Just Landed in Aruba? Your First 7 Days

Mobile and fibre coverage across the island is strong and reliable, dominated by the state-owned Setar and by Digicel. Setar's Mi Fi and fibre network reaches most residential areas, and 4G is fast across the populated west coast. Prepaid SIMs are sold with your passport in minutes; postpaid contracts and home fibre installation usually need a residence permit and proof of address.

Typical cost: Prepaid data bundles run roughly USD 10-30 per month depending on volume; home fibre packages typically cost around USD 40-80 per month, often bundled with TV.

The florin is pegged to the US dollar at an official rate near 1.79 AWG, and dollars circulate freely alongside it, so you rarely need to convert deliberately. Card payment via Visa and Mastercard is standard in shops, supermarkets and restaurants, but many food trucks, market stalls and independent landlords still prefer cash. Contactless is increasingly common in the tourist economy.

Opening an account: Aruba Bank, Caribbean Mercantile Bank (CMB, an RBC affiliate) and Banco di Caribe are the main retail banks, all with branches in Oranjestad and Noord. Opening an account as a foreigner generally requires a valid residence or work permit, your passport, a local address and sometimes a reference or minimum deposit; tourists cannot open accounts. Expect the process to take days to weeks and to involve in-person visits.

Cash: Card is widely accepted across the retail and tourist economy, but keep cash for taxis, local snack trucks, weekend markets and small landlords. US dollars and florin are interchangeable for everyday purchases, and it is normal to pay in one and receive change in the other, so carry small notes of both.

Tipping: A 10-15% service charge is often already added to restaurant bills, so check before adding more. Where no charge is included, 10-15% is standard; rounding up for taxis, tour guides and hairdressers is appreciated, and a small tip for hotel and grocery baggers is customary.

Long-term residents must be entered in the Censo (the civil registry and population register) at their residential address once they hold a residence permit, and residence itself is administered separately by DIMAS. This is a genuine legal registration that gives you a persoonsnummer (personal number) used for banking, insurance and official dealings, not merely visa paperwork. Short-stay tourists do not register.

Deadline: Register with the Censo promptly after your DIMAS residence permit is approved. There is no rigid short fixed window like the Dutch Anmeldung, but delaying it holds up your persoonsnummer, bank account and AZV coverage, so treat it as an early priority rather than an afterthought.

Where: Censo Aruba and the Kadaster in Oranjestad handle civil registration; DIMAS in Oranjestad issues the underlying residence and work permits.

Aruba is car-oriented and most residents drive, as distances are short and the roads are decent and well signposted. Arubus runs public buses along the main coastal corridor between San Nicolas, Oranjestad and the Palm Beach hotel area, with reasonable frequency on that spine but sparse or no service in inland and residential districts. Buying a monthly Arubus card and knowing the timetable helps, but a car quickly becomes near-essential.

From the airport: Reina Beatrix International Airport (AUA) is about 10 minutes from central Oranjestad. Use the fixed-fare official taxis at the rank (confirm the zone price first, roughly USD 12-15 to Oranjestad and USD 15-25 to Palm Beach), a pre-booked hotel shuttle, or a rental car. There is no Uber or Lyft on the island, and Arubus does not run a direct airport route to the resorts, so plan the first ride in advance.

Most newcomers rent through local agents, Facebook groups and word of mouth rather than large international portals, so joining the right community groups matters. Noord and Oranjestad are the most convenient and priciest, while Santa Cruz, Paradera and San Nicolas offer cheaper, more local options for those willing to drive. Furnished expat rentals near the beach command a clear premium.

Typical rent: A one-bedroom apartment typically runs AWG 1,250-2,700 (USD 700-1,500) per month depending on area and furnishing; larger houses and short-term or high-rise-area units cost considerably more.

Deposit norm: Expect one to two months' rent as a deposit plus the first month upfront; furnished expat rentals and agencies may ask for more, and always view the property and meet the landlord before paying anything.

Aruba runs a compulsory general health insurance scheme, AZV (Algemene Ziektekosten Verzekering), funded through payroll contributions, alongside private clinics and pharmacies. Dr. Horacio E. Oduber Hospital in Oranjestad is the island's only full hospital and handles emergencies and most specialist care, while a medical centre in San Nicolas serves the south. Complex or specialist cases are sometimes referred to Colombia or the Netherlands.

How to access it: Register with a local huisdokter (GP), who is your first point of contact and refers you to specialists and hospital care. For emergencies, go directly to the Oduber Hospital emergency department or call 911. Pharmacies (botica) are widespread; carry your insurance card and any prescriptions, and note that some medicines available elsewhere may need to be imported.

Insurance: Legal residents in employment are covered by AZV once they and their employer contribute, which also grants access to the huisdokter and hospital system. Pensioners, remote workers, the self-employed and dependants who fall outside AZV need private or international health insurance, and DIMAS often requires proof of valid coverage as part of a residence-permit application.

• Greet people before getting to business; a warm 'bon dia', 'bon tardi' or 'bon nochi' in Papiamento opens almost any interaction.
• Learn a handful of Papiamento phrases, as locals genuinely appreciate the effort even though English, Dutch and Spanish all work fine.
• Keep beachwear for the beach; wearing swimsuits into shops, banks, offices or restaurants is considered disrespectful.
• Accept that 'island time' is real for social and some service matters, so build in patience for appointments, tradespeople and bureaucracy.
• Be courteous and unhurried with officials and shopkeepers; brusque, demanding behaviour lands badly and slows things down.
• Bring or offer a little something when invited to someone's home, and expect generous, food-centred hospitality in return.
• Respect that many Arubans juggle several languages, and switch to English gently rather than assuming everyone speaks it first.

• Bureaucracy at DIMAS, the Censo and other offices can be slow; bring every document, multiple copies and expect return visits.
• The sun and dry heat are intense; the constant trade winds mask how quickly you burn or dehydrate, even on cloudy days.
• Hurricane season runs June to November; Aruba sits south of the main belt but tropical weather can still disrupt flights and supply chains.
• Government and many business hours are short and can be irregular, with early closing and long lunch breaks, so plan errands for the morning.
• Some imported goods and specialist services are limited or expensive, so do not assume everything from home is easily available on the island.