Foreign nationals who intend to stay in Aruba for a period longer than 3 months (90 days) need to apply for a residence permit. Foreign nationals who would like to work in Aruba need an employer that sponsors their work permit. Tourists are not allowed to engage in any paid activity in Aruba.

The work permit is additional to the residence permit. A residence permit does not allow employment.

How to apply for the residence and work permits

Visitors wishing to reside and/or work in Aruba for more than three months must have a residence and work permit. The person concerned can apply for a residence permit him/herself. One of the requirements is that the applicant needs to submit proof of his/her financial means to cover the intended stay. The future employer needs to initiate the application for the work permit. Please request application forms and verify the detailed requirements of each application with the authority concerned.

Permanent Residence Permit

When requesting a residence permit without a working permit, one must submit:

• bank references indicating that the applicant is financially self-supporting or any other proof that he/she will not become a financial burden to the local government or community;
• the home and business addresses for the last ten years;
• the reasons for wanting to reside in Aruba, and
• a certificate of police clearance (“good conduct” document), not older than 2 months.

Persons desiring a permanent residence permit must be in possession of:

• a passport valid for Aruba;
• three passport photographs of true likeness;
• a valid vaccination certificate for smallpox, not more than three years old;
• a medical certificate that the holder is not suffering from any contagious disease or mental illness, issued within 30 days before the trip started, and
• a proof of payment of the required legal fee.

Temporary or Permanent Work Permit

Any foreigner who wants to exercise a profession/occupation must have a work permit to do so. The work permit will normally be granted only if there are no qualified persons locally available. In general, requests for work permits will only be taken into consideration if submitted through a local employer, who has to accept full responsibility for any possible expenses to be incurred by the government relative to its employees. For a trainee position or internship a special work permit is required.

The key for a successful and quick response to any request for a work permit is to submit all the required documents at the same time, completely and accurately filled out.

The application must contain the following information:

• Name, given names, birth date, place of birth and nationality of the employee;
• The job or profession to be engaged in;
• Name and address of the employer/enterprise, which must be provided with a stamp of the Wage Tax Division of the Inspectorate of Taxes;
• The address of the employee in Aruba;
• A birth certificate of the employee;
• Two passport photos;
• Certificate of good conduct "police record" from the country of origin or from the country where the applicant had his home address for the last ten years, not older than two months;
• Diplomas or certificates related to the job/profession and position to be occupied by the employee;
• A medical certificate not older than one month certifying that the employee is not suffering from any contagious disease, HIV, VDRL, TBC or mental illness (the HIV certificate is not compulsory for children under the age of ten, and for Dutch nationals);
• A proof of guarantee of the financial capabilities of the employer;
• Draft of the working agreement concluded or to be concluded between the employer and the employee, which should be in accordance with the Aruban labor laws;
• Copies of job vacancy posting, newspaper ads and recap of these results;
• A proof of payment of the required legal fee;
• A copy of the entry in the Commercial Register at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry in case one is to set up a business of his own;
• A copy of the director's license from the Minister of Economic Affairs in case it concerns a person to be employed as a director of a company.

Before the permit is granted a deposit must be paid. The amount of this deposit varies from country to country.

With the exception of tourists, all other foreigners should have a permit document to prove their legal presence on the island. This means that one (unless a tourist) should not travel to or be on the island pending a request for a residence and/or work permit.

Please be aware that the requirements change very often and may not be exactly as reflected in this information, do not trust people who tell you they will 'take care of your license' for a small fee, it will problably be a scam.

To obtain more information and application forms contact; Departamento di Imigration y Naturalisacion Aruba