Employer's work permit (Tewerkstellingsvergunning): how to hire a foreign worker

Who does this apply to?

• Companies or individuals in Curaçao who want to hire a foreign worker who does not yet have a valid work permit.
• Employers who already have a foreign worker with a Tewerkstellingsvergunning (TWV, the employer's work permit) that is about to expire and needs to be renewed.

Costs

Official fee by permit duration:

• IMPORTANT — the official page still says that ONLY the 0-6 and 6-12 month categories are processed, but it is out of date: the Vergunningenloket confirmed in writing on October 8, 2026 that work permits can now be requested for 24 months (XCG 2,000) and 36 months (XCG 3,000), and the Toelatingsorganisatie had already replied in writing on September 30, 2026 that if a work-based residence permit is requested for 3 years, the work permit is also requested for 3 years (XCG 3,000), and that until the worker has an indefinite permit the employer renews it every time it expires.
• Payment is made at the Vergunningenloket counter (debit card, no cash) or by deposit at Maduro & Curiel's Bank, account 32061300, with the reference: the foreign worker's name + 'storting leges Tewerkstellingsvergunning'.
• The application is NOT processed until ALL the documents have been handed in AND the fee has been paid — both conditions at the same time.

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

Work out your total for 1, 2 or 3 years, including stamps and the deposit for your nationality: open the cost calculator →

Decision time

The normal decision period for the TWV is up to 6 weeks (Vergunningenloket, in writing, October 9, 2026). Before you can apply, the vacancy must have been registered for at least 5 weeks. It is not the same 4-month period as the residence permit (that is a different procedure, handled by a different ministry). To renew, the 5-week vacancy notice is repeated (the Vergunningenloket's renewal requirements list): with those 5 weeks and up to 6 for the decision, it is best to start about 3 months before the TWV expires.

Requirements

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

• Mandatory first step — notify the vacancy to Centrum voor Arbeid / Sentro pa Labor (the labor office) at least 5 weeks before applying for the TWV, by email to vacaturemelding.soaw@gov.cw (no need to go to the office), using the form that matches your type of employer (individual or legal entity/company), complete, typed and in Dutch or English. The 5 weeks count from the day they receive the correct, complete form (if it was wrong, from the day they receive the corrected one), not from the acknowledgement of receipt. At the end they email you the stamped form, which is the proof that goes with the TWV application: the acknowledgement alone is not enough (Centrum voor Arbeid, in writing, October 12, 2026). You must be able to show that you actively looked for candidates in Curaçao during those 5 weeks.
• From the employer: name, address, phone/email, CRIB number (tax number), Chamber of Commerce registration number; a description of the position and the place of work; the diplomas/experience the position requires; and a justification of why a foreign worker needs to be hired.
• Documents to hand in: the completed application form, a draft employment contract, proof of payment of the fee, a copy of the cover page of the labor registry (Landsverordening tot inschrijving van arbeidskrachten), an establishment permit if applicable, the vacancy form stamped by Centrum voor Arbeid (emailed to you after the 5 weeks; the acknowledgement of receipt is not enough), an original declaration from the Tax Inspector confirming that the employer has a taxable income of XCG 36,000 or more per year, a copy of the Chamber of Commerce registration (less than 6 months old, stamped), a copy of ID, and a letter of authorization if a third party files the application or collects the decision (it may not be the worker).
• From the foreign worker: a full copy of the valid passport, 2 passport photos (less than 60 days old) and certified copies of diplomas and employment references if applicable. The 2015 list also asks for a director's permit if the position is a directorship, but since August 15, 2023 the Vergunningenloket no longer requires that permit to be applied for: check with them when you submit.
• Hospitality sector: in addition, a copy of the restaurant/coffee house/hotel/casino permit.
• If the worker is going to live in the employer's home: a floor plan of the room where they will live, a medical declaration if they will be caring for an elderly or dependent person, a notarial cohabitation agreement if applicable, and a marriage/family record book or proof of guardianship of minors.
• Agricultural sector: a plan of the room and facilities where the worker will live, a description of the land's infrastructure and of what is grown, a copy of the land title (ownership, lease or erfpacht) and a measurement certificate (meetbrief).
• For the work permit, the official page requires paying at least the full statutory minimum wage to every worker aged 18 or over: with a work permit the youth minimum does not apply. The full minimum is XCG 11.93 per hour in 2026.
• To renew a valid TWV: the same documents as the first application, plus a copy of the previous TWV and, from the worker, a copy of their last temporary residence permit and proof of the guarantee deposit (waarborgsom). The real difference: the first application only requires the cover page of the labor registry (arbeidsregister); the renewal requires the registry completely filled in. The 5-week vacancy notice applies to renewals too, it is not only for first applications. For live-in or agricultural staff, also an extract from the Population Register proving the employer's and the worker's address.

