Aruba
General Information for Aruba
Geo-political:
Capital City: Oranjestad.
Nationality: (noun) Aruban(s), (adjective) Aruban; Dutch.
Population: 119,428 (July 2020).
Communications:
International Direct Dial Code: 297.
Number of Internal Airports: 1 (2020).
Major Languages Spoken: Papiamento 69.4% (official; a creole language that is a mixture of Portuguese, Spanish,
Dutch, English, and, to a lesser extent, French, as well as elements of African languages
and the language of the Arawak), Spanish 13.7%, English 7.1% (widely spoken), Dutch
6.1% (official), Chinese 1.5% and others 1.7%.
Economy:
Currency: 1 Aruban Guilder (AWG) of 100 Cents.
Exchange Rates:
(as of November 2020)
USD 1.00 = AWG 1.79
AWG 1.00 = USD 0.56
Exchange rates under licence from
XE.com
Main Industries: Tourism, petroleum transshipment facilities and banking.
Agricultural Products: Aloes, livestock and fish.
Imports: Machinery, electrical equipment, refined oil for bunkering, reexport, chemicals and
foodstuffs.
Exports: Live animals, animal products, art, collectibles, machinery, electrical equipment
and transport equipment.
Commodities: Products: Imports 7,891 bbl/d. LNG: Production 1 cu.m.. Exports 1 cu.m.. Imports 1 cu.m..
Environment:
Territorial Sea: 12 n.m.
Coastline Extent: 68 km.
Climate: Tropical marine; little seasonal temperature variation.
Natural Resources: NEGL and white sandy beaches foster tourism.
Natural Hazards: Hurricanes and lies outside the Caribbean hurricane belt and is rarely threatened.
Terrain: Flat with a few hills; scant vegetation.
OVERVIEW:
Aruba is one of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Netherlands,
the others being the Netherlands, Curacao and Sint Maarten. It lies in the southern
part of the Caribbean Sea, approximately 16 n.m. north of the Venezuelan coast and
42 n.m. west of Curacao.
CHARTS:
Charts and nautical publications issued by the Hydrographic Service of the Royal Netherlands
Navy. Chart catalogue, and issued Notice to Mariners available at:
POLLUTION:
Pollution incidents should be reported to Aruba Port Authority. T: +297 582 6633. F: +297 583 2896.
MEDICAL:
There is a risk of Zika virus transmission in Aruba.
POLICE/AMBULANCE/FIRE:
If you need to contact the emergency services, call 100 (police), 911 (ambulance and
fire) or 913 (coastguard).
HOLIDAYS:
1 January (New Year's Day); 25 January (Betico Croes' Birthday); 15 February (Carnival
Monday); 18 March (National Anthem & Flag Day); Good Friday; Easter Monday; 30 April
(Queen's Day); 1 May (Labor Day); 13 May (Ascension Day); 25 December (Christmas Day);
26 December (Boxing Day).
WEATHER/TIDES:
The hurricane season in the Caribbean normally runs from June to November.
CONNECTIONS:
Safety concerns have been raised about INSEL Air. The US authorities have prohibited
their staff from using the airline while safety checks are being carried out.
SHORE LEAVE:
English is the dominant language in Aruba although Dutch, Papiamento, and Spanish
are also spoken; Papiamento, the Creole language, is a mixture of Spanish, Dutch,
Portuguese, English and French.
Most visits to Aruba are trouble-free; however, petty theft and street crime occur.
There is violent crime in association with drugs, but this rarely affects tourists;
Aruba is used as a drug passageway from South America to Europe and North America.
Do not leave bags unattended or agree to carry a package for anyone. The main tourist
areas are generally safe, but you should take sensible precautions:
- avoid remote areas at night
- do not take valuables to the beach or leave any valuables in your vehicle
- make sure purses and handbags are closed and not easy to snatch.
When taking a taxi, always check that it is a registered one and negotiate the price
before taking the ride. Most taxis do not have meters.
REPATRIATION:
Some visitors to the Caribbean parts of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (Aruba, Bonaire,
Curacao, Saba, St Eustatius and Sint Maarten – Dutch Caribbean) do not need a visa.
This includes Dutch and US nationals, as well as nationals of the countries listed
below. In most cases, you do not need a visa to transit through the Caribbean parts
of the Kingdom either.
If you do not need a visa to travel to the Caribbean parts of the Kingdom, you can
stay for a maximum of 90 days in a 180-day period. If you are a Dutch or US national,
you can stay for longer: a maximum of 180 consecutive days in any 365-day period.
