Your permit was approved: the first 30 days in Curaçao (Kranshi, sédula, SVB, CRIB)
· Practical life After approval
Order matters: how the procedures chain together
- Collect the permit at the Toelatingsorganisatie, by appointment.
- Pay the guarantee deposit (waarborgsom) if your nationality requires it.
- 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. 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 birth certificate (less than 1 year old) and certificate of good conduct. Without originals you do not get the stamp. An approved permit is lost if you do not collect it in time: in Sint Maarten a Dominican lost his 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.
2. The guarantee deposit is paid after, not before
The waarborgsom is not paid at application but within 3 months after the positive decision, into a different account from the fees. 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 Tarifas, depósito y restitución (Spanish). Those admitted Van Rechtswege are exempt.
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 within 6 weeks (employer, address, marital status, end of studies). Failing to do so can revoke the permit retroactively (
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 3.8 and 3.12), Toelatingsbeschikking 2004 (deposits), official Kranshi page (mandatory appointment since 7-9-2026), and the ruling cited. Bank requirements are general and change: confirm with each bank.
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