Steps to apply

1. Notify the vacancy to Centrum voor Arbeid / Sentro pa Labor by emailing the corresponding form to vacaturemelding.soaw@gov.cw (no need to visit their office at the Bon Bini Business Center) — do it at least 5 weeks before you submit the TWV application; the weeks count from the day they receive the complete form.
   How to get this done

   SOAW — Centrum voor Arbeid / Sentro pa Labor (where the employer registers the vacancy: the FIRST step, 5 weeks before applying for the work permit)

   Bon Bini Business Center, Schottegatweg Oost 10, ground floor, Willemstad, Curaçao — Google Maps

   +5999 434-0300

   vacaturemelding.soaw@gov.cw

   The vacancy is notified by emailing the completed 'vacaturemelding' form, typed and in Dutch or English, to vacaturemelding.soaw@gov.cw; you do not need to go in person (Centrum voor Arbeid, in writing, October 12, 2026).

2. While you wait out those 5 weeks, gather every document on the official requirements list (see the downloadable forms above).
3. Pay the fee for the duration you are going to apply for (XCG 500 for 0-6 months, XCG 1,000 for 6-12 months, XCG 2,000 for 12-24 months, XCG 3,000 for 24-36 months — the Vergunningenloket confirmed in writing on October 8, 2026 that the last two can now be applied for as well) at the Vergunningenloket counter or by deposit at MCB, account 32061300.
4. Hand in the complete application (documents + proof of payment) at the Vergunningenloket, Afdeling Intake.
   How to get this done

   Vergunningenloket, intake department: where the work permit (TWV) application is submitted once Centrum voor Arbeid has approved the vacancy

   Saliña 127, unit 3-16 (Eurobuilding), Willemstad, Curaçao — Google Maps

   Monday to Thursday 08:00–15:00, Friday 08:00–12:00 (TWV applications)

   +5999 433-3123

   WhatsApp: +5999 433-3127

   Infovergunningenloket@gobiernu.cw

   No appointment is needed to submit a TWV application: you take it to the intake counter with the documents on the requirements list and the payment, once Centrum voor Arbeid has approved the vacancy. The Vergunningenloket only receives the application; the SOAW ministry assesses and decides it (Vergunningenloket, in writing, October 9, 2026). It is the government's general permit counter at Saliña 127 (Eurobuilding); it is not the Toelatingsorganisatie, which since November 2025 has been at Prinsenstraat 90 (Punda).

5. Wait for the decision: normally up to 6 weeks (Vergunningenloket, in writing, October 9, 2026). In a first application, the foreign worker can only start their residence procedure once the TWV is approved — see residence permit for work (employee). To renew the residence permit there is no need to wait for the new TWV: proof that you applied and paid for it is enough.

Downloadable forms

• Work permit application (employer is an individual) DOCX · 42 KB · in Dutch Fill it in here
  How to fill out this form

  Aanvraagformulier tewerkstellingsvergunning natuurlijk persoon: ONLY in Dutch; this guide explains each part. The employer submits it, not the worker.

  With this form an employer who is an INDIVIDUAL (a family hiring a domestic worker, or the owner of a sole proprietorship) asks SOAW for the work permit for a foreign national. Where it says 'Ja / Nee*', strike out what does not apply, and answer every question fully but briefly.

