Medical guide for migrants in Curaçao: emergencies, doctor visits and care without insurance
Falling ill without health insurance, and sometimes without papers, is one of the biggest fears of anyone who migrates. Health care in Curaçao is not free: people living legally on the island are covered by the basic insurance run by the SVB, and people applying for a permit need private insurance. If you have neither yet, this is what you should know.
Emergencies at the Curaçao Medical Center (CMC)
The Curaçao Medical Center (CMC) is the island's main hospital and home to the emergency department (Spoedeisende Hulp). Many people put off a serious problem for fear of being asked about their papers, and that is what does the most harm.
- In a real emergency (chest pain, trouble breathing, an accident, heavy bleeding, labour), go to the emergency department or call an ambulance: 912.
- Care is not free. Without insurance the hospital bills you as a private patient and the bill can be high. Ask them to explain it and ask whether you can pay in instalments.
- The hospital is not immigration. Going to the emergency department means going to a hospital, not to an immigration office.
Non-urgent visits
For a fever, an infection or a check-up, the usual route is a general practitioner (huisarts), not the emergency department. Without insurance you pay for the visit on the spot, and the price varies from practice to practice: ask when you book, before you go, and ask too whether night or weekend visits cost more.
If you have no insurance or papers: Salú pa Tur
Fundashon Salú pa Tur is a primary care clinic for uninsured migrants, and it is the one recommended in UNHCR's help guide for Curaçao. According to that guide:
- It offers general medical consultations, gynaecology and pregnancy check-ups, psychological support and follow-up of chronic illnesses.
- Basic care is free of charge; medical tests and visits to specialists may have a cost.
- It sees patients by appointment. Phone: +599 9 529 5442. Email: info@salupatur.org.
Address: Willem de Zwijgerlaan 7, in Emmastad. The foundation moved there on September 22, 2026, according to its own announcement of September 29; UNHCR's guide still gives the previous address. The foundation does not publish its opening hours: ask when you call for an appointment.
If you are applying for a permit: the insurance you need
To collect a residence permit you are asked for health insurance valid for 1 year, from the SVB or from a private insurer accredited by the government (HIG 2006, 3.8 and 3.12); Rib'e Lugá expressly asks for it to be local and valid for at least a year. While your application is pending you cannot use the public insurance yet, so you need a private policy covering hospitalisation, emergencies and repatriation. Once your permit is approved you register with the SVB's basic insurance and can usually cancel the private one. The details are on the work permit page.
Sources: UNHCR's help guide for Curaçao (help.unhcr.org/curacao), the website of Fundashon Salú pa Tur (salupatur.org) and its announcement of the new location of September 29, 2026, the official list of emergency numbers (kalamidat.cw), the HIG 2006 instruction (sections 3.8 and 3.12) and this site's pages based on the Toelatingsorganisatie. Reviewed on September 21, 2026; Salú pa Tur's address, on November 2, 2026. This guide does not replace a doctor's advice: in an emergency, call 912.
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