Kranshi and the sédula: the registration your Curaçao life hangs on
Within five days of settling you're supposed to be on the books at Kranshi — with your declaration, your tenancy agreement and a proof of deregistration from the Netherlands no older than six months. Three working days later you collect the sédula, and only then do you really exist on the island.
5 min read
Written and checked by Auke on , against the sources at the bottom. Is something no longer right? Report it below and I'll fix it.
Whoever settles on Curaçao registers within five days at Kranshi, the population register's office. It is free and goes by appointment. Three working days later you collect, for XCG 15, the sédula: the island's identity card. Bank, employer and health insurer are all waiting for it.
Two things to know now:
- The proof of deregistration. The find at the digital desk is in the list of documents: Kranshi wants a proof of deregistration from the Netherlands no older than six months. That is the paper people forget to ask for when they deregister and then have to chase from the island.
- The order. First the declaration (the declaration of admission by operation of law, your residence title), then Kranshi, then the sédula. Each link wants to see the previous one.
Whoever arranges two things properly in the Netherlands runs through the chain in a week and a half. Whoever misses something waits for post while the rest stands still.
Why does everything hang on Kranshi?
The building is officially called Publieke Zaken, but everyone says Kranshi. It is the mirror image of the Spanish empadronamiento: the registration everything else hangs on. Without Kranshi no sédula, and without a sédula you do almost nothing on Curaçao: no bank account, no phone subscription, no health insurance, no job. And the end of the chain is also the start of the next: customs wants to see Kranshi's confirmation documents for your household-goods exemption.
When must I be registered, and what do I bring?
Whoever settles on Curaçao for at least four months is obliged to register, and to do so within five days of arrival. You only make that if your file is already complete in your suitcase:
- Your valid passport
- Your declaration of admission by operation of law, with at least four months' validity left. For European Dutch citizens this is the key to this counter.
- Your tenancy or purchase agreement, or written permission from the homeowner
- The proof of deregistration from the Netherlands (the moving notice from your municipality), no older than six months. This is the paper people forget to ask for when deregistering and then have to chase from the island.
- Your original birth certificate (copy no older than a year) and, from eighteen, a proof of marital status at most six months old; plus original marriage or divorce certificates where applicable
The registration itself is free; making an appointment is compulsory. One missing paper means a new appointment. Three working days later your confirmation documents are ready.
| Link in the chain | Deadline | Cost | What it yields |
|---|---|---|---|
| Declaration of admission by operation of law | decision legally within 4 months; as a Dutch citizen you may await it on the island | XCG 615 (± € 300) | the residence title Kranshi wants to see, still valid for at least 4 months |
| Registration at Kranshi | within 5 days of settling, by appointment | free | confirmation documents after 3 working days |
| Sédula | apply from 3 working days after registration; issued on the spot | XCG 15 (adult) | valid for at most 5 years, or as long as your residence title runs |
| Bvz and bank | 1-3 weeks after that | bvz premium via tax: 13.6%, pensioners 6.5% | proof of registration at the SVB, local account in Caribbean guilders |
What is the sédula, and what does it cost?
Straight after your registration you make the next appointment: the sédula, the Curaçao identity card, compulsory for everyone from twelve. You can apply from three working days after your Kranshi registration. It is issued on the spot and costs adults XCG 15, a tenner, in other words. The card is valid for at most five years, or as long as your residence title runs.
With the sédula in your pocket you are administratively a Curaçaoan. You can then:
- open a local account (payments run in Caribbean guilders and your Dutch card is not welcome everywhere);
- collect your proof of registration at the SVB for the bvz, the island's health insurance, and choose a GP in your neighbourhood.
From that moment you can cancel your bridging insurance.
What is the pitfall?
The order is the whole lesson: declaration → Kranshi → sédula, and each link wants to see the previous one. Whoever arranges two things properly in the Netherlands — the international proof of deregistration with a date, and fresh certificates — runs through this chain in a week and a half. Whoever misses something waits for post from the Netherlands while bank, employer and health insurer wait for the sédula.
The declaration is the opening move, and you preferably make it from the Netherlands already. The application runs online, the admissions organisation legally has four months, and as a Dutch citizen you may await the decision on Curaçao. How that application works is in the declaration by operation of law.
Whoever comes retired also watches a second clock that starts on the Kranshi date: the request for the penshonado scheme must be in within two months of registration.
In practice: Kranshi is at Roodeweg 42 in Willemstad and works by appointment. The mornings are cooler there than the afternoons. That is not bureaucratic advice, but it is Curaçao advice.
In Vertrekklaar this is phase 4 of 5 of the journey, step 4.2: the same steps, but for your situation — in your order, tickable, and with the deadlines watched. See the whole journey to Curaçao or go straight to step 4.2 in the open plan.
What this rests on
The facts in this article come from these official pages. Rules change. When in doubt, go by the source, not this article.
- Digital desk Curaçao — registering in the population register — loketdigital.gobiernu.cw
- Digital desk Curaçao — the sédula — loketdigital.gobiernu.cw
- Immigration service Curaçao — the declaration of admission by operation of law — immigrationcur.org
Read on
- CuraçaoRegistration on Curaçao5 min
Bank and payments on Curaçao: the sédula opens the account, the CRIB number the tax
You only open a local account on Curaçao with your sédula: the law obliges banks to identify every customer with a valid driving licence, identity card or passport, and the island counts in Caribbean guilders. The Tax Administration also wants your CRIB number and a local account number for refunds. You keep your Dutch account alongside: pension, M return and the euro matters keep running there.
Updated 26 September 2026
- CuraçaoRegistration on Curaçao5 min
The declaration by operation of law: you may live on Curaçao — but have it recorded
Your Dutch passport gives you the right to live on Curaçao. You have that right recorded at the Toelatingsorganisatie: XCG 615, a decision period of four months — and you may simply await the decision on the island. What goes into the file, including the document that only keeps for three months.
Updated 25 September 2026
- CuraçaoRegistration on Curaçao5 min
Healthcare on Curaçao: the bvz, the premium through your tax and the gap before you register
As a resident of Curaçao you automatically fall under the basic health insurance (bvz): no policy, no insurer, but a premium of 13.6% of your income collected through tax, 6.5% for those who no longer pay AOV premium. There is no S1, no CAK and no treaty; the only thing you arrange yourself is the bridge until your registration at Kranshi.
Updated 26 September 2026