If you are a national of a Schengen country other than the Netherlands, you may stay
in Aruba for a maximum of 180 days in any 365-day period. You may stay in the other
Caribbean parts of the Kingdom for a maximum of 90 days in a 180-day period.
If you wish to stay longer, you will need a residence permit.
Your passport should be valid for a minimum period of six months from the date of
entry into the BES islands and Sint Maarten. For Aruba and Curacao, your passport
should be valid for the duration of your stay, and you will be permitted entry as
long as your passport does not expire before the end of your stay.
Immigration is handled on an island to island basis so your passport is needed when
travelling from one island to another.
You can travel to the Caribbean parts of the Kingdom of the Netherlands without a
visa if any of the following applies to you.
| 1. | You do not need a visa if you are a national of one of the following countries: Albania; Andorra; Antigua and Barbuda; Argentina; Australia; Austria; Bahamas; Barbados; Belgium; Belize; Bosnia and Herzegovina; Brazil; Brunei; Bulgaria; Canada; Chile; Colombia; Costa Rica; Croatia; Cyprus; Czech Republic; Denmark; Dominica; Ecuador; El Salvador; Estonia; Finland; France; Germany; Greece; Grenada; Guatemala; Guyana (visa required for Sint Maarten); Honduras; Hong Kong (holders of British National Overseas passports); Hong Kong (holders of Special Administrative Region passports); Hungary; Iceland; Ireland; Israel; Italy; Jamaica (Curacao only. Visa required for Aruba, Bonaire, Saba, St Eustatius and Sint Maarten); Japan; Latvia; Liechtenstein; Lithuania; Luxembourg; Macao (holders of Special Administrative Region passports); Malaysia; Malta; Mauritius; Mexico; Moldova; Monaco; Montenegro; New Zealand; Nicaragua; North Macedonia; Norway; Panama; Paraguay; Peru (visa required for Sint Maarten); Poland; Portugal; Romania; San Marino; Serbia; Seychelles; Singapore; Slovakia; Slovenia; South Korea; Spain; St Christopher and Nevis (St Kitts); St Lucia; St Vincent and the Grenadines; Suriname; Sweden; Switzerland; Taiwan (holders of a passport bearing their identity card number); Trinidad and Tobago; United Arab Emirates; United Kingdom; United States of America; Uruguay; Vatican City; Venezuela (due to the corona virus, the visa requirement for Venezuelans is postponed and Venezuelans remain visa exempted for all Caribbean parts of the Kingdom of the Netherlands until further notice). | |||
| 2. | If you hold a valid visa or residence permit for certain other countries you do not need a visa for the Caribbean parts of the Kingdom. This includes: | |||
| a) | Schengen country - if you hold a multiple-entry short-stay Schengen visa or an authorisation for temporary stay or residence permit for a Schengen country | |||
| b) | Overseas France - if you hold a valid residence permit for French Guyana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Saint-Barthelemy, Saint Martin, Mayotte or Reunion | |||
| c) | Saint Maarten - if you hold a residence permit or proof of return for Saint Martin (the French part of the island), you do not need a visa to enter Sint Maarten (the Dutch part of the island). If you hold a visa for Saint Martin, you do not need a visa to enter Sint Maarten; however, you do need a visa for the other Caribbean parts of the Kingdom of the Netherlands | |||
| d) | United Kingdom or Ireland - if you hold a multiple-entry visa or residence permit for the United Kingdom or Ireland | |||
| e) | United States or Canada - if you hold a residence permit for the United States or Canada, you do not need a visa. If you hold a multiple-entry visa for the United States or Canada and are a national of one of the countries in the table below, you do not need a visa. | |||
| i. | Bolivia: exempted, with a multiple entry visa, for all the Dutch Caribbean | |||
| ii. | China: exempted, with a multiple entry visa, for all the Dutch Caribbean | |||
| iii. | Cuba: exempted, with a multiple entry visa, for all the Dutch Caribbean | |||
| iv. | Dominican Republic: exempted, with a multiple entry visa, for all the Dutch Caribbean | |||
| v. | Guyana: visa required for Sint Maaten regardless; no visa required for the other Caribbean parts of the Kingdom, even without a visa or residence permit for the US or Canada | |||
| vi. | Haiti: exempted, with a multiple entry visa, for all the Dutch Caribbean | |||
| vii. | India: exempted, with a multiple entry visa, for all the Dutch Caribbean | |||
| viii. | Jamaica: exempted, with a multiple entry visa, for all the Dutch Caribbean, apart from Curacao as no visa is required, even without a visa or residence permit for the US or Canada | |||
| ix. | Peru: visa required for Sint Maarten regardless; no visa required for the other Caribbean parts of the Kingdom, even without a visa or residence permit for the US or Canada | |||
| x. | Venezuela: exempted, with a multiple entry visa, for all the Dutch Caribbean. | |||
