How to get legal work in Curaçao and avoid having your permit denied (even without formal education)
Where to look for vacancies
- CuracaoJobs.com: local job board with vacancies in every sector.
- Indeed: has a dedicated section for Curaçao.
- Hospitalityonline: hotels, restaurants and tourism, the sector with the most vacancies on the island.
- LinkedIn: more and more local companies recruit there.
Who applies: your employer, in two steps
In Curaçao you can't apply for a work permit on your own. First your employer applies for the work permit (tewerkstellingsvergunning, TWV) at the Ministry of Labour (SOAW). Only once the TWV is approved is your residence permit for work submitted to the Toelatingsorganisatie, which has up to 4 months to decide.
The first residence application must be awaited outside Curaçao. Not working in the meantime isn't enough: if you are on the island as a tourist, you have to leave and wait for the decision from abroad. It's the most expensive and most common mistake: in the court cases on this point, 4 out of 5 people who tried to wait inside lost (ECLI:NL:OGEAC:2019:308). And as a tourist you are not allowed to work, not even "while the paperwork is sorted out".
The good news: no diploma is required
Since June 2025 only 6 occupations are closed to new foreign workers: low-skilled administrative staff, security guards, warehouse workers, shelf stockers, salespeople and shop staff (details in which professions can apply). Construction, gardening, domestic work, agriculture and hospitality are no longer restricted.
SOAW's list of required documents has no general diploma requirement. What it asks for is "diplomas or experience required for the position", and the position defines that. For a mason, a gardener or a mechanic, work references and provable experience are usually enough.
What decides approval
- The vacancy, registered properly and on time. Your employer must register it with the Centrum voor Arbeid at least 5 weeks before applying for the permit. If this step is skipped, the application fails no matter how much experience you have. Ask whether it has been done.
- An employer in good standing. A current Chamber of Commerce registration and taxable income of at least XCG 36,000 a year, with an original document from the Tax Inspectorate. If it's a new or small business, check this before going further.
- True hours and salary. The Employer's Declaration asks for contractual and actual weekly hours separately; if they don't match, that's a red flag. The salary must be at least the legal minimum (XCG 11.93 an hour in 2026). An "under the table" arrangement doesn't help the application: it hurts it.
- Genuine documents, all of them. The courts have said it again and again: a single false document (an invented reference, an altered date) casts doubt on the whole application. If you're missing a paper, say so; don't make it up.
Why informal work costs you
- If you aren't paid or you're exploited, claiming what you're owed is much harder.
- Working without a permit is an immigration offence that counts against any future regularisation.
- An informal employer knows you carry the risk, and that usually means worse conditions.
If you're already in that situation, your rights and how to protect yourself are in informal work in Curaçao.
The right route, in order
- Get a job offer.
- Your employer registers the vacancy (5 weeks) and then applies to SOAW for the TWV.
- With the TWV approved, you submit the residence application; if it's your first, from outside Curaçao.
- You wait for the decision (up to 4 months) without working.
- Once the permit is approved, you enter and start working.
Checklist
- ☐ Your trade isn't one of the 6 restricted occupations.
- ☐ Your employer registered the vacancy at least 5 weeks in advance.
- ☐ Your employer has a current Chamber of Commerce registration and can prove XCG 36,000 or more in yearly income.
- ☐ The hours and salary in the contract are the real ones.
- ☐ All your documents are genuine.
- ☐ If it's your first application, you plan to wait for the decision outside Curaçao.
The employer's side of the process, with the 4 official forms, is on the employer work permit page.
Sources: TWV requirements published by SOAW (loketdigital.gobiernu.cw), the Toelatingsorganisatie's official page on residence for work (immigrationcur.org), the moratorium in force since June 20, 2025, and the ruling cited. This is not a guarantee of approval: SOAW decides each case.