  Section 1 — Gegevens van de aanvrager (employer's details): Surname, first names, ID number, address, email, phone, CRIB number and, if they have a business, the Chamber of Commerce number. If they are employed, their employer's name and their position; if not, their main source of income. If someone else handles the application, that authorised person's details (gemachtigde): the foreign national cannot be the authorised person.

  Section 2 — Gegevens betreffende arbeidsplaats (the job): The foreign national's position, place of work, monthly salary, date the vacancy was reported, and whether an advertisement was placed and the contract and job description are attached. Then why a foreign national is needed: replacing someone, the employer needs care (with a medical statement), is often away from home, has minor children (how many and ages, with proof), and whether the foreign national already worked for them 4 weeks before. Finally: first application, renewal with the same employer or change of employer.

  Section 3 — Gegevens van de vreemdeling (foreign worker's details): Surname (Naam), first names (Voornamen), date, place and country of birth, current address abroad, email, future address in Curaçao, phone, marital status, sex (man/vrouw: strike out what does not apply), passport number and expiry date.

  Section 4 — Live-in domestic staff: Only if the person will live in the house: whether you had live-in help before (from when to when and why it ended), size of the room, whether it has its own bathroom and entrance, floor material, what is in the bathroom and room. In this case both spouses or partners sign, with copies of their IDs.

  Section 5 — Hospitality staff: Hospitality only: whether you hold a valid café, restaurant, hotel or casino licence.

  Section 6 — Agricultural staff: Agriculture only: size of the land, whether you have a Land Registry survey (meetbrief), whether it is owned, rented or leasehold (erfpacht), what you grow, and size and facilities of the worker's room.

  Section 7 — Signature: Date in Willemstad, stamp if it is a sole proprietorship, surname, first name, ID number and signature of the applicant (and of the partner, for live-in domestic staff). By signing you authorise SOAW to ask the Tax Office for your taxable income.

  Tips

  • The form itself says that paying the fee is the employer's responsibility and that the foreign national cannot be the authorised representative.
• Work permit application (employer is a company) DOCX · 37 KB · in Dutch Fill it in here
  How to fill out this form

  Aanvraagformulier tewerkstellingsvergunning rechtspersoon: ONLY in Dutch; this guide explains each part. The company submits it, not the worker.

  With this form a COMPANY (legal entity) asks SOAW for the work permit for a foreign national. Where it says 'Ja / Nee*', strike out what does not apply, and answer every question fully but briefly.

  Section 1 — Gegevens van de aanvrager (company details): Company name, registration number, address, email, phone, CRIB number and Chamber of Commerce number. If someone else handles the application, that authorised person's details (gemachtigde): the foreign national cannot be the authorised person.

  Section 2 — Gegevens betreffende arbeidsplaats (the job): The foreign national's position, place of work, monthly salary, date the vacancy was reported, and whether an advertisement was placed and the contract and job description are attached. Then why a foreign national is needed: replacing someone, the company is expanding, it is for a project or another reason, and whether the foreign national already worked at the company 4 weeks before. Finally: first application, renewal with the same employer or change of employer.

  Section 3 — Gegevens van de vreemdeling (foreign worker's details): Surname (Naam), first names (Voornamen), date, place and country of birth, current address abroad, email, future address in Curaçao, phone, marital status, sex (man/vrouw: strike out what does not apply), passport number and expiry date.

  Section 4 — Hospitality staff: Hospitality only: whether you hold a valid café, restaurant, hotel or casino licence.

  Section 5 — Agricultural staff: Agriculture only: size of the land, whether you have a Land Registry survey (meetbrief), whether it is owned, rented or leasehold (erfpacht), what you grow, and size and facilities of the worker's room.

  Section 6 — Signature: Date in Willemstad, company stamp, and surname, first names, ID number and signature of the person authorised to sign (tekenbevoegde). By signing you authorise SOAW to ask the Tax Office for the taxable income.

