Your permit was approved: the first 30 days in Curaçao (Kranshi, sédula, SVB, CRIB)
Order matters: how the procedures chain together
- Pay the guarantee deposit (waarborgsom) if your nationality requires it: you are asked for the receipt when you collect the permit.
- Collect the permit at the Toelatingsorganisatie, by appointment.
- Register at Kranshi (population register), appointment mandatory.
- Get your sédula (ID card), a third appointment.
- Enrol in SVB/BVZ (basic insurance) and get your CRIB (tax number) if you will work.
1. The guarantee deposit: after the decision and before you collect the permit
The waarborgsom is not paid at application but within 3 months after the positive decision, into a different account from the fees, and before you collect the permit: the payment receipt is one of the papers you are asked for at that appointment. The amount depends on nationality (Venezuela XCG 150, Dominican Republic 400, Haiti 500, Colombia 550, Peru and Ecuador 800...) and is refundable on definitive departure. Full table, bank account and how to claim the refund in Fees, deposit and refunds. Those admitted Van Rechtswege are exempt.
2. Collecting the permit: a deadline that does not forgive
The positive decision arrives by email; you book an appointment and bring the originals: valid passport, apostilled or legalised birth certificate (less than 1 year old) and certificate of good conduct. The Rib'e Lugá policy also asks for the deposit receipt (if you have to pay one) and local health insurance valid for the length of the permit or for 1 year, and every applicant aged 12 or over must attend in person. Without those papers you do not get the stamp. And do not let it slide: if you do not respond to the notice within 2 months, the official instruction (HIG 2006, section 3.12.1) says the application is to be refused for lack of interest. In Sint Maarten a Dominican lost an approved permit this way, after two 2-month notices he did not act on; the court said keeping contact details up to date is the applicant's responsibility (ECLI:NL:OGHACMB:2022:39). If your profession is cook, the 2006 policy also requires a GGD health inspection card.
3. Kranshi: appointment mandatory since 7 September 2026
From that date no registration is processed without an appointment: call +5999 434-1600 or write to info.bsbv@gobiernu.cw. Bring the stamped passport, the printed decision (beschikking), the original birth certificate under 1 year old, your exact address (street and number) and proof of residence: rental contract, deed, or permission from the head of the household where you live. Detail: the permit can only be registered if it has at least 4 months of validity left.
4. Sédula: the third appointment
Everyone aged 12 or over must get a sédula in a separate appointment, with a valid passport and cash or debit card to pay for it. The sédula unlocks the rest: banks, insurance, contracts and, for a car, the temporary driving permit.
5. SVB/BVZ and CRIB
While applying you could not use the public system; now, with residence, you enrol in SVB (BVZ), the mandatory basic insurance, and can normally cancel the temporary private insurance (check the cancellation terms: policy requires an annual policy that cannot be cut mid-year except to switch to another accredited insurer). If you will work or open a business you need a CRIB (taxpayer number) from the Tax Inspectorate at Pater Eeuwensweg 9. Your employer will ask for it for the Employer's Declaration.
Bank account, driving licence and the rest
Local banks (MCB, Banco di Caribe, Vidanova, among others) generally ask for a valid passport, sédula or residence permit and proof of address; some also a bank reference. Each bank publishes its own list: check it before going, because it changes. If you drive, register your foreign licence or request the temporary permit; details in the car page. And if you come with children, school enrolment usually asks for the Kranshi extract and the previous school's records: ask the school before the year starts.
Two habits that protect your permit from day one
- Report any change immediately: address, employer, marital status or end of studies. If the purpose of your permit changes, you have 6 weeks to request the change (HIG 2006, sections 3.1.3 and 3.9). If you don't report it, the permit can be treated as withdrawn from the date of the change, as happened to a woman in Sint Maarten (
ECLI:NL:OGHACMB:2023:206). - Note the expiry date and renew from 4 months before, with a complete file. How a permit is lost and how to avoid it, in this article.
Sources: Rib'e Lugá policy (permit collection and Kranshi registration sections), HIG 2006 (sections 3.1.3, 3.8, 3.9, 3.12 and 3.12.1), Toelatingsbeschikking 2004 and the official deposit form (model 920), official Kranshi page (mandatory appointment since 7-9-2026), and the ruling cited. Bank requirements are general and change: confirm with each bank.