Buying and registering a car in Curaçao

Who does this apply to?

• Anyone in Curaçao (resident, with a residence application in progress, or newly arrived) who wants to buy a new or used car and put it in their own name.
• Anyone already driving in Curaçao with a foreign driver's license who needs to know when to register or exchange it.
• Anyone moving to Curaçao permanently who wants to bring their own car under the import tax exemption for household moves.

Costs

There is no single fixed amount — it depends on which procedure you go through:

• Registering a new car: free; what you pay for is the technical inspection (keur).
• Keur: XCG 30 if the keuringskaart has not expired yet and XCG 60 if it already has.
• A new inspection if the car fails the keur (herkeuring): XCG 10 within 30 days of the rejection and XCG 30 after that (Loket Digital, October 25, 2026).
• Transferring a used car bought from a private seller: XCG 15 ≈ US$ 8.38, paid by bank card only at the UOVV Keuringslokaal counter (or before you go, through MCB online banking or with a deposit at Banco di Caribe, according to the Loket Digital; the Ontvanger's pink form is free).
• Mandatory insurance (WA): as a reference, in October 2026 an insurer (Citizens) quoted XCG 839.42 per year or XCG 466.53 per half year for a 2004 petrol compact car.
• Registering your foreign license (Geneva Convention countries): free.
• Temporary Driving Permit (with temporary residence): XCG 50 ≈ US$ 28 (max. 3 months).
• Exchange for a Curaçao license (only with an indefinite permit, a Van Rechtswege or a Niet van Toepassing declaration): XCG 175.
• Annual road tax 2026: petrol car, 2018 model or newer, XCG 419/year (XCG 228.50 for half a year); 2017 model or older, XCG 296/year (XCG 167 for half a year); motorcycle XCG 213/year.
• It is paid by January 31, or half by January 31 and the other half by June 30 (2026 rates of the Ontvanger Curaçao).
• Sales tax (omzetbelasting) on the purchase: 6% in general, 7% on some categories.
• Importing a car WITHOUT qualifying for the moving exemption: import duty of 27% of the CIF value for a petrol or diesel car, 10% for a hybrid and 0% for an electric car (Curaçao Customs tariff, heading 87.03).

Dollar amounts are approximate, at the fixed rate of US$ 1 = XCG 1.79. You pay in XCG.

Decision time

Registering a new car (100% online via sitaautokeuring.gobiernu.cw): 3 business days. Transferring a used car: no appointment, at two counters (the Ontvanger on the Regentesselaan and the UOVV Keuringslokaal in Parera); you get the card in your name on the spot, and the whole transfer can be done in under 24 hours (verified in person in October 2026). Technical inspection (keur): by appointment, booked at sitaautokeuring.gobiernu.cw or through the Vergunningenloket; on the day, at the UOVV Keuringslokaal (Parera), you get the result on the spot and, if the car passes, the keuringskaart; for a private car it is valid for 2 years.

Requirements

Gathering your papers? Tick them off in your checklist, remove what does not apply and print it: open my document checklist →

