What does emigrating to Aruba cost?
Four questions, and you have an honest range for your situation — with for every item whether it's a checked rate or an estimate. The paperwork stays under a thousand euros here; the money is in the container across the ocean and the first months on an import island.
What it costs
A rough indication for your situation
A few short questions, and you get a range instead of an amount. That's deliberate: an exact figure would suggest a precision nobody has.
Count on a total of
€ 3.000 – € 8.700
Where does that difference come from?
- De eerste maanden€ 2.500 – € 7.000
Open the breakdown below: there you'll find per item where the upper and the lower limit come from.
- Aanvraag en papieren
- € 100 – € 800
- De verhuizing
- € 400 – € 900
- De eerste maanden
- € 2.500 – € 7.000
View the itemsPer item the amount, the source and whether it's a rate or an estimate
Aanvraag en papieren
- Verblijfsvergunning (DIMAS)€ 80 – € 650
- Censo, cedula en uittreksels€ 60 – € 150
De verhuizing
- Reis(estimate)€ 400 – € 900
Vliegen, enkele reis Amsterdam-Oranjestad buiten het hoogseizoen. Geen alternatief over de weg — dit is de overzeese bestemming.
De eerste maanden
- De eerste maanden(estimate)€ 2.500 – € 7.000
Gemeubileerd onderdak tot de container er is, borg en eerste huur (lange-termijnhuur loopt grofweg van duizend tot drieduizend dollar per maand), de overbruggingszorgverzekering tot de AZV dekt, inrichting op een importeiland en leven tot het eerste salaris. De internationale school staat hier bewust niet in — het Nederlandstalige bekostigde onderwijs kost tientjes; wie internationaal kiest, telt daar zelf tienduizenden dollars per jaar bij op.
And if you buy a house?
This calculation assumes renting: the first months include deposit and rent in advance.
If you buy, count on 7 to 10% of the purchase price on top of this amount. On a home of € 250,000 that's € 17.500 to € 25.000.
De overdrachtsbelasting is 3% tot een waarde van Afl. 250.000 en 6% daarboven. De notaris rekent 0,5 tot 3%, afhankelijk van de transactie. Samen kom je op 7 tot 10% van de koopsom, en daar komt een eventuele makelaar nog bij. De grondslag is de koopsom of de marktwaarde — de hoogste van de twee.
An order of magnitude based on averages, not a quote. The real amounts depend on your occupation, your route, the season and dozens of choices you still have to make.
Rates checked on 22 August 2026.
Your complete, personal cost picture — with your route, your documents and your deadlines — you get in Vertrekklaar.
From range to your own budget
The calculator above works with four questions; the journey itself knows more. In Vertrekklaar the same model calculates on your real situation — who's coming, which household contents, car along or not — and watches the clocks: ten weeks for the permit, thirty days for the AZV, and the renewal that comes back every year. A one-off € 299, no subscription.
The departure guide
Five mails, and you see your whole journey
Not ready to start yet? Then we'll send you the departure guide for Aruba: five mails in a week and a half, with the order, the pitfalls and the real costs. After that only a short update when something in Aruba really changes — at most one a month, no newsletter, and you can switch it off at any time.
Ready to begin?
Thirty-six journeys are fully ready — Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, England, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Malta, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, Sint Maarten, Canada, Panama, United States, Suriname, China, Dubai, Indonesia, Japan, Thailand, Turkey, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand: your step-by-step plan, your documents and your costs in one place, with the timing watched. Pay once, and it's yours.