Curaçao is a multicultural island that is home to many nationalities. People of certain nationalities must have a visa to travel to the Schengen area. The Office of the Governor of Curaçao can issue Schengen visas to people who have a valid residence permit. It can also issue Schengen visas to non-Dutch residents of Bonaire.
The Schengen area is made up of the EU countries listed on: www.rijksoverheid.nl
You can use this website to check whether you need a Schengen visa.
What is a visa?
A visa is an authorisation or endorsement giving you permission to travel to a particular country. If you are issued with a visa, a visa sticker will be placed in your passport. It means that, when the visa was issued, there was no objection to your entering and staying temporarily in the country for which the visa was issued or travelling on to a third country. It does not give you an automatic right of entry. When you enter the country, you have to show that you still meet the entry conditions.
The Office of the Governor deals with visa applications for journeys to the Schengen area when the Netherlands is the main destination within the area. If you have any doubts about whether you need a visa, contact the Office of the Governor.
The Office of the Governor also represents a number of other Schengen countries. You can apply to it for visas to travel to those countries as well. The Netherlands need not be the main destination.
The countries represented by the Office of the Governor are:
- Belgium
- Estonia
- France
- Hungary
- Iceland
- Italy
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Norway
- Malta
- Portugal
- Spain
- Sweden
What is a transit visa?
If you are planning to travel to a third country via a Schengen country, you may need a transit visa. If you intend to travel from one of the countries listed above to a non-Schengen country, you can apply to the Office of the Governor for a transit visa. If you have any doubts about whether you need a visa, contact the Office of the Governor.
Visa applications
If you wish to apply for a Schengen visa, you can be asked to submit the following documents:
- a visa application form completed in full. You can download the application form in Dutch, English, Spanish, French and Chinese here:
- Application form Dutch
- Application form English
- Application form Spanish
- Application form French
- Application form Chinese
- A valid passport;
- A recent passport photo (1×);
- A valid residence permit;
- An employer’s declaration;
- Pay slips for the past three months;
- Bank statements for the past three months;
- Where applicable, an original letter of invitation from a friend or relative in the Schengen area;
- Where applicable, a copy of your host’s passport;
- Where applicable, your host’s pay slip for the previous month;
- Where applicable, a hotel reservation;
- Where the application is made for a child under the age of 18, the parent or guardian’s permission;
- Where the application is made for a child under the age of 18, an original copy of a school transcript.
The precise documents you are asked to submit can differ from case to case and from situation to situation. You are therefore advised to contact the consular affairs division of the Office of the Governor before applying for a visa.
In 2024, a Schengen visa costs NAf 160,- at the Cabinet of the Governor.