• To register a new car, or one never registered in Curaçao before: proof of purchase (invoice or contract) + ownership document (Title for cars from the USA, registration certificate for cars from the EU, an official ownership or registration document translated into English for other countries, the keuringskaart for cars from Aruba or Sint Maarten, and proof of road tax or insurance for cars from Bonaire) + the buyer's ID (sédula, driver's license or passport) — here a passport is enough; no sédula or residence permit is required. Everything is uploaded as clear, legible scans or photos, and the CRIB number, names, chassis number (VIN) and vehicle details must match on every document (Loket Digital, “Registreren van voertuigen”, October 25, 2026).
• To transfer a used car bought from a private seller: your CRIB number (no CRIB, no transfer: it goes on the form, the UOVV counter asks for it, and it is printed on your card; you apply for it with just your passport, at the Belastingdienst counter on the Regentesselaan or online on its website, where in one verified case it arrived as a PDF within 2 business days), the 'Tegenaangifteformulier' (the pink form; 'kontra denunsia' in Papiamentu), which the Ontvanger counter (Belastingdienst, Regentesselaan) gives you for free, on paper only, the car's inspection card (keuringskaart) and road-tax card (belastingkaart), a copy of the seller's sédula or driver's license, your passport with a copy, and the bill of sale (kwitantie), which the Loket Digital also asks for. Bring 2 or 3 sets of copies: not every counter has a photocopier, and since July 8, 2025 the Keuringslokaal no longer makes copies (Loket Digital). Ideally buyer and seller go together; in one verified case the form already signed by the seller, with a copy of his license, was accepted without him being there. Confirmed (belastingdienst.cw, the official Belastingdienst page): a passport is enough as ID — the Belastingdienst lists 'Paspoort, Rijbewijs, Sédula' as accepted identity documents.
• To drive with a foreign license from a Geneva Convention country: register it at Publieke Zaken (Kranshi), free of charge, with your license and your passport or sédula. You do not need an appointment: you apply with the Loket Digital's online form and collect the registration document at the Afdeling Documenten & Inlichtingen, Roodeweg 42. They will not register it if you have no residence permit and are not registered in the population register (Publieke Zaken, in writing, October 13, 2026).
• For the Temporary Driving Permit (Tijdelijke Rijvergunning), if you live in Curaçao on a temporary residence permit: the valid permit, your valid foreign license, from a Geneva Convention country and issued before you settled in Curaçao, proof of the date it was first issued or a declaration of authenticity (issued by the consulate, the Dutch RDW or another authority) and your valid sédula. You apply by appointment at sita.gobiernu.cw and it costs XCG 50 (deposit at Banco di Caribe, account 36 15 86 01, in the name of Kranshi/Overheid Curaçao Publieke Zaken); if everything is in order, you get it on the spot. It lets you drive the type of vehicle it is issued for, for 3 months at most (Loket Digital, “Tijdelijke Rijvergunning”, October 25, 2026).
• To exchange your license for a Curaçao one permanently: you need an indefinite residence permit, a Van Rechtswege or a Niet van Toepassing declaration (a temporary permit is not enough), your original foreign license, valid and issued before you moved here, a sédula or passport, a medical certificate less than 2 months old, and a declaration of authenticity from the issuing country. If your license is from Venezuela, Haiti, Lebanon, China, India, or the Dominican Republic, you must take the local driving test anyway.
• To import your own car under the moving exemption: you must have owned and used it without interruption for at least 12 months right before shipping it; only 1 car per household, and it does not apply to sports cars, collector or hobby cars, or vehicles for commercial transport. For the car: copy of the owner's passport, original registration or title from the country of origin, proof of export, proof of purchase, proof of insurance and two Customs forms (vehicle details and exemption request). Plus those for any move: copies of the passports with the Immigration stamp, an original extract of your registration at the Kranshi (BB-10) or a work permit, original proof of deregistration in your country of origin (or a visa or green card showing you lived abroad) and the signed list of your goods with their value. Customs: Sha i Lio Caprileskade z/n, Willemstad, tel. (5999) 724-0053.
• Third-party liability insurance (WA-verzekering) is mandatory and must be in your name: for a new car, before you collect the plates; for a used car, as soon as it is in your name, because the seller's policy does not cover you as the new owner. The insurer asks for a valid driver's license, your passport and the car's details (keuringskaart).

