Living in Aruba as a French National: Entry, Permits, Schooling, Climate and Health

According to the Government of Aruba, the island received the aparte status within the Kingdom of the Netherlands on 1 January 1986, after leaving the Netherlands Antilles structure. It has its own parliament, the Staten van Aruba, and its own governor. The Government of the Netherlands describes a Kingdom made up of four countries: Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten and the Netherlands. The capital is Oranjestad, the currency is the Aruban florin, and the official languages are Dutch and Papiamento.

For a French national, this framework has concrete consequences. France Diplomatie (the French foreign ministry) deals with Aruba in the Netherlands page and specifies that a passport is compulsory to enter the island, which is not part of the Schengen area. The French Embassy in the Netherlands, in The Hague, represents France to the Kingdom; the pages consulted do not detail territorial competence for the Caribbean, but the list of honorary consuls published by the embassy mentions a post in Aruba. For any consular procedure, it is better to confirm the right point of contact with the embassy before travelling.

The Aruba Tourism Authority states that European Union citizens do not need a visa for a tourist stay, that the passport must be valid for the whole length of stay and be no more than ten years old, and that the decision on admission belongs to the immigration officer at the border. The reference list of nationalities subject to a visa is kept by the Government of the Netherlands: France Diplomatie refers to the France-Visas page for the regime applicable to the Dutch overseas territories.

Since 30 October 2024, all travellers must complete the online embarkation and disembarkation card (edcardaruba.aw), possible up to a week before departure, for entry by air or by boat (Government of Aruba). Non-residents arriving by air pay with this card a sustainability fee of US$20, in force since 1 July 2024; children under eight and residents registered in the census are exempt (Aruba Tourism Authority).

The standard length of admission is 30 days. An extension can be requested up to 180 days per calendar year, with additional conditions beyond 30 days, including travel insurance covering medical costs and civil liability. The same website lists valid medical insurance among the admission conditions, with minimum cover of US$15,000. A tourist cannot take paid employment with an Aruban employer (Government of Aruba).

The DIMAS department (Departamento di Integracion, Maneho y Admision di Stranhero), located at Paardenbaaistraat 11 in Oranjestad, applies the national ordinance on admission and expulsion. The headings of its application pages cover in particular paid employment, family reunification, living as a couple, study, internship, retiree status and stays of indefinite duration. The forms and information are free at DIMAS and at the labour department. The public contact given in the Government directory is (297) 522-1500, or info@dimasaruba.aw.

The document list published by DIMAS for a paid employment permit shows the level of requirement: passport valid for at least three months, photograph, curriculum vitae, personal statement and, for a first application, a certificate of good conduct from the country of residence covering the last five years, legalised or apostilled and less than six months old. For a first application, the fee is 65 florins and the permit fee 1,200 florins, to which is added a guarantee deposit varying by nationality; the amount applicable to a French national does not appear in the table read and should be requested from DIMAS. A multi-year permit can reach five years.

After provisional admission (VTA), the medical examination is compulsory: the Government indicates a consultation at 75 florins, excluding further tests such as X-rays and analyses. DIMAS cannot approve the permit until the results are complete in its system. Once the permit is granted, registration with the civil registry (Censo) requires a birth certificate legalised or apostilled and less than six months old; this registration opens the AZV general health insurance. For the retiree category, DIMAS publishes a dedicated page: conditions and amounts should be confirmed with the service before any decision, see the page retiring in Aruba.

No official source consulted ranks districts or publishes rents by area: the benchmarks below come from the places where the most commonly used public services are located. Oranjestad, the capital, concentrates the administrations: DIMAS, the AZV health insurance and the Dr Horacio E. Oduber Hospital. Eagle hosts the Social Insurance Bank (SVb, Caya Punta Brabo), which manages old-age pensions. San Nicolas has the Instituto Medico San Nicolas, listed by the Government.

The most useful criterion for choosing is proximity to care, school and workplace, and the ability to reach the hospital quickly: the emergency department is open around the clock in Oranjestad. Before signing a lease, it is better to plan a visit in person, reread its conditions and keep a record of the address, which DIMAS and the civil registry record.

Aruba's Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) publishes the consumer price index each month, with the detail in a Government press release. This page does not repeat its figures, already summarised in the “Economic indicators” block above, and no official source consulted gives an average rent or a typical monthly budget for a foreign resident.

Pay benchmarks are more precise. A minimum hourly wage, revised periodically, applies to employees aged 18 and over, whatever the number of hours, with a separate minimum for domestic workers living with their employer. The Government’s page on wages also gives a monthly minimum. Income and wage tax includes an exempt amount of 30,000 florins, and employee contributions include the share for the AZV and old-age insurance, detailed in the page working in Aruba. Also plan for health insurance supplementary to the AZV, which covers neither glasses nor adult dental care.

The Government of Aruba recalls that Papiamento has been an official language since 2003, alongside Dutch. Learning to read and write in Papiamento was introduced in the first year of all primary schools, with Dutch still taught; the arrangements for English and Spanish do not appear in the pages consulted.

No institution of the Agency for French Education Abroad (AEFE) network was found in Aruba during the research; the AEFE directory and the French embassy confirm the up-to-date situation. For enrolments, the point of contact is Aruba’s Department of Education, which specifies the conditions for admitting foreign pupils. It is useful to plan for the family an expat family insurance with paediatrics.

France Diplomatie’s Netherlands page contains no safety section specific to Aruba. Travellers can register with the Ariane system to receive alerts from the French representation, and consult the “Latest news and alerts” section of the page. For a life-threatening emergency on site, the hospital recommends dialling 911 or going straight to the emergency department.

Aruba’s meteorological service describes a hot, semi-arid steppe tropical climate, with a dry season from about February to June and a rainy season from September to January. The island lies on the southern fringe of the hurricane belt. On health, the Government states that dengue is endemic with sporadic cases all year, and warns against seasonal rises in cases; France Diplomatie also points to chikungunya and Zika in the Kingdom’s Caribbean territories, and recommends repellents, covering clothing and removing standing water. The Government also reminds readers that yellow fever vaccination, needed before leaving for certain neighbouring countries, must be done at least ten days before travel; the infectious diseases service of the public health department offers it at 31 florins.

Anyone registered as a resident with the civil registry is insured by the AZV, funded by a premium of 11.5% of annual income (8.9% employer, 2.6% employee) up to 85,000 florins. It covers neither the higher hospitalisation class, nor glasses, nor adult dental care, nor care abroad during holidays. The reference hospital is the Dr Horacio E. Oduber Hospital. The detail appears in the page healthcare system in Aruba and, to know who reimburses what, in the page healthcare reimbursement in Aruba.

No social security agreement was identified between France and Aruba, and the European Health Insurance Card is not valid there. Depending on status, an expat can combine the AZV, the Caisse des Français de l’Étranger (CFE, the French overseas nationals’ health fund) and an expat health insurance with repatriation; Expavy helps you compare these options.