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ARUBA

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The Aruba Tourism Authority provides free Wi-Fi zones in renowned areas around the island, in order to enhance our visitors’ experience.

A healthy 81 degrees Fahrenheit average (27 degrees Celsius).

The Caribbean waters are filled with all kinds of marine life, including sharks. Did you know that on average 5 people are killed worldwide by sharks, while in the same time span people kill 100 million sharks? This is according to a conservationist Sharks4Kids, from the Bahamas (see above film).

Sharks are wild animals and people should be careful near these animals, just as people should stay away from wild dolphins as well. Back in 2007 there was a sighting of a school of wild dolphins near the shallow areas of Palm Beach, which prompted several tourists to foolishly approach these wild mammals. If you are not trained, please don’t try to approach these animals, however well-intentioned it may be.

Fact of the matter is that there are animals in the water surrounding this beautiful island including a diverse and vibrant underwater sea life. It is uncommon, however, to witness sightings of such visitors like sharks, dolphins or jellyfish, to mention a few. Fact is that in recent times (since the tourism boom of the 90s) to this date (early 2015) no major shark attack has been recorded near any Aruba beaches.

One of the most popular and common stories hear about sharks in Aruba is really a funny one. Apparently we locals feed the sharks on the opposite side of the island; this way somehow it will prevent sharks from going near the hotels.

This is not true.  Please put this story in the “old wife’s tale”-column.

Let’s assume, for argument’s sake, that indeed there is shark feeding going on (which would attract a whole lot more than sharks alone) at the opposite side of the island, what guarantee would you then have that after the feeding comes to an end for the day the sharks won’t venture out to other areas near the coast to seek for more “easy” food, therefore creating a whole new set of problems?

Additionally it would seem very costly, time-consuming and un-natural to tackle this hypothetical problem, which makes this assumption not plausible. Please put this story in the “old wife’s tale”-column.

Some of the creatures you may see include: Parrot Fish, Barracuda, turtlles, pods of squid, octopus andmany other kinds of smaller tropical fish, wrasse, dolphins, jelly fish, crabs, occasional sharks

Aruba is surrounded by beautiful white sandy beaches at various of the island's coastlines. There's a Black Stone Beach near the rougher edges of the island where many adventurers like to go off-roading and hiking. To view the diverse selection of beaches check out our Aruba Beaches page. We also have a convenient Aruba Beach Map to help you get started on your beach-hopping journey.

Getting to the best beaches including Eagle Beach and Palm Beach couldn’t be easier. Just exit the premises of the complex and it’s one straight walk to the left! The walk is a little more than 1 kilometer (0.62 miles) which is about a 15 minutes’ walk or just a few minutes by car.

Airport Info

Paid parking has been implemented on the Mainstreet in Oranjestad and noted with white registration numbers. The yellow lined parking spaces are for employees only and are not available for regular parking.

The Tariffs

The tariffs are in Aruban Florins but you can also pay with American dollars:

• 30 min: 1 AWG=$0.55
• 90 min: 2 AWG=$1.15
• +90 min: AWG 0.50 cents for every additional 15 minute = $0.30

Walking around with coins is a hassle, so good thing you can also purchase a rechargeable SmartCard. The SmartCards are sold at most hotel gift shops and car rental companies and can be recharged at any Aruparking/Arubus recharging stations.

Important:

• In case your vehicle got clammed due to not paying for your parking space of surpassing the paid time, you will need to pay AWG 75,-.
• After 3 hours of unpaid parking, a tow truck will transport your vehicle, and the additional AWG 150, - will be charged to you.
• You can pay your parking fines at the Aruparking office:
  • Address: Wilhelminastraat 13 in downtown Oranjestad.
  • Telephone: (297) 5202323
  • Email:info@aruparking.com
  • Website:www.aruparking.com

Going home to raoming and other penalties from your phone provider can be very costly.

Once in Aruba buy a sim card from Digