ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

By Cruise

NEW Entry Requirement between the U.S.A. and the Caribbean, passport a must! link

Cruise ship passengers who visit the island as part of a cruise ship itinerary do not need a visa to enter the island. Only the cruise line crew and cruise ship personnel will need a visa according to the listing mentioned below.

By Air

Citizens of most countries in the world do not need a visa for their entry as a tourist to the island by air.

A tourist is a person who visits Aruba for the purpose of recreation, sports, health, family reasons, study, religious purposes or business and does not take up any gainful occupation during his/her stay in Aruba.

As of July 1, 2006, persons planning to visit Aruba as a tourist may do so for a period not exceeding 30 days  (exceptions provided hereunder) for the purpose of recreation, sports, health, family reasons, study, religious purposes or business must submit the following documentation:

 • A valid travel document, which should be provided with a visa for Aruba in case it concerns a national, NOT mentioned in list A or B.  The travel document must be valid for at least more than 3 months than the return travel date mentioned on the visitor’s ticket;
• The necessary documents for returning to the country of origin (valid permanent resident document);
• The visitor has to be able to show to the immigration officer (if so requested) that he has a valid reservation for an (hotel/appartment) accommodation in Aruba or that he has sufficient financial resources to provide in his cost of living during his stay;

• Return or onward ticket and other documents required for the next destination (visa etc.);

• A completely filled out and signed ED-Card which you will receive on the aircraft

 Non-compliance with one of the above mentioned documentations might result in refusal of entry to Aruba.

 VISITORS WITHOUT A VISA REQUIREMENT FOR ARUBA

Countries allowed to visit Aruba for up to 180 days

Nationals of the countries mentioned in list A are allowed to visit Aruba as a tourist for up to 180 days, provided all aforementioned requirements were met. The total number of days per year cannot exceed 180 days. 

 Tourists who are nationals from one of these countries, and who during their stay in Aruba have decided that they would like to stay for more days than they indicated on the ED-card upon entering Aruba, can do so provided that the total number of days does not exceed 180 days.  They are not required to contact the DIMAS for an extension of their stay. The total amount of days of tourism stay on Aruba cannot exceed 180 days per calendar year.

 Countries allowed to visit Aruba for up to 30 days

 Nationals of the countries mentioned in list B are allowed to visit Aruba as a tourist for 30 consecutive days without a visa, and are granted this amount of days upon entry to Aruba.  They have the possibility to extend their stay for up to 180 consecutive days (per year) if they so choose, because they have property on the island (ownership of a house, time-share apartment or a pleasure yacht moored in Aruba with a length of at least 14 meters from the water line).  They must be able to show proof hereof (for example a copy of the timeshare contract) to the immigration officer upon entering Aruba, whereafter the visitor can be granted a stay in Aruba of more than 30 days but not exceeding 180 days per year.

VISITORS WITH VISA REQUIREMENT FOR ARUBA

Nationals of countries mentioned in list C must have a visa to travel to Aruba, and are allowed to visit Aruba as a tourist for up to 30 consecutive days, provided that all requirements were met.

 Visitors with visa requirement who want to stay longer than 30 days in Aruba

 With property in Aruba

Nationals of the countries mentioned in list C who were granted a visa for Aruba, and who want to stay on the island for more than the maximum of 30 days allowed because they have ownership of a property on the island, can apply for this upon entering Aruba.  They must be able to provide to the immigration officer one of the following: proof of ownership of a house in Aruba, proof of ownership of a time-share apartment or proof of ownership of a pleasure yacht moored in Aruba with a length of at least 14 meters from the water line.  If the immigration officer is satisfied that this is the case and that all the other aforementioned requirements have been met, the visitor(s) with a visa requirement can be granted a stay in Aruba of more than 30 days but not exceeding 180 days.  Once the visitor in this case has been granted a certain amount of days to stay in Aruba that exceeds 30 days but is less than 180 days, and he/she decides during his/her stay on Aruba that he/she wants to stay on the island for additional days (not exceeding 180 days in total), than he/she must apply for an extension of his/her stay at the DIMAS.

