Curaçao's investor residence permit: three tiers, from three years to indefinite

Residence permits in Curaçao are issued under Article 7 of the National Ordinance on Admission and Expulsion (Landsverordening toelating en uitzetting) by or on behalf of the Minister of Justice, and are handled by the Admission Office (Toelatingsorganisatie). The investor policy, introduced by ministerial decree in 2014, aims to attract wealthy investors whose capital creates employment, brings in foreign currency or stimulates the local economy. The decree refers to a real estate purchase or business investment evidenced by official documents and a local bank declaration, while the Admission Office's current guidance describes the thresholds as business investments, so the treatment of a property-only investment should be confirmed before committing funds. Applicants must also show sufficient, independent and lasting means to meet the obligations arising from the investment.

There are three tiers: XCG 500,000 for a renewable three-year permit, XCG 750,000 for a renewable five-year permit and XCG 1,500,000 for a permit of indefinite duration. Government fees are XCG 1,865, XCG 3,095 and XCG 6,170 respectively, paid before filing. Applications are submitted online as scanned PDFs, and an applicant abroad must wait for the decision before travelling to settle. Permits are endorsed 'admitted as investor'; salaried work is possible only for an employer holding a work permit for the holder. The policy is intended for people who will live in Curaçao for more than six months a year, and the investment must be kept in place to renew. Since 31 March 2025 Curaçao has used the Caribbean guilder (XCG), pegged to the US dollar at the same rate as its predecessor.

A person who lives in Curaçao, judged by a permanent home and centre of life, becomes tax resident and is taxed on worldwide income. For 2025 the progressive income tax rates run from 9.75% to 46.5%, the top rate applying above roughly 159,000 guilders of taxable income. The penshonado regime under Articles 23B to 23E of the Income Tax Ordinance 1943 offers a 10% flat rate on foreign-source income such as pensions, dividends and interest. To qualify, the person must be at least 50 at registration, have lived outside Curaçao for the previous 60 months, notify the tax inspector within two months of registering, and occupy within 18 months a home worth at least 450,000 guilders; the couple may not carry on employment or business in Curaçao, with limited exceptions. Property tax and succession duties should also be reviewed.

Spouses, registered partners and minor children may join the investor through family reunification. Their permits carry the condition 'residing with' the investor and run for the same period, so they lapse if the investor's permit ends. Curaçao is part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, so naturalisation leads to Dutch nationality under the Kingdom Nationality Act: generally five years of uninterrupted lawful residence, a civic integration test that in Curaçao can be taken in Dutch or Papiamentu, a clean record and renunciation of the previous nationality unless an exemption applies. Residence in Curaçao does not give a right to live in the European Netherlands, but a Dutch passport obtained by naturalisation carries EU citizenship.