Registering or exchanging your foreign driver's license

Who does this apply to?

• Anyone who arrives in Curaçao with a driver's license issued in a country that is a member of the 1949 Geneva Convention and wants to drive legally on the island.
• There are two different routes and it is important not to mix them up: registering your foreign license (free, no appointment, and no residence permit required) or exchanging it for a Curaçao license (XCG 175, and residence is required).
• To register, all you need is a valid foreign license and valid ID — it works even while your residence permit is still being processed.
• To exchange, you need an indefinite residence permit, a Van Rechtswege declaration (admission by operation of law), or a Niet van Toepassing declaration (a statement that the permit requirement does not apply to you). With a temporary permit you cannot exchange yet; you can only register.

Costs

It depends on which of the two routes you take: Registering your foreign license → XCG 0 (it is free) Exchanging it for a Curaçao license → XCG 175 The exchange is paid at Banco di Caribe (Schottegatweg Oost 205), account 36 15 86 01 in the name of Kranshi/Overheid Curaçao Publieke Zaken. If you pay from abroad, the account is MCB 32 06 15 07 (Overheid Curaçao Internationaal Publieke Zaken); the BIC/Swift code for Banco di Caribe in Curaçao is BDCCCWCU. On top of that you pay separately, out of your own pocket, for the medical certificate and for the certificate of authenticity from your country.

Decision time

Registering a foreign license is immediate: if the documents are in order, it is registered on the spot. The exchange depends on you handing in every document and, if your country is on the list, on passing the driving test first.

Requirements

• To register (the free route): your foreign license and valid ID (sédula, the Curaçao ID card, or passport). Nothing else.
• To exchange, if your license is still valid: an indefinite residence permit, a Van Rechtswege declaration, or a Niet van Toepassing declaration.
• A valid foreign license, issued before you settled in Curaçao — a license you obtained after moving here cannot be exchanged.
• Valid Curaçao ID (sédula or passport).
• A medical certificate less than 2 months old, counting from its date of issue.
• A certificate of authenticity (echtheidsverklaring) from the country that issued the license — this is the document most people find out about too late, because you have to request it from your home country and it can take a while.
• If your license is from Venezuela, Haiti, Lebanon, India, or the Dominican Republic: proof that you passed the driving test (rijproef). The notice on the official page also mentions China, although China does not appear in the list of documents.
• To exchange a license that expired less than 6 months ago: the same documents, with the expired license. If it has been expired for more than 6 months, this procedure no longer applies.
• Consular and diplomatic staff: instead of the residence permit you present the Karnet de Consulado (consular ID card), plus a valid passport, the license, and the medical certificate.

Steps to apply

1. Check whether your country is a member of the 1949 Geneva Convention. If it is not, neither registration nor exchange applies to you and you will have to get a Curaçao license from scratch. The official list is at https://verdragenbank.overheid.nl/nl/Verdrag/Details/007193
2. If you have just arrived or your residence permit is still being processed, register your license: it is free, no appointment is needed, and it is done with the online form. With that you can already drive and also register a car in your name.
   How to get this done

   Kranshi (Population Register) — Publieke Zaken, Afdeling Gegevensverwerking

   Roodeweg 42, Otrobanda, Willemstad, Curaçao — Google Maps

   Monday to Thursday 08:00–15:00, Friday 08:00–12:00 (possibly extra 16:00–18:00 slots on specific days, for Sédula procedures only; confirm before going)

   +5999 434-1600

   info.bsbv@gobiernu.cw

   ⚠️ RECENT CHANGE: since 7 September 2026 Kranshi requires a MANDATORY APPOINTMENT to register; without one, the registration is NOT processed (you used to be able to walk in). We found no booking portal; call +5999 434-1600 or email info.bsbv@gobiernu.cw to book. Check again shortly before your date, as this is a recent change that may still be adjusted.

