What does emigrating to Sint Maarten 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 here is the cheapest in the Kingdom and the free port levies no import duties; the money is in the sea container, the first months in a dollarised rental market and — for pensioners — the private health policy.
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
€ 4.000 – € 9.200
Where does that difference come from?
- De eerste maanden€ 3.500 – € 8.000
Open the breakdown below: there you'll find per item where the upper and the lower limit come from.
- Aanvraag en papieren
- € 150 – € 300
- De verhuizing
- € 350 – € 900
- De eerste maanden
- € 3.500 – € 8.000
View the itemsPer item the amount, the source and whether it's a rate or an estimate
Aanvraag en papieren
- Verklaring van Rechtswege€ 95 – € 150
- Verse akten, apostilles en de inschrijving(estimate)€ 60 – € 150
De verhuizing
- Reis(estimate)€ 350 – € 900
Vliegen, enkele reis Amsterdam-Sint-Maarten. KLM vliegt als enige rechtstreeks (zo'n negen uur); buiten het hoogseizoen boeken scheelt honderden euro's per stoel.
De eerste maanden
- De eerste maanden(estimate)€ 3.500 – € 8.000
Borg (doorgaans één maand), huur vooruit, tijdelijk wonen tot de container er is, en leven op een importeiland waar de huren de facto in Amerikaanse dollars gaan: een één-slaapkamerappartement begint rond US$ 900-1.400 in de gewone wijken en loopt in het expat-segment rond Simpson Bay naar US$ 1.500-3.000. Boodschappen en stroom vallen hoger uit dan je gewend bent, en de opstal- of inboedelverzekering draagt een orkaanmodule.
And if you buy a house?
This calculation assumes renting: the first months include deposit and rent in advance.
If you buy, count on 5 to 7% of the purchase price on top of this amount. On a home of € 250,000 that's € 12.500 to € 17.500.
De overdrachtsbelasting is 4% over de koopsom. Daar komen het notarishonorarium (in de praktijk 1 tot 2%) en kadaster- en registratiekosten bij. Samen 5 tot 7%, waarvan de overdrachtsbelasting het leeuwendeel is — en anders dan in Nederland wordt een jaarlijkse onroerendgoedbelasting er in de praktijk niet geheven.
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 30 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, household contents along or not, car and pet along or not — and watches the clocks: the three-year certificate, the certificate of conduct last, the thirty days of the animal permit and the application at IBP right after arrival. 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 Sint Maarten: 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 Sint Maarten 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.