Steps to apply

1. Sort out your driver's license situation first: if your license is from a Geneva Convention country and you already have a residence permit and are registered in the population register, register it for free at Publieke Zaken (Kranshi). If you do not yet have an indefinite permit (or a Van Rechtswege or Niet van Toepassing declaration), this registered license is the one you will use to buy and register the car — you do not need to exchange it yet.
2. Decide how you are going to get the car: new or never registered before (the simplest, passport only), used and bought from a private seller who already has it registered in Curaçao (pink form at the Ontvanger and a new card at UOVV), or brought in from abroad under the moving exemption (this needs the 12 months of ownership and the vehicle-specific documents).
3. If it is new: apply for registration online at sitaautokeuring.gobiernu.cw, uploading clear scans or photos of every document: since July 8, 2025 the Keuringslokaal no longer makes copies, and you do not need to go in person to register the car. Registering it costs nothing. Within 3 business days you are told whether it is rejected or given a plate number (kenteken); with it you book the mandatory keur (XCG 30), also at sitaautokeuring.gobiernu.cw (Loket Digital, “Registreren van voertuigen”, October 25, 2026).
4. If it is used (a transfer), there are two counters in two places, in this order. First, the Ontvanger (Belastingdienst, Regentesselaan z/n; Monday to Friday, 08:00 to 12:00 and 14:00 to 15:30; arrive at 08:00, there is a queue): you hand in the pink form filled in in block letters (the current owner's details, reason 'sale of the vehicle', the car's details, your details with your CRIB and the hand-over date, and the seller's signature) with the keuringskaart, the belastingkaart, the copy of the seller's ID, your passport and your CRIB. It is free: they keep the original and give you a stamped copy. That copy is not the final document: it is the mandatory pass for the next step (procedure verified in person in October 2026).
5. Then, the UOVV Keuringslokaal (Nieuwe Pareraweg, Parera, next to Selikor; according to the official page for the transfer, Monday to Thursday 07:30 to 11:30 and 13:30 to 15:30 and Friday 07:30 to 11:30; the keur page gives 08:00 to 11:30 and 14:00 to 15:30, and Friday 08:00 to 11:30; arrive at 07:15-07:30 to get a ticket): with the stamped copy, the previous keuringskaart, the belastingkaart, the copy of the seller's sédula or driver's license, the copy of your passport, your CRIB and the bill of sale (kwitantie, which the Loket Digital asks for), you pay XCG 15: at the counter, by bank card only (no cash accepted: if you don't have a card, go with someone who does). The Loket Digital also gives two ways to pay before you go: through MCB online banking, choosing the 'biller' UOVV, or with a deposit at Banco di Caribe, account 36159901; then you bring the receipt. On the spot you get the new keuringskaart (marked 'Duplikaat') with your name, your address and your CRIB: that is your proof of ownership. Check every detail before you leave the counter: fixing an error afterwards costs another trip and another ticket.
6. If you are importing your own car as part of a move: submit the exemption request when your goods arrive and declare the import within 6 months of the date you move your normal residence to Curaçao (extendable if you ask at least 1 month before the deadline). If you miss it without an extension, you lose the exemption and pay the full taxes. Afterwards, for 12 months you may not lend, pledge, rent out or transfer the car without the Inspector's permission.
7. The technical inspection (keur) is done by appointment, and you can only book one for a car already registered with UOVV: online at sitaautokeuring.gobiernu.cw, or through the Vergunningenloket (Bentana di Informashon), by phone on (+5999) 433-3123 or at its counter at Saliña 127, unit 3-16 (Eurobuilding). On the day, you take the car to the UOVV Keuringslokaal in Parera, with the expired or nearly expired keuringskaart and the proof of payment. It costs XCG 30 if the keuringskaart has not expired yet and XCG 60 if it already has; if you booked at least 2 weeks before it expired and were given a date after that, go to the Keuringslokaal right away with proof of the appointment so you are not charged the XCG 30 fine. No cash: you pay by card at the Keuringslokaal, through MCB online banking ('biller' UOVV) or with a deposit at Banco di Caribe (account 36159901), bringing the receipt (Loket Digital, “Keuring van voertuigen”, October 25, 2026). If the car passes, you get the keuringskaart on the spot. For a private car the keur is valid for 2 years (the keuringskaart says so: 'Jaren geldig 2'). If it fails, you get a rejection slip (afkeuringsbewijs) listing what has to be repaired (more under “Important notes”). If the car is used, the transfer (steps 4 and 5) does not include the keur: check the 'Keuringsdatum' and 'Jaren geldig' on the keuringskaart to know when the next one is due.
8. Before collecting the plates (new car) or as soon as the car is in your name (used): take out the mandatory insurance (WA) in your name. The road tax is due every January 31: for a new car you pay it before collecting the plates; for a used car, the current year's tax already shows on the seller's belastingkaart ('Betaald t/m'; if it only covers half a year, agree before the transfer on who pays the rest), and you pay the following year's from January at the Ontvanger, at ACU or at Cpost, with a valid keuringskaart and valid insurance and the previous year's belastingkaart. Keep the control sticker on the windshield and the current year's plate on the car: at police checks (Kita Tur), cars without valid tax, insurance or keur are taken off the road. Since 2024 the police also scan digital policies with a QR code.

