Curaçao Entry Requirements & the Digital ED Card

Entry to Curaçao is easy for most tourists, with one catch that trips people up at the airport: an online immigration card you have to fill in before you fly. Here’s what you need: the DI card, your passport, your return or onward ticket, and the customs limits.

TL;DR: Tourists from the EU, US, UK and Canada do not need a visa and can stay up to 90 days (US and Dutch passport holders up to 180). Everyone must complete the free digital immigration card (the DI card, formerly the ED card) within 7 days before flying, and carry a passport valid for the whole trip.

Do you need a visa for Curaçao?

No, not for a normal holiday. Passport holders from the Netherlands, the rest of the EU, the UK, the US, Canada and many other countries enter visa-free as tourists. The standard stay is up to 90 days, and US and Dutch citizens can generally stay up to 180 days in a year. If you hold a passport from elsewhere, check whether a visa applies before booking.

Beyond the passport itself, immigration may ask for a return or onward ticket, proof of accommodation and evidence of sufficient funds for your stay. These are not always checked, but the officer is entitled to ask, so keep them reachable on your phone.

What is the digital immigration (ED) card?

The card once known as the Embarkation-Disembarkation (ED) card is now the Digital Immigration (DI) card. It is mandatory for every non-resident visitor, including children and babies, and you complete it online before you travel. Each traveller needs their own card.

Two rules matter most. First, you can only submit it within seven days of your flight, so it is not something to tick off months ahead; aim for three to five days before you go. Second, the card is free on the official government portal. A cluster of copycat websites charges 10 to 40 euros for the same free service, so ignore any page that asks for a payment: the one official portal is dicardcuracao.com, and that is the only address you need.

How do you fill in the DI card?

Have your passport and travel details in front of you and it takes a few minutes:

1. Open the official, free digital immigration portal at dicardcuracao.com (not a paid look-alike).
2. Enter your personal and passport details exactly as they appear in the passport.
3. Add your flight information and where you are staying on the island.
4. Submit and wait for the email confirmation.
5. Save or print the confirmation and show it at airline check-in and again at immigration.

If you do not have the confirmation, the airline can refuse to board you, so treat it like part of your ticket.

Common mistakes to avoid

A few things catch people out at the gate. Fill in your name and passport number exactly as printed, because a mismatch can flag your card. Every traveller needs their own card, infants included, so a family of four submits four. Do not leave it until the airport, since the official site can be slow to email the confirmation and you need it at check-in. And ignore the sponsored search results that look official but charge a fee; the government form never costs anything.

Do you need vaccinations or travel insurance?

No special vaccinations are required for Curaçao if you travel from Europe or North America, though it is worth checking your routine jabs are current. Travel insurance is not an entry condition, but healthcare is private and bills add up, so cover that includes the Caribbean is strongly recommended. Tap water is desalinated and safe to drink across the island, which saves buying bottled water once you arrive.

What documents do you need? A quick checklist

Item	Required?
Passport valid for your whole stay (airlines often want 6 months)	Yes
Completed digital immigration (DI/ED) card confirmation	Yes
Return or onward flight ticket	Can be requested
Proof of accommodation (hotel or rental booking)	Can be requested
Proof of sufficient funds	Can be requested
Visa	Only for some nationalities

What can you bring into Curaçao? Customs allowances

For travellers aged 18 and over, the standard duty-free allowances are:

Category	Allowance
Spirits	1 litre, or 2.25 litres of wine, or 3 litres of beer
Tobacco	200 cigarettes, or 50 cigars, or 250 g of tobacco
Gifts and personal goods	Up to about ANG 400 in value
Cash / negotiable instruments	Declare amounts of roughly USD 11,000 or more

Go over an allowance and the whole quantity can become dutiable, so keep within it or declare. There is no separate tourist tax collected at the border; instead, hotels and rentals add a government accommodation tax and service charge to your bill, and any airport charge is normally built into your airfare.

How long can you stay, and can you extend?

The visa-free stay is generally up to 90 days, and up to 180 days per year for US and Dutch passport holders. If you want to stay longer, apply to the immigration authority before your permitted period runs out rather than overstaying, which can bring fines or trouble on a future visit. For a normal two- or three-week holiday none of this applies, but long-stay visitors and remote workers should sort the paperwork early.

After you land

Once you clear immigration, you are 20 minutes from Willemstad. Line up your flights and a rental car in advance, sort out money and cards before you leave home, and you can be on a beach the same afternoon. For a first trip, the three-day route is a good frame, or browse the things to do to build your own.