Tourists & visas -Guide to doing business

Tourists & visas

A tourist is legally defined as someone who resides within St. Maarten for no longer than three months for purposes of relaxation, sports, health reasons, family matters, family visit, study, religious purposes or business purposes and provided that no work is being performed during the stay for which payment is being received.

Tourists do not have to apply for a temporary residence permit or for admission by right in order to reside in St. Maarten. The allowed maximum length of the tourist stay depends on the tourist’s country of origin:

Tourists having Dutch nationality may enter St. Maarten for a period of six months;
Tourists originating from the European Union, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Japan may stay for three months;
Tourists having other nationalities may enter St. Maarten for a maximum period of thirty days unless the return ticket provides for a shorter term. In case such tourist wishes to lengthen the stay, an application for prolongation must be filed at the Immigration Authorities (Vreemdelingendienst).

Please note that certain nationalities require a visa, in which case the length of the tourist stay depends on the validity period of the visa.

Do note that during the stay as a tourist work is prohibited insofar remuneration is received from a local employer