| 3. | You are transiting. You do not need a visa for the Caribbean parts of the Kingdom if the following applies to you: | |||
| a) | airport transit – you are transiting through an airport in one of the Caribbean parts of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, hold an onward ticket and meet the following requirements: | |||
| i. | Aruba: transit between 0700 and 2300 hours | |||
| ii. | Sint Maarten: transit on the same calendar day | |||
| iii. | Bonaire, St Eustatius and Saba: transit within 48 hours | |||
| iv. | Curacao: transit within 48 hours 1 | |||
| 1 with this exception, if you are a Haitian national, a visa is mandatory when transiting through Curacao by airport | ||||
| b) | cruise ship - you are a cruise ship passenger and your stay in port lasts no more than 48 hours, or 24 hours in Aruba | |
| c) | Sint Maarten (travelling overland) - if you are travelling overland to Saint Martin (the French part of the island) from St Maarten, you do not need a visa for the time you spend in the Dutch part. You must, however, provide proof of a confirmed hotel reservation. You must also hold a valid visa issued by the French authorities (if you are required to have one). You do need a visa for the other Caribbean parts of the Kingdom, however | |
| d) | air and sea crew - you are a crew member on a civilian aircraft and your stay lasts no more than 48 hours; you are a crew member on a civilian ship in accordance with the Convention on Facilitation of International Maritime Traffic (signed in London on 9 April 1965), and your stay in port lasts no more than 48 hours; you are a seaman who holds a seaman's book and a passport. | |
| 4. | You hold a special travel document. You may not need a visa for the Caribbean parts of the Kingdom if any of the following applies to you: | |
| a) | Laissez-passer holder - you hold a laissez-passer issued by the United Nations or one of its specialised organisations | |
| b) | accredited diplomat - you are a diplomat and have been accredited in the Netherlands for the whole Kingdom | |
| c) | special passport holder - you hold a diplomatic passport, special passport, or service passport (official passport) from one of the following countries: | |
| Nationality | Diplomatic | Service/Official | Special |
|---|---|---|---|
| Passport | Passport | Passport | |
| Bolivia | no visa required | no visa required | visa required |
| Chad | no visa required | visa required | visa required |
| Georgia | no visa required | no visa required | visa required |
| Indonesia | no visa required | no visa required | visa required |
| Jamaica | no visa required | no visa required | visa required |
| Kazakhstan | no visa required | visa required | visa required |
| Malawi | no visa required | no visa required | visa required |
| Morocco | no visa required | no visa required | visa required |
| Pakistan | no visa required | visa required | visa required |
| Peru | no visa required | visa required | no visa required |
| Russia | no visa required | visa required | visa required |
| Senegal | no visa required | visa required | visa required |
| Thailand | no visa required | no visa required | visa required |
| Tunisia | no visa required | no visa required | no visa required |
| Turkey | no visa required | no visa required | no visa required |
| Ukraine | no visa required | visa required | visa required |
| d) | holder of a refugee travel document or alien's travel document - you do not need a visa if: you are the holder of a refugee’s or stateless person's travel document issued by the Kingdom of the Netherlands; you are the holder of a refugee travel document issued by the United States authorities (Form I-571); you are the holder of alien’s travel document, in accordance with the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, issued by the Canadian or US authorities. | |
| 5. | If you have proof of return, a return visa or a residence permit issued by one of the Caribbean parts of the Kingdom, you do not need a visa for the Caribbean parts of the Kingdom provided: | |
| a) | you have proof of return issued by one of the Caribbean parts of the Kingdom. You can use this to enter and exit the country while your application for a new residence permit is being processed, or | |
| b) | you have proof of return or a return visa issued by: a Schengen member state; Canada; Ireland; the United Kingdom; the United States; French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Saint-Barthelemy, St Martin, Mayotte or Reunion, or | |
| c) | you hold a residence permit entitling you to stay for at least 6 months in one of the Caribbean parts of the Kingdom. | |
| 6. | Visa required - if none of the situations listed apply to you, you need a visa for the Caribbean parts of the Kingdom: apply for a short-stay visa (stay of 90 days or less); apply for a long-stay visa (so that you can collect your residence permit). | |
IDENTIFICATION CARDS:
By Dutch law, you must always carry your ID. You should have a copy of your passport
with you at all times.
