Aruban admission: five years of permits, then by operation of law

No, on Aruba you are not admitted by operation of law as a European Dutch citizen, so not automatically: you first need a permit. Whoever knows Curaçao expects to show a passport, collect a declaration, done. But Aruba regulates its own admission in the National Ordinance on Admission and Expulsion (LTU), and that distinguishes between Dutch citizens with and without an Aruban tie.

What that means for you:

• For the first five years you require a permit, each valid for one year.
• The first application with work costs Afl. 65 plus Afl. 1,200 and takes ten weeks.
• The annual renewal costs Afl. 40 plus Afl. 100 and takes four weeks. You submit it at least three months before the end date.

The find in the Admission Handbook is the softener for whoever holds a higher-education degree: no test on the availability of local workers, and possibly a multi-year permit for the duration of the contract straight away.

The pitfall is the annual clock. Your AZV cover (the Aruban health insurance) and your cedula (the Aruban identity card) run with the permit. So renewing late hits your care and your identity card at once.

Who comes in freely, and who does not?

The LTU does not apply to Dutch citizens who:

• were born on Aruba;
• were naturalised there;
• were lawfully living there before 1 January 1986;
• or have a parent of such status.

Admission by operation of law applies moreover to, among others, Kingdom civil servants and, crucially, to "Dutch citizens who have been admitted to Aruba for more than five years without interruption by operation of law or under a permit".

Everyone else, so the ordinary European Dutch citizen who wants to emigrate, requires a permit. The government page says it literally: "Dutch citizens not born in the Netherlands Antilles must have a permit to reside in Aruba. They are subject to the permit requirement. However, they do not have to pay a deposit."

How does the staircase of five and ten years work?

Years one to five: a permit for temporary residence, each for one year. You submit the renewal at least three months before the end date. The Admission Handbook: "Other Dutch citizens are subject to the admission requirement during the first five (5) years of their admission and each time receive a permit for temporary residence for one (1) year and at most five (5) years."

After five years of uninterrupted admission you apply for the declaration of admission by operation of law (Afl. 100, waiting time twelve weeks). From that moment no conditions apply any more, not for work either.

After ten years you fall under article 1 of the law and are no longer subject to admission at all.

Step	Fees	Processing time	When
First permit for temporary residence with work	Afl. 65 charge plus Afl. 1,200 fees	10 weeks	before departure, submitted by the employer
First permit without work (partner, children, private means)	Afl. 65 plus Afl. 100	10 weeks	before or during tourist stay
Annual renewal	Afl. 40 plus Afl. 100	4 weeks	at least 3 months before the end date, for five years
Declaration of admission by operation of law	Afl. 100	12 weeks	after 5 years of uninterrupted admission
No longer subject to admission	—	—	after 10 years of admission and residence
Deposit	none for Dutch citizens	—	—
Income requirement for family members of a main applicant	Afl. 2,040 a month	—	for family reunification