moving to curacao??

[mgmonk]

well, by an odd stroke of luck or just because I have nothing better to do....
I'm headed to Curacao and looking to work this summer.

My girlfriend has a position there, so I thought I'd tag along and give it a go.

Anyone have ANY advice.... no matter how trivial it seems?

I'm particularly interested in cost of living, ease of travel on the island, good markets to look out for, places that are worth living.... and yeah, good dive shops.

cheers in advance,
Gannon

 

[mgmonk]

also interested in visa info!

 

[gustele]

Let me start with telling that I moved to Curacao from The Netherlands about 17 years ago; I never regretted this move. There are some things to consider before you decide to move though. The speed of living is considerably lower than I was used to in The Netherlands. That means that almost nobody is ever on time for a meeting and that you have to wait to get things done. So patience is a virtue that you definitely need for survival here.
Curacao is small! With only 60 kilometers from tip to tip it is a small patch of land. Luckily a lot of roads are not in a very good condition so traveling still takes its time. We even have traffic jams. Again patience is needed. You definitely need a car (or two) if you want to stay here. You can get almost everywhere with public transportation but it takes a lot of time.
Shopping is limited. But the Internet is a good alternative for the things that can not be bought on the island. Groceries, meat, fruit is not a problem although it probably is more expensive than you are used too. Everything needs to be imported.
You will need a permit to stay and work (if you want to work). If your girlfriend already has a position here she probably knows best what you need. I know from the past that, even though I had a permit to stay and work, my wife was not allowed to work and if we would divorce she would have to leave. I think getting the necessary permits will be the hardest part if you decide to move.

Curacao has a lot to offer. Nature is beautiful, diving is perfect and the speed of life is relaxing if you are able to adapt to it. So, once again, I never regretted moving to this place.
For pictures of the island, above and under water, check the links in my signature.

 

[Diver OnLu]

Let me add to what Gustele said that if you are not Dutch it will be even harder to get any kind of permits. I lived on Curacao for 3 years working as a dive instructor (only returned to Europe last December). I had applied for the permits to stay and work right at the beginning of my stay. 2,5 years later I received a message that my permission to work was ready; I never got a permit to stay, though, as odd as it may sound (how can you work on the island without living there - flying in from Venezuela every morning?). In the past, you were pretty much left alone in the situation I was in. I even left and re-entered the island once a year without anybody at the passport control ever thoroughly checking my papers. But I hear the government is conducting more and more raids to get hold of illegal inhabitants these days.

If you decide to live on Curacao, be prepared that the island tends to grow very small on you; depending on what kind of life you are used to, of course. But yes, there are bars, clubs, and movie theatres in Willemstad! There are wonderful hiking and mountain biking opportunies in pretty rough landscapes (Curacao normally has a very dry climate through most of the year) out in the West. The diving is beautiful and offers a big surprise every now and then even after more than 1000 dives.

That's about it. The options for leasure activities and cultural events on Curacao are certainly limited, a fact that won't bother most people visiting as a tourist. I really enjoyed living on the island for a while because of the wonderful waters around it, and because of the lovely climate. Plus I made a handful or two of very nice friends during my time in Westpoint.

I wish you all the best for your future plans!

Greetings from Germany
Andreas

 

[Curacao Sunshine]

If you are not looking to move (semi) permenantly..... you can stay for 3 months without a visa. Up until now, folks have been leaving for a day and returning for 3 months. Immigration will sometimes ask to look at your return ticket.

 

[mgmonk]

thanks for the info guys.

living small is going to be no problem for me.... you should see where I live now (electric... 4 hours a day.... if lucky)

I am nervous about the work permit situation, but only because I haven't seen it first hand yet. Without starting any controversy here, my experience in Asia and when I used to live in Europe was that... work is work. Sometimes I've been all above board, and sometimes under the radar.

Things have changed in this world, though, and I'm getting a bit old to have visa restrictions to add to my list of problems. I guess, I'm asking for an honest assessment of what it's like for a 3 to 6 month stay.

Then the language issue. With English and workable Spanish.... am I going to find myself wandering in a world of Dutch with nowhere to go unless I belly up and learn the language?

Thanks again for the advice so far, and please feel free to give me honest opinions.

 

[Kukuisa]

Then the language issue. With English and workable Spanish.... am I going to find myself wandering in a world of Dutch with nowhere to go unless I belly up and learn the language?

With your English and Spanish you can get far enough to make life acceptable. Most people spreak those two languages and also Dutch and of course the native Papiamentu.

 

[Curacao Sunshine]

3 months no problem, 6 months possible, any more you'd have to work for or stay illegally.
Since your girlfriend has a job, perhaps her company could use another worker bee for a half year. That would be the easiest scenario; arriving with working papers. If you like living on the island, then apply for residency.
It might make a major difference where she is working/living. For example there are not a lot of employment possibilities out here in Westpunt.
English is acceptable.

 

[CuracaoJ]

Mgmonk,

Assuming you have an American passport, staying for 3 months is gravy. Staying for 6 will require you to leave the island for a day and come back (I did it for like 3 years). You can't have a work permit without a residency permit, the one comes before the other. You can, however, easily find day labor, heck if you've got a pulse I'll put you to work, but for that you are talking about like 4-5 $/hr USD. If you want a serious job you are going to have to have papers.

There are many agencies on the island that can do that for you, it isn't hard, but does cost around $1000.

As for the languages, everyone (well okay 99%) that speaks Dutch speaks English and everyone (well okay 99%) that speaks Papiementu speaks Spanish. So if you have English and passible Spanish you'll be fine. That's exactlly what I have and I have been living here 7 years and own 4 businesses on the island.

Best of luck,
Jeff

 

[Korsu]

It is the intention of the new government to crack down on people staying more than three months. Further the "go away for a day" is no longer a sure thing. The reasoning is that by forcing non Dutch long term visitors to apply for residency, the government gets more revenue.
That being said, it is Curacao; I was on the island as a home owner for three years and never got a bill for property tax until I left I wasn't even in the computer records, even though I was a resident. So keep your eyes open.