  Tips

  • The form itself says that paying the fee is the employer's responsibility and that the foreign national cannot be the authorised representative.
• Requirements list — first application
• Requirements list — renewal

Important notes

• Important and up to date on what kind of position you can hire someone from abroad for: since June 20, 2025 a new, much shorter moratorium applies (Regeling moratorium tewerkstellingsvergunningen, P.B. 2025, no. 78), which repeals the previous 2021 regulation (P.B. 2021, no. 44). The longer lists you may find come from earlier rules. Published officially at gobiernu.cw/nl/laws/regeling-moratorium-tewerkstellingsvergunningen-voor-specifieke-beroepen-en-functies/.

• TODAY only 6 occupations are restricted for new TWVs:

  1. low-skilled administrative staff (laaggeschoold administratief personeel)
  2. security guard (bewaker)
  3. warehouse worker (magazijnmedewerker)
  4. shelf stacker (rekkenvuller)
  5. salesperson (verkoper)
  6. shop/retail staff (winkelpersoneel).
• Hospitality and bar staff (horecapersoneel en barpersoneel) are not under the moratorium: only the 6 occupations on the list are. Source: Ministry of Labour (Sector Arbeid), in writing, October 15, 2026.
• Construction workers, electricians, plumbers, welders, gardeners, domestic staff, and agricultural work do not appear on the list in force in 2025 — if you have seen elsewhere that they do, that information comes from earlier, repealed rules.
• The law also requires this moratorium to be evaluated within its first year (art. 2). That year ended in June 2026, but the evaluation has not been carried out yet and the list has not changed. Source: Ministry of Labour (Sector Arbeid), in writing, October 15, 2026. Once it is carried out, the list may change: if some time has passed, check the current list with the Ministry of Labour, which keeps it (sektor-labor@gov.cw; the Vergunningenloket referred us there in writing on October 8, 2026), before ruling a position out.
• This is a different procedure from the worker's residence permit — it is handled by a different ministry (SOAW, Ministerie van Sociale Ontwikkeling, Arbeid en Welzijn, the Ministry of Social Development, Labor and Welfare), with its own fee, its own forms, and its own office. Do not mix them up or assume that paying for one covers the other.
• Who does not need a TWV: Dutch and US nationals (US nationality is treated the same as Dutch; Vergunningenloket in writing, October 9, 2026). And, under art. 10 of the Eilandsbesluit Arbeid Vreemdelingen (A.B. 2007, no. 73), which the Vergunningenloket attached to that reply, neither does someone working under an employment contract who holds a residence permit for an indefinite period, is married to a Dutch national, or is the partner of a Dutch national with a cohabitation agreement (samenlevingsovereenkomst) drawn up before a notary in the Netherlands. In the last two cases they also need a valid residence title, and in all of them a valid werkboekje (registration as a worker under the Landsverordening tot inschrijving van Arbeidskrachten 1945). The Toelatingsorganisatie's official FAQ adds people who work in their own business (eenmanszaak), who apply for the residence permit for their own business. And, under Art. 3, letter a, of the Landsverordening arbeid vreemdelingen, neither does anyone admitted by operation of law under letters a, b, c, d, e, g, h or i of Art. 3 LTU, such as the spouse or minor child of a consul, a member of the military or staff posted by a government, even if they are not Dutch (see family reunification via Van Rechtswege).
• If a local candidate turns up during the 5-week vacancy notice, you can still submit the application, explaining why you need the foreign worker: the Vergunningenloket only receives it, and the Ministry of Labour decides according to its criteria and policy (Vergunningenloket, in writing, October 9, 2026). What the law does require (Art. 3 Eav) is that the employer be able to justify the need to hire the foreign worker and the real efforts made to fill the position locally — be ready to prove it.
• There is no maximum number of TWV applications per sector or per employer. Source: Ministry of Labour (Sector Arbeid), in writing, October 15, 2026. There are, however, additional document requirements for hospitality, live-in domestic staff and the agricultural sector (see the requirements above).
• Official contact for the Vergunningenloket: Infovergunningenloket@gobiernu.cw, phone +599 433-3123, WhatsApp +599 433-3127, open Monday to Thursday 8:00am-3:00pm and Friday 8:00am-12:00pm, no appointment needed.

Frequently asked questions