   What to bring that day:

   • Valid passport
   • The printed residence permit decision (beschikking), with the stamp
   • Exact address in Curaçao (street and number): rental/purchase contract or written permission from the owner
   • ROP form if it is a newly built property
   • Proof of change of address if you come from another part of the Kingdom
   • Original birth certificate if you were born abroad
   • Proof of marital status (if over 18)
3. If your license is from Venezuela, Haiti, Lebanon, India, or the Dominican Republic and you want to exchange it, book and pass the driving test first. Without that proof they will not accept the exchange, no matter how many years you have been driving.
   How to get this done

   Kranshi (Population Register) — Publieke Zaken, Afdeling Gegevensverwerking

   Roodeweg 42, Otrobanda, Willemstad, Curaçao — Google Maps

   Monday to Thursday 08:00–15:00, Friday 08:00–12:00 (possibly extra 16:00–18:00 slots on specific days, for Sédula procedures only; confirm before going)

   +5999 434-1600

   info.bsbv@gobiernu.cw

   ⚠️ RECENT CHANGE: since 7 September 2026 Kranshi requires a MANDATORY APPOINTMENT to register; without one, the registration is NOT processed (you used to be able to walk in). We found no booking portal; call +5999 434-1600 or email info.bsbv@gobiernu.cw to book. Check again shortly before your date, as this is a recent change that may still be adjusted.

   What to bring that day:

   • Valid passport
   • The printed residence permit decision (beschikking), with the stamp
   • Exact address in Curaçao (street and number): rental/purchase contract or written permission from the owner
   • ROP form if it is a newly built property
   • Proof of change of address if you come from another part of the Kingdom
   • Original birth certificate if you were born abroad
   • Proof of marital status (if over 18)
4. Ask your home country for the certificate of authenticity of your license and get the medical certificate. Watch the order: the medical certificate expires after 2 months, so it is best to get it once you already have everything else.
5. Pay the XCG 175 at Banco di Caribe (account 36 15 86 01) and keep the receipt.
   How to get this done

   Banco di Caribe: alternative way to pay the guarantee deposit (waarborgsom), account 36286001 in the name of the Landsontvanger

   We found no specific information on this; check directly with the bank (bancodicaribe.com).

6. Submit the application online and pick up the document at Publieke Zaken (Kranshi), Afdeling Documenten & Inlichtingen, Roodeweg 42. If you live outside Curaçao, they can send it to you by post or email.
   How to get this done

   Kranshi (Population Register) — Publieke Zaken, Afdeling Gegevensverwerking

   Roodeweg 42, Otrobanda, Willemstad, Curaçao — Google Maps

   Monday to Thursday 08:00–15:00, Friday 08:00–12:00 (possibly extra 16:00–18:00 slots on specific days, for Sédula procedures only; confirm before going)

   +5999 434-1600

   info.bsbv@gobiernu.cw

   ⚠️ RECENT CHANGE: since 7 September 2026 Kranshi requires a MANDATORY APPOINTMENT to register; without one, the registration is NOT processed (you used to be able to walk in). We found no booking portal; call +5999 434-1600 or email info.bsbv@gobiernu.cw to book. Check again shortly before your date, as this is a recent change that may still be adjusted.

   What to bring that day:

   • Valid passport
   • The printed residence permit decision (beschikking), with the stamp
   • Exact address in Curaçao (street and number): rental/purchase contract or written permission from the owner
   • ROP form if it is a newly built property
   • Proof of change of address if you come from another part of the Kingdom
   • Original birth certificate if you were born abroad
   • Proof of marital status (if over 18)

Important notes

• The mandatory driving test is the main trap in this procedure. Anyone holding a license from Venezuela, Haiti, Lebanon, India, or the Dominican Republic must pass a practical test before exchanging it, no matter how much experience they have. Those are precisely the largest migrant groups in Curaçao, and almost no guide mentions it.
• Registering is not the same as exchanging. Registration is free, immediate, and does not require a residence permit: it is the right option while your residence permit is being processed, and it is enough both to drive and to register a car. Exchanging only makes sense once you already have indefinite residence or a Van Rechtswege declaration.
• The license must predate your move. The official text requires that it was issued before you settled in Curaçao. If you traveled back to your country to get one after moving here, it cannot be exchanged.
• Six months is the absolute limit. If your license expired less than 6 months ago you can still exchange it; after that deadline this procedure no longer applies. If your license is about to expire, do not let it slide.
• The certificate of authenticity comes from your country, not from Curaçao. It is the document that delays this procedure the most, because you have to request it from abroad. Start there, not with the medical certificate, which expires after 2 months.
• The practical test (rijexamen) is booked at Publieke Zaken, Sta. Rosaweg 36 branch (+599 9 736 2929): you pay an XCG 105 deposit at Banco di Caribe, account 36 16 05 01, which covers up to 4 exams within 6 months, plus XCG 20 for the examiner's declaration. All the steps are in getting a driving licence for the first time.

Frequently asked questions