 Without property in Aruba

Visitors who require a visa and who do not own property in Aruba, but who want to stay longer in Aruba than the duration of admittance (the visa) granted to them, can submit for that purpose a written and motivated request to the DIMAS during their stay in Aruba by filling out the application form for this purpose at the DIMAS.  The DIMAS will subsequently review the request, after which it will either be granted or denied.  Requesting an extension of the duration of admittance does not automatically imply that it will be granted.  In case it is granted, under no circumstances will the consecutive period of stay in Aruba exceed 30 days.  For example, a tourist from Colombia who has received a visa for a length of stay of 15 days in Aruba, and who wants to extend it by 15 days, must submit a request to the DIMAS to extend his/her length of stay to up to 30 days.

 HOW TO APPLY FOR A VISA FOR ARUBA

Visitors, who are nationals of countries that require a visa for Aruba, must submit a visa application in person at an Embassy or a Consulate (diplomatic missions) of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.  For information about the required documents and for visa application forms, the person with visa requirements who intends to visit Aruba should contact the nearest Dutch diplomatic mission.  They can refer to the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands to obtain the contact information for the Dutch Embassy of Consulate of their choice, www.mfa.nl/en.

 DEFINITION OF A VALID TRAVEL DOCUMENT

A. Visitors entering Aruba from the United States of America must have in their possession A VALID PASSPORT AS THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY REQUIRES A PASSPORT FOR RE-ENTRY INTO THE UNITED STATES and ONE of the following documents.

1. A valid USA passport;
2. For USA citizens born in the USA: ONLY A VALID PASSPORT
3. For USA citizens born outside the USA: a valid passport and an original Certificate of Naturalization with a raised seal and photo identification;
4. A resident of the USA (non USA citizens) for whom NO visa-requirements are applicable for Aruba must have:   a valid passport and

          - A re-entry permit
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          - An Alien Registration Card (Green Card);
5. A resident of the USA (non USA citizens) for whom visa-requirements are applicable for Aruba must travel either with:
          - A valid national passport (provided with a visa for Aruba) or
          - A U.S. government issued refugee passport
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          -  A valid national passport and a re-entry permit (provided with a visa for Aruba)

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            - A valid national passport and an Alien Registration Card (Green Card).

 B. Visitors entering Aruba from Canada must have in their possession ONE of the following documents:
1. A valid Canadian passport;
2. Canadian citizens born in Canada must have a (miniature-original) birth certificate and photo identification (valid driver's license); a (miniature) baptismal certificate or a (miniature) certificate of Proof of Canadian Citizenship;
3. Canadian citizens born outside of Canada must have:
            - An original Certificate of Naturalization
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            - A (miniature) Certificate of Proof of Canadian Citizenship;
4. Canadian residents for whom NO visa-requirements are applicable for Aruba must have:
            - A national passport
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            - A Canadian Immigration Identification Certificate (CHC) with a landing stamp in the national                                           passport
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            - A Certificate of identity;
5. Canadian residents, for whom visa-requirements are applicable for Aruba, must travel with:
            - A valid national passport with a landing stamp in the passport provided with a visa for Aruba
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            - A Canadian Immigration Identification Certificate with a visa for Aruba.

IT IS ADVISABLE TO OBTAIN A PASSPORT FOR TRAVELING

The U.S. State Department and the Department Homeland Security recently announced the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, which will require all U.S. citizens and foreign nationals, to carry a passport or other accepted secure documents to enter or re-enter the U.S. from vacations or business travel anywhere in the Caribbean effective January 23, 2007.  This requirement is applied to all air and sea travel.  It is therefore advisable for all travelers from the U.S. to apply for their passports, and to allow six to eight weeks to process U.S. passport applications in anticipation of their vacations to Aruba, where happiness lives.  For more information on the new U.S. passport initiative, please visit www.travel.state.gov

 WORKING IN ARUBA

All visitors wishing to work in Aruba must have a written permit from the Directorate of Alien Integration, Policy and Admission (DIMAS).  Visitors are not allowed to be in paid employment by an Aruban employer while visiting Aruba as a tourist.  Further information and application forms for written permits can be obtained free of charge at the DIMAS.

 For more information please contact:

 Departamento di Integracion, Maneho y Admision di Stranhero (DIMAS)

The Directorate of Alien Integration, Policy and Admission
Wilhelminastraat 31-33, Oranjestad, Aruba
Tel: (297) 5221500 Fax: (297) 5221505 Call center: (297) 5221590 Appointment line: (297) 5221502 FAX short stay department (VISA): (297) 5221501 Email: dimas@aruba.gov.aw

No rights can be derived from the contents of this information letter. The requirements may be adjusted without previous notice.