Just Landed in Curacao? Your First 7 Days

Mobile and fibre coverage across the island is good and competitive between Flow and Digicel. Flow, which absorbed the former state operator UTS, generally has the broadest reach outside the main urban corridors, while Digicel is strong in and around Willemstad and runs its own fibre-to-the-home network. Prepaid SIMs are sold on the spot with your passport, whereas postpaid contracts and home fibre usually require a residence permit and proof of local address.

Typical cost: Prepaid data bundles from around USD 15-30/month; home fibre broadband from roughly USD 45-75/month depending on speed and any TV bundle.

In 2025 Curacao and Sint Maarten replaced the Netherlands Antillean guilder (ANG) with the new Caribbean guilder (XCG), abbreviated Cg, which keeps the same fixed peg of about 1.79 to the US dollar. Dollars still circulate freely alongside it, and card or contactless payment is common in supermarkets, malls and restaurants. Many small vendors, food trucks and independent landlords, however, still strongly prefer cash.

Opening an account: Maduro & Curiel's Bank (MCB), RBC Royal Bank and Banco di Caribe are the main retail banks, with Vidanova Bank a smaller local option. Opening an account as a foreigner generally requires a residence or work permit, passport, proof of local address and often proof of income; tourists cannot open accounts, and compliance checks make the process slow, so expect several visits.

Cash: Cards work across the tourist and retail economy, but keep cash for taxis, local markets, truk'i pan food trucks and small landlords. Guilder and US dollars are interchangeable for everyday purchases, though change is usually given in guilder, and some places round awkwardly, so smaller notes are always useful.

Tipping: Restaurants often add a 10-15% service charge, so check the bill before topping up. Where none is included, 10-15% is standard, and rounding up for taxis, delivery and small services is appreciated rather than expected.

Residents must be entered in the Kranshi (Bureau Burgerzaken, the civil registry and population register) at their local address, while residence itself is administered by the Toelatingsorganisatie (admission body). This is a genuine legal registration, not merely visa paperwork: it produces your persoonsnummer, the personal number that banks, employers and utilities rely on. Bring legalised originals, several photocopies and proof of address, and be prepared for return visits, because staff routinely send applicants home for one more document. There is no single short fixed window like the Dutch Anmeldung, but delaying registration holds up almost everything else, so treat it as an early priority.

Deadline: Register at the Kranshi promptly once you hold a residence permit and have a confirmed local address; there is no rigid statutory countdown, but do it without delay to obtain your persoonsnummer and unblock banking and utilities.

Where: Kranshi (Bureau Burgerzaken / Publieke Zaken) in Willemstad for civil registration; the Toelatingsorganisatie for the underlying residence or work permit.

Curacao is thoroughly car-oriented and most residents drive; distances are short and the main roads are generally decent, if occasionally potholed. Autobus Bedrijf Curacao (ABC) runs large public buses and licensed konvoi minibuses (marked BUS) between Willemstad and outlying districts. Service along the main corridors is workable, but away from them buses run infrequently and stop early, so relying on public transport alone is difficult outside the centre.

From the airport: Curacao International Airport (Hato, CUR) is about 12 km, or 15-20 minutes, from central Willemstad. Use the fixed-fare official taxis at the rank and agree the price first (around USD 30-35 to Punda, Otrobanda or Pietermaai), a pre-booked hotel shuttle, or a rental car collected at the terminal. There is no Uber or Lyft on the island, so plan your first transfer in advance.

Most newcomers rent through local agents, Facebook groups and word of mouth rather than large international portals. Areas near Willemstad such as Pietermaai, Scharloo, Julianadorp and Jan Thiel are convenient and pricier, while Bandabou and inland districts are cheaper and more local. Furnished expat-oriented rentals move fast, so line up viewings quickly and be ready to commit when you find a good one.

Typical rent: A one-bedroom apartment typically runs USD 700-1,200/month; furnished units in Pietermaai, Jan Thiel or gated resort areas cost considerably more, sometimes double.

Deposit norm: Expect one to two months' rent as a deposit plus the first month upfront; furnished expat and short-term rentals may ask for more, and some landlords request post-dated cheques or bank transfers.

Curacao has a compulsory basic health insurance scheme (BVZ, run by the SVB social insurance bank) for those in the formal system, alongside private cover. Curacao Medical Center (CMC) in Willemstad is the main modern hospital, opened to replace the old St Elisabeth Hospital; complex or specialist cases are sometimes referred abroad to Colombia or the Netherlands. Standards are generally good, but wait times and the range of specialties can be limited by the island's size.

How to access it: Register with a local huisarts (GP), who is your first point of contact and gatekeeper for referrals to specialists. For emergencies, go to CMC's spoedeisende hulp (emergency department), call 912 for an ambulance, or 910 for the hospital. Keep proof of insurance with you, as private patients may be asked to confirm cover.

Insurance: Employees in the formal system are covered by BVZ once they are contributing; pensioners, remote workers, dependants and many permit applicants need private international health insurance, which residence applications frequently require as proof. Confirm your policy is accepted locally and covers medical evacuation, given the possibility of referral abroad.

• Greet people before getting to business; a friendly 'bon dia' or 'bon tardi' in Papiamentu opens most doors and is expected in shops and offices.
• Learn a few Papiamentu phrases even though Dutch, English and Spanish all work; locals genuinely appreciate the effort and warm to you quickly.
• Keep beachwear for the beach; wearing swimsuits into shops, banks or restaurants is considered rude and marks you out as a careless visitor.
• Be patient and unhurried in social and service settings; pushing hard for speed reads as disrespectful, and 'island time' governs many interactions.
• Accept and offer small courtesies warmly, from a handshake to a chat before the transaction, as relationships oil almost everything here.
• Respect quiet Sundays and family time; much of the island slows right down, and many businesses keep short or no hours.
• Dress a little more neatly than you might expect for official appointments and church; presentation is quietly noticed.

• Bureaucracy at the Kranshi and government offices can be slow; bring every document, multiple copies and legalised originals, and expect to return more than once.
• The sun and dry heat are intense, and the constant trade winds mask how quickly you burn and dehydrate, so use sunscreen and drink more water than feels necessary.
• Petty theft from cars and unattended bags happens near beaches and tourist spots, so never leave valuables visible in a vehicle.
• Hurricane season runs June to November; Curacao sits south of the main belt, but tropical systems still disrupt flights and imported supplies.
• Some official correspondence and contracts arrive only in Dutch, so do not sign anything you have not had translated or clearly explained.