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.

You must be in possession of a valid travel document when travelling to or in a foreign country. If you have lost your travel document or do not have one, in exceptional circumstances and subject to strict conditions, you can apply for an emergency passport.

Conditions for receiving an emergency passport
You will be issued with an emergency passport only if you satisfy the following conditions:

• You have Dutch nationality;
• You are unable to apply to the Civil Registry (Kranshi) in time to be issued with a national passport (i.e. an ‘ordinary’ passport);
• You can demonstrate that you cannot postpone your journey;
• You can provide proof of your identity, nationality and/or place of residence.

Documents required for an emergency passport
You will be asked to submit at least the following documents:

• Your previous, expired passport;
• A recent passport photo (no more than three months old);
• A valid identity document (e.g. a driving licence or residence permit);
• For a child aged under 18 or an adult who has never previously had a passport, a birth certificate issued no more than six months ago;
• A valid identity document of the parent(s) of a child aged under 18;
• Where applicable, original custody papers for children aged under 18;
• Where applicable, official permission from both parents if they have shared parental responsibility. 
• If either or both of the parents is/are abroad, you must also submit a copy of their passport(s);
• If you are a resident of Curaçao, proof that you have made an appointment with the Kranshi/Bentana di informashon to apply for a new national passport;
• Proof that your journey cannot be postponed;

if your most recent national passport is missing, you must submit a statement to the Office of the Governor of Curaçao before an emergency passport can be issued.  To do so, you must complete a ‘Personal Statement Form’ (Eigen Verklaring Formulier), stating when and where you last used your passport, etc. The Office of the Governor will then make enquiries with the body that issued your passport. An emergency passport cannot be issued before this information is received. It is therefore not advisable to incur unnecessary costs while enquiries are still being made (e.g. by booking flights).

In 2024 the Cabinet of the Governor charges NAf 112,- to issue an emergency passport.
The person in whose name the emergency passport is issued must be present when the application is made and when the emergency passport is collected. However, this requirement may be waived on urgent medical grounds.

As a rule, you cannot enter the United States of America on an emergency passport. For more information, contact the Consulate-General of the United States of America in Curaçao on +5999 461 3066.

How can you obtain the Dutch Nationality?

If you do not automatically have the Dutch nationality by law, you may be able to obtain it by means of the option procedure or the naturalisation procedure. To qualify for these procedures, you must meet certain conditions. Even if you meet all conditions, both procedures take time.

The conditions for the option procedure and the naturalisation procedure are complicated. The information on this website is intended to help you but it may not be complete in parts. You should contact the Office of the Governor of Curaçao in good time to learn about the conditions and the procedure to be followed. You can telephone the Office of the Governor on +5999 4618555 on weekdays between 14:00 and 16:00 o’ clock.

Obtaining the Dutch nationality by means of the option procedureTo qualify for the option procedure, you must fit in one of the special categories of foreign nationals named in the Netherlands Nationality Act (Rijkswet op het Nederlanderschap).

You qualify for the option procedure if you meet one of the following requirements:

• You are aged 18 or over and were born in the Kingdom of the Netherlands and have lived there continuously since birth. If you are in this category and were born in Curaçao, you must submit proof of residence in each year since your birth, for example by means of primary school reports, baptism certificate, confirmation certificate, etc.;
• You were born in the Kingdom of the Netherlands and are living there legally for an uninterrupted period of at least three years and have been stateless since birth;
• You are living in the Kingdom of the Netherlands for an uninterrupted period of at least 15 years and are married to the same Dutch national for at least three years;
• You are aged 65 or over and are living legally in the Kingdom of the Netherlands for an interrupted period of at least 15 years;
• You are aged 18 or older, are a former Dutch national and are living in the Kingdom of the Netherlands for at least one year. If you are in this category, see also the brochure published by the Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND);
• You are a minor and were acknowledged by law or by establishment of paternity by a Dutch national after April 1st, 2003 but before March 1st, 2009, provided you were acknowledged before your seventh birthday;

There are also other categories for the option procedure. They are named in the Netherlands Nationality Act and in the brochure “Hoe kunt u Nederlander worden?”

