Guide to Doing Business
in Saba

Regulated industries

The most relevant regulated industries of Saba are:

Banking

The monetary system of the island is regulated by the Bank of the Netherlands (de Nederlandsche Bank). The Bank of the Netherlands is responsible for safeguarding financial stability. The Bank’s duties on the island are different from those it performs in the Netherlands and in the European System of Central Banks and the Euro System.

Education

As of 10 October 2010 the Minister of Education, Culture and Science (OCW) of the Netherlands is responsible for the education policy on Saba. This means that the schools in Saba form part of the Dutch educational system and receive a budget as such. The objective is that by 2016 the quality of education at schools in Saba should meet the Dutch educational standards. Saba is also home to the Saba University School of Medicine.

Energy

Due to the favorable climate there might be good opportunities for sustainable energy (particularly wind and solar). The Ministry of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation (EL&I) will finance a technical and spatial preliminary research on wind energy on the island. Furthermore, it will also be considered if an energy saving program can be started with local parties so that energy cost for residents and businesses can be lowered.

Healthcare

The hospital on Saba, the A.M. Edwards Medical Center, is governed by the Saba Health Care Foundation. As of January 1st 2011, it took over the hospital from the local government. The Saba Health Care Foundation is a private, non-profit health care organization responsible for providing general patient care on Saba. For both Saba and St. Eustatius there is a helicopter on standby for emergency flights to transport patients to hospitals on neighboring islands, such as St Maarten/

Infrastructure

There is a small airport called the Juancho E. Yrausquin Airport, with flights to and from the nearby island of St. Maarten. There is also a ferry service from and to St. Maarten. Currently there are two ferry services offering transportation between Saba and St. Maarten several times a week.

Telecom

The BES Telecommunications Act is the basis for offering telecommunications services. The operator and supervisor in the field of telecommunications in the Netherlands, the Netherlands Radio Communications Agency (Agentschap Telecom), has been appointed as supervisor and implementer of the telecommunications and postal regulations in Saba. For the execution of these tasks the Netherlands Radio Communications Agency has partnered with the Bureau Telecommunicatie en Post of Curacao.