Important notes

What the official rules say

• A tourist may drive on their foreign license during their holiday; Publieke Zaken did not give a number of days (written reply of October 13, 2026). Anyone who registers in the population register in Curaçao has to register their license to be allowed to drive on it (only licenses from Geneva Convention countries can be registered): if they do not and cannot prove at a police check that it is registered, they risk a fine.
• The sales tax on buying a car is still called 'omzetbelasting' (6-7%) — a switch to a tax called 'ABB', planned for January 1, 2021, never took effect in Curaçao (it does apply in Bonaire/Saba, which fall under a different tax authority) — do not confuse the two systems.
• Mandatory insurance (WA): the legal minimum cover is XCG 90,000, but it is worth asking for XCG 250,000, because the minimum falls short if anyone is injured (quote from an insurer, Citizens, October 2026).
• If the car fails the technical inspection (keur), you get a rejection slip (afkeuringsbewijs) showing what has to be repaired before it can be approved. If you request the re-inspection (herkeuring) and have it within 30 days of the rejection, you pay only XCG 10; after 30 days, the full XCG 30 (Loket Digital, “Keuring van voertuigen”, October 25, 2026).
• There is no notary involved at any point in this process — everything is handled between the Belastingdienst and UOVV (Uitvoeringsorganisatie Verkeer en Vervoer, the traffic and transport agency).
• The concept of a 'grey plate' (grijs kenteken, the Dutch tax category for commercial vans) does not exist in the Curaçao system — ignore that reference if you see it on Dutch forums.
• (Source: informatie_verhuisgoederen.pdf from douane.cw, April 2023 — verified by extracting the text embedded in the PDF directly, not by image OCR) 'Normal residence' for the purposes of this exemption is defined as the place where you spend at least 183 days a year of your personal and professional life.
• If you buy a used car from a private seller, before you pay check two of the seller's documents. The keuringskaart (white card with a yellow stripe): plate, chassis number, the owner's name with their sédula and CRIB, the date of the last inspection (Keuringsdatum) and how long it is valid (Jaren geldig). The year's belastingkaart: 'Openstaand belastingbedrag: 0.00' (nothing owed), 'Betaald t/m' (until when the tax is paid: 30-06 means only half a year and 31-12 the full year; if only half a year was paid, agree on who pays the rest before the transfer) and 'Verzekerd t/m' (until when the car is insured). Also check that the car has the current year's plate and the control sticker on the windshield (its number is on the belastingkaart), get a WA insurance quote before deciding, sign a simple bill of sale (date, price, plate, chassis number and both signatures) and do not hand over all the money until the pink form is stamped (step 4); even then, the car is not in your name until the Keuringslokaal gives you the new keuringskaart (step 5).

Still to be confirmed

• Whether you may drive on your foreign license while your first residence application is being processed, and for how long. During that time you are not yet registered in the population register, so you cannot register your license yet.
• Whether you may drive the car with the rejection slip (afkeuringsbewijs) while you get it repaired.
• The deadline for registering in the population register (Kranshi) if you arrive with a residence permit; the Customs leaflet on household moves (informatie_verhuisgoederen, April 2023) says 2 weeks from arrival, and the Loket Digital gives 5 days from settling, but it says so for people who can register directly, without a residence permit (for example, Dutch nationals by birth who were born in Curaçao).

Frequently asked questions