Sint Maarten (Dutch part)

Visa Sint Maarten (Dutch part)

Amériques · Caraïbes

In Sint Maarten, the Immigration and Border Protection Service (IBPS), which reports to the Ministry of Justice, processes residence applications. The pages consulted on 2026-09-17 describe four permits: temporary residence permit, permanent residence permit, declaration of admission by operation of law and declaration that the regulations do not apply. All applications are filed online on the service's platform, after an account has been created.

The information on this page helps prepare a case. Only the competent authority decides; always check the official source before filing an application.

Machine-assisted draft, reviewed by a person on 23 September 2026. Only the authority cited is authoritative.

Published on 23 September 2026 · Reviewed by vg_admin on 23 September 2026 · Sources consulted on 17 September 2026

At a glance

Authority: Immigration and Border Protection Service (IBPS), Ministry of Justice of Sint Maarten
Submission channel: Filed online on the service's platform, after creating a personal account or a service provider account; payment made at the receiver's office
Electronic visa: Not stated on the portal consulted; the platform read deals with residence permits and not with a short-stay visa
Portal language: Dutch (pages consulted in Dutch)

Do you need a visa?

Your nationality

Choose a nationality to see the recorded entry rule. No answer is shown until reviewed data exists.

Documented visa types

"Tijdelijke verblijfsvergunning" — temporary residence permit: Issued for a specific purpose and a limited duration. The purposes cited are employment, family, studies at an accredited institution, business or investment, internship, retirement and volunteering or religious activity. Official page (new tab)
"Permanente verblijfsvergunning" — permanent residence permit: The page states that it may be applied for after five years of continuous lawful residence. Official page (new tab)
"Verklaring van toelating van rechtswege" — declaration of admission by operation of law: Provided for Dutch nationals who are entitled to it, according to the page consulted. Official page (new tab)
Declaration that the regulations do not apply: Provided for people who do not fall within the scope of the permit regime, according to the page consulted. Official page (new tab)

Where and how to apply

According to the official page, all applications are filed online on the platform of the Immigration and Border Protection Service. The applicant first creates an account: a personal account, which makes it possible to handle one's own application and that of dependents or of another person and their dependents, or a service provider account, intended for several applicants.

The page states that foreign nationals wishing to reside in Sint Maarten beyond the authorized length of stay need a residence permit or a declaration. It specifies that Dutch nationals born outside the Caribbean may also have to produce documents for registration and residence purposes.

Steps in the procedure

Create a personal account on the service's platform.
Answer the preliminary questionnaire, which determines the documents to provide.
Complete the digital application form.
Make the payment at the receiver's office, using the reference number generated.
Upload the proof of payment to the platform.
Submit the complete application and await the authority's decision.

Documents mentioned by the authority

The documents required depend on the applicant's personal situation: the platform's preliminary questionnaire produces a tailored list, according to the page consulted.
Files must be uploaded in PDF format.
Proof of the payment made at the receiver's office, to be uploaded to the platform.
After the grant, health insurance valid for at least one year covering general practitioner consultations, medicines, specialist treatments and hospital care.

The exact list depends on the permit applied for and on the situation; only the official page is authoritative.

Stated fees and processing times

According to the portal consulted on 2026-09-17, the fees vary with the type of application and an invoice is generated automatically after submission. Payment is made at the receiver's office using the reference number. The page specifies that the fees are not refunded, whatever the outcome of the application, and that deposits are refundable only in the limited cases it lists: naturalization, permanent departure or death of the applicant. No amount is stated: "Not stated on the portal consulted".

Not stated on the portal consulted: the page announces no processing time. It does, on the other hand, recommend filing the application three months before the expiry date of the current permit.

After the decision

According to the page consulted, the holder of a permit must take out health insurance valid for at least one year, covering general practitioner consultations, medicines, specialist treatments and hospital care. The page also states that registration in the population register, with the civil registry service, is mandatory after arrival.

The page specifies that an applicant who disagrees with the decision may lodge a written appeal, according to the procedure set out in the decision letter. The decision rests with the authority.

Published procedures

No reviewed and published procedure for Sint Maarten (Dutch part) to date. We prefer an empty page to an invented requirement.

Explore procedures

Frequently asked questions

Is a visa required to travel to Sint Maarten?

It depends on nationality and on the purpose of travel; the rule reviewed by VisaGuideline is shown with the nationality selector on this page. The pages consulted deal with residence permits and do not cover the short-stay visa.

Where is the application filed?

According to the official page, all applications are filed online on the platform of the Immigration and Border Protection Service, after creating a personal account or a service provider account.

What permits can be issued?

According to the page consulted: a temporary residence permit, a permanent residence permit, a declaration of admission by operation of law and a declaration that the regulations do not apply.

When can a permanent permit be applied for?

According to the page consulted, after five years of continuous lawful residence in Sint Maarten.

What are the fees and processing times?

According to the portal consulted on 2026-09-17, the fees vary with the type of application, an invoice is generated automatically and payment is made at the receiver's office; they are not refunded whatever the outcome. No amount and no processing time is published.

What can be done if the application is refused?

According to the page consulted, a written appeal may be lodged according to the procedure set out in the decision letter.

Official sources

Service de l'immigration et de la protection des frontières de Sint-Maarten — plateforme (new tab) Authority

Consulted sources

Official pages read to write this guide, with the date they were read. A page may have changed since: check it before taking any step.

Welkom op de officiele website van de Immigratie- en Grensbeschermingsdienst van Sint Maarten (IBPS) (new tab) read on 17 September 2026
FAQSList (new tab) read on 17 September 2026

What this guide does not know yet

Points the official source does not specify and which this guide therefore left blank. Ask the competent authority about them before filing an application.

The pages consulted deal with residence permits and not with the short-stay visa: a reviewer must say which authority to refer to for the short-stay visa of the Dutch Caribbean.
No fee amount is published: they are calculated by the platform after the application is submitted.
No processing time is announced; only a recommendation to file three months before the expiry of the current permit is given.
The pages were read in Dutch: a language review is desirable before publication.
The page of the Ministry of Justice of Sint Maarten, cited as a link, was not consulted.

Prepare my case

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