General legal rules that apply to any residence permit

Who does this apply to?

• Anyone who holds (or is applying for) a residence permit in Curaçao — these rules do not belong to one specific procedure, they come from the general law (LTU / Toelatingsbesluit / HIG 2006)

Steps to apply

No detailed steps published for this procedure yet.

Important notes

• Legal basis for the fees (Art. 32a, 2014 act): the leges table matches the one on the payment form, and on top there is a retribution of XCG 55 per application (XCG 45 for a renewal), already included in the totals we give. If your application is refused and the decision becomes final (kracht van gewijsde), the leges are refunded (Art. 32b); the law only provides for refunding the leges, not the retribution, and only after a final refusal. How to request the refund: see the fees, deposit and refund page. (Arts. 32a, 32b and 70, Eilandsverordening leges 1992, as amended in 2014)
• A precision about the grace period: if your permit expires and you do not file the renewal application within the 3 months following expiry, that alone becomes grounds for removal (verwijdering)
• After a removal order, the policy gives a reasonable period to leave on your own depending on your circumstances (ending the lease, the ticket, moving your belongings), of at most 6 weeks. If you need more, you have to ask: the 2006 policy sends that request to the Gezaghebber, an authority that no longer exists in Curaçao, so today ask in writing whoever issued the order. (Section 9.4.3 HIG 2006)
• The family members of someone who is removed are generally removed together with that person, if their own permit is not independent. (Sections 9.4.1, 9.4.2, 9.4.3 HIG 2006)
• Health insurance requirement in detail: every permit requires valid health insurance for 1 year, covering a general practitioner, medication, specialist treatment and hospitalisation (minimum 90 days of cover for domestic and self-employed workers), from an insurer accredited by the government (SVB or a private one on the official list), and it must not be cancellable mid-year unless you can prove you have left the country or switched to another accredited insurer. (Section 3.8-b.3 HIG 2006)
• Living outside Curaçao. Aruba and Sint Maarten are other countries, and Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba are part of the Netherlands: each has its own admission law, so moving there means leaving Curaçao, not changing your permit (the 2006 policy rule on moving between islands dates from when they all formed the Netherlands Antilles). If you spend more than 6 months in a row abroad within one year, the policy presumes that your main residence is elsewhere, whatever your intention (section 3.9.2 HIG 2006). And by law the permit ends after an uninterrupted stay outside Curaçao of more than one year, except in case of force majeure (Art. 12 LTU).
• An important nuance about refusals on 'public order' grounds during a tourist stay: being on the island within the permitted tourist period (30 days, or extended to 90) is not illegal and cannot be used as a generic ground for refusal — the government must prove an actual violation with concrete facts (dates, a police report), such as being caught working illegally during the tourist period. Refusing 'in the general interest' without setting out specific facts makes the decision voidable for lack of reasoning. (Section 3.18 HIG 2006)

• The exact grounds for revoking a permit that has already been granted (Art. 14 LTU):

  1. a final conviction for giving false information (Art. 24 LTU; the Art. 25 the law also refers to was repealed, and the article that has carried that number since 2014 deals with fees) or for a crime with an unconditional prison sentence of 3 months or more — NOTE: giving false information can revoke the permit even when it is discovered many years later (the case law cites up to 12 years afterwards)
  2. a threat to morality or public order (this includes terrorism)
  3. extreme destitution (begging or vagrancy)
  4. breaching the conditions of the permit.

  There is a legal distinction between a 'normal' revocation (not a sanction: e.g. the guarantor withdrew their guarantee, or the employer withdrew the work permit — in this case, for some categories, you can request a change of conditions) and a 'sanction' revocation (e.g. working when you were prohibited from doing so — here you cannot request a change of conditions afterwards). (Section 3.19 HIG 2006)

• Before revoking a permit, the ministry must summon you to hear you (Art. 17(3) LTU); it can only skip that step if it genuinely cannot find you. After that you have at most 6 weeks, from when the decision is sent to you, to leave the country on your own. (Section 3.19 HIG 2006; the policy mentions the Vreemdelingendienst and the Gezaghebber, authorities from before 2010)
• If you are going to collect your permit and your occupation is 'cook' (kok), you must also present a valid health inspection card from the GGD (the public health service). Also: the permit can only be registered at Kranshi (the population registry) if it is valid for at least 4 months — a shorter permit cannot be registered. (Sections 3.12 and 3.13 HIG 2006)
• ⚠️ very recent change: since September 7, 2026, Kranshi requires a mandatory appointment to register — without one, they will not process the registration (you used to be able to walk in). You book the appointment online at sita.gobiernu.cw; the Loket Digital also gives the Kranshi's phone number (+5999 434-1600) and email (info.bsbv@gobiernu.cw).
• Renewals: you can file the application from 4 months before expiry up to the exact day it expires. If you do not file on time but you do file within the 3 months after expiry (the tolerance period), it is treated as an extension application — but you lose the accumulated residence seniority, which starts counting again from the date of that late application. If more than 3 months pass after expiry, it is treated as a first application (not a renewal). Exception: if more than 3 but no more than 12 months have passed, your last renewal or change application was granted a temporary permit, you work with a work permit (TWV) and you did not leave Curaçao for compelling reasons, the official page provides the short stay for legalization for that case; it is not for anyone who never had a permit (official short-stay page, Legalization section).
• Collecting the permit: no summons letter has been sent since 2016. The decision (beschikking) states the date until which the permit is valid, and you must collect it before that date; otherwise you have to submit a new application and pay the fees again (Toelatingsorganisatie, in writing, October 9, 2026). The '2 months after the summons' in the 2006 policy (HIG 3.12.1) no longer apply in that way.
• The largest local insurer with a physical office in Curaçao is ENNIA (product "Ziektekosten Algemeen") — it is the easiest option to arrange in person on the island, rather than an international insurer. We have no commercial relationship with any insurer: compare with at least one other local insurer (for example Guardian Group Fatum) before you sign up.
• Once your permit is approved, you enroll in the SVB (BVZ), the mandatory basic system for residents, and you can normally cancel the private insurance.