The accompanying diagram shows which steps have to be taken to obtain the Dutch nationality by means of the option procedure.
Download “Optie wie doet wat?”

Obtaining the Dutch nationality by means of the naturalisation procedureThe naturalisation procedure is also subject to strict conditions. You must meet all the following conditions to qualify for naturalization. You must:

• Be aged 18 or older;
• Be sufficiently integrated. To demonstrate that you are sufficiently integrated, you must sit the Civic Integration Examination in Dutch and Papiamentu. You may be exempted from the Civic Integration Examination if you have certain certificates or diplomas. You may also be exempted on medical grounds or if you have very special individual circumstances. You should contact the Office of the Governor of Curaçao in good time if you think you qualify for an exemption;
• Living in the Kingdom of the Netherlands legally for an uninterrupted period of at least five years before making your request. This will be verified by means of the residence permits you submit. In certain circumstances, you may have lived legally in the Kingdom of the Netherlands for an uninterrupted period of less than five years. These shorter periods are:
  1. Three years if you are married to and lived with the same Dutch national throughout that period;
  2. Three years if you are the unmarried partner of a Dutch national and you live together in the Kingdom of the Netherlands throughout that period;
  3. Two years if you have resided in the Kingdom of the Netherlands with a valid residence permit for at least 10 years, of which the last two years continuously.

To qualify for a shorter period, you must be sufficiently integrated, as noted above.

Naturalisation of minors as part of the same request

• You can simultaneously request the Dutch nationality for you and your children aged under 18 years. A number of conditions apply, one being that the children are living with you when the request is made and that they have valid residence permits.

Additional conditions may also be set. They are named in the Netherlands Nationality Act (Rijkswet op het Nederlanderschap) and in the brochure “Hoe kunt u Nederlander worden?”

In 2024, the costs for an option at the Cabinet of the Governor are:

• NAf 423,- for a single request
• NAf 721,- for a joint request
• for accompanying children NAf 47,- per child.

In 2024, the costs for naturalization at the Cabinet of the Governor are:

• NAf 1.994,- for a single request
• NAf 2.544,- for a joint request
• for accompanying children NAf 294,- per child.

The accompanying diagram shows which steps have to be taken to obtain the Dutch nationality by means of the naturalisation procedure.
Download “Naturalisatie wie doet wat?”

Hoe kunt u Nederlander worden?

Als u niet van rechtswege over de Nederlandse nationaliteit beschikt, kunt u in bepaalde gevallen de Nederlandse nationaliteit verkrijgen door optie of naturalisatie. Er gelden voor deze procedures verschillenden vereiste waar u aan dient te voldoen. Beide procedures nemen, ook indien u aan de voorwaarden voldoet, de nodige tijd in beslag.

De voorwaarden voor optie(procedure) en naturalisatie(procedure) zijn ingewikkeld. De informatie op deze website is als hulpmiddel bedoeld en kan op onderdelen niet volledig zijn. Neemt u tijdig contact op met het Kabinet van de Gouverneur om u voor te laten lichten over de voorwaarden en de te volgen procedure. U kunt op werkdagen van 09:00 uur tot 12:00 uur en van 14:00 uur tot 16:00 uur het Kabinet van de Gouverneur bereiken via telefoonnummer +5999 461 8555.

Nederlandse nationaliteit verkrijgen door optie
Om in aanmerking te komen voor optie dient de vreemdeling te behoren tot een bijzondere, in de wet (Rijkswet op het Nederlanderschap) genoemde categorie.

Zo is de optieprocedure er voor:

• De toegelaten meerderjarige vreemdelingen die in het Koninkrijk zijn geboren en daar altijd hebben gewoond. Voor deze categorie dient de aanvrager die op Curaçao is geboren vanaf geboorte elk levensjaar met bewijsstukken te kunnen onderbouwen. Hier kan men denken aan basisschoolrapporten, doopsel- en vormselbewijzen, etc.;
• Vreemdelingen die staatloos zijn, die binnen het Koninkrijk zijn geboren en voorafgaand aan hun verzoek ten minste 3 jaar onafgebroken binnen het Koninkrijk legaal woonachtig zijn geweest;
• Vreemdelingen die minimaal 15 jaar onafgebroken legaal in het Koninkrijk verblijven en ten minste drie jaar met dezelfde Nederlander getrouwd zijn;
• Vreemdelingen die 65 jaar of ouder zijn en ten minste 15 jaar onafgebroken legaal in het Koninkrijk verblijven;
• Meerderjarige oud-Nederlanders die ten minste 1 jaar toelating en hoofdverblijf hebben binnen het Koninkrijk. Zie hiervoor ook de brochure van de Immigratie- en Naturalisatiedienst (IND);
• Minderjarige vreemdelingen die ná 1 april 2003 maar vóór 1 maart 2009 door een Nederlander zijn erkend of gewettigd. De erkenning dient voor het zevende levensjaar van betrokkene te zijn geschied.

Er zijn ook andere optiecategorieën. Kijkt u hiervoor in Rijkswet op het Nederlanderschap (Rijkswet op het Nederlanderschap) of in de brochure “Hoe kunt u Nederlander worden?”

De kosten voor optie bedragen: voor één persoon ANG 390,-, voor een gezamenlijk verzoek ANG 666,- en voor elk mee te opterende kinderen ANG 44,- per kind.

In het bijgaande schema kunt u zien welke stappen leiden tot het verkrijgen van het Nederlanderschap via optie.Download “Optie wie doet wat?”

Nederlander worden via naturalisatie
Ook de naturalisatieprocedure kent strikte voorwaarden waaraan een vreemdeling moet voldoen om Nederlander te kunnen worden. Voor naturalisatieprocedure komen vreemdelingen in aanmerking die voldoen aan alle onderstaande vereisten. Men moet achtereenvolgens:

• Meerderjarig zijn;
• Voldoende zijn ingeburgerd. Dit wordt aan de hand van de naturalisatietoets in de talen Nederlands en Papiaments getoetst. Vreemdelingen die over bepaalde certificaten of diploma’s beschikken, kunnen mogelijk vrijstelling voor de naturalisatietoets krijgen. Ook in bijzondere (medische) omstandigheden kan vrijstelling voor de naturalisatietoets worden verkregen. Neemt u tijdig contact op met het Kabinet van de Gouverneur als u denkt dat dit op u van toepassing is;
• Voorafgaand aan zijn/haar verzoek dient de vreemdeling vijf jaar onafgebroken toelating en hoofdverblijf hebben binnen het Koninkrijk. Aan de hand van de overlegde verblijfsvergunningen wordt dit geverifieerd;
  In bepaalde gevallen wordt er een kortere termijn gesteld voor de vereiste onafgebroken toelating en hoofdverblijf, waaronder:
  1. Drie jaar indien een vreemdeling gedurende die periode onafgebroken gehuwd is en samenwoont met één en dezelfde Nederlander;
  2. Drie jaar onafgebroken samenwoont binnen het Koninkrijk met een en dezelfde ongehuwde Nederlandse partner;
  3. Twee jaar indien een vreemdeling ten minste tien jaar toelating en hoofdverblijf heeft binnen het Koninkrijk (waarvan de laatste twee jaren zonder verblijfsgaten).

Ook bij de uitzonderingen dient de vreemdeling voldoende te zijn ingeburgerd, zoals in het tweede punt wordt benoemd.

Mede-naturalisatie minderjarigen

• Minderjarigen kunnen tot en met hun 17de jaar met hun ouders mee naturaliseren. Hiervoor geldt ook een aantal voorwaarden, waaronder het vereiste dat zij op het moment van de aanvraag bij hun ouders wonen en dat zij over een geldige verblijfsvergunning beschikken.

Er kunnen aanvullende vereisten gelden. Kijkt u hiervoor in Rijkswet op het Nederlanderschap (Rijkswet op het Nederlanderschap) of in de brochure “Hoe kunt u Nederlander worden?” 

De kosten voor naturalisatie bedragen: voor één persoon ANG 1839,-; voor een echtpaar ANG 2348,- en voor elk mee te naturaliseren kinderen ANG 272,- per kind.

In het bijgaande schema kunt u zien welke stappen leiden tot het verkrijgen van het Nederlanderschap via naturalisatie
Download “Naturalisatie wie doet wat?”