national of 1 of the countries in the table below, you do not need a visa.

You are transiting

You do not need a visa for the Caribbean parts of the Kingdom if the following applies to you.

Airport transit

You are transiting through an airport in 1 of the Caribbean parts of the Kingdom, hold an onward ticket and meet the following requirements:

Cruise ship

You are a cruise ship passenger and your stay in port lasts no more than 48 hours, or 24 hours in Aruba.

St Maarten – travelling overland

If you are travelling overland to Saint Martin (the French part of the island) from St Maarten, you do not need a visa for the time you spend in the Dutch part. You must, however, provide proof of a confirmed hotel reservation. You must also hold a valid visa issued by the French authorities (if you are required to have one). You do need a visa for the other Caribbean parts of the Kingdom, however.

Air and sea crew

• You are a crew member on a civilian aircraft and your stay lasts no more than 48 hours.
• You are a crew member on a civilian ship in accordance with the Convention on Facilitation of International Maritime Traffic (signed in London on 9 April 1965), and your stay in port lasts no more than 48 hours. In addition, you meet the requirements set out by the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
• You are a seaman who holds a seaman's book and a passport (your stay lasts no more than 48 hours, in Aruba your stay lasts no more than 24 hours)

You hold a special travel document

You do not need a visa for the Caribbean parts of the Kingdom if any of the following applies to you:

Laissez-passer holder

You hold a laissez-passer issued by the United Nations or 1 of its specialised organisations.

Accredited diplomat

You are a diplomat and have been accredited in the Netherlands for the whole Kingdom.

Special passport holder

You hold a diplomatic passport, special passport, or service passport (official passport) from one of the following countries:

Holder of a refugee travel document or alien's travel document

You do not need a visa if:

• You are the holder of a refugee’s or stateless persons’ travel document issued by the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
• You are the holder of a refugee travel document issued by the United States authorities (Form I-571).
• You are the holder of alien’s travel document, in accordance with the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, issued by the Canadian or US authorities.

You have proof of return, a return visa or a residence permit issued by one of the Caribbean parts of the Kingdom

You do not need a visa for the Caribbean parts of the Kingdom if any of the following applies to you.

• You have proof of return issued by 1 of the Caribbean parts of the Kingdom. You can use this to enter and exit the country while your application for a new residence permit is being processed.
• You have proof of return or a return visa issued by:
  • a Schengen member state
  • Canada
  • Ireland
  • the United Kingdom
  • the United States
  • (French) Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Mayotte, Réunion, Saint Barthélemy or Saint Martin
• You hold a residence permit entitling you to stay for at least 6 months in one of the Caribbean parts of the Kingdom.

Visa required

If none of the situations listed apply to you, you need a visa for the Caribbean parts of the Kingdom:

• apply for a short-stay visa (stay of 90 days or less)
• apply for a long-stay visa (so that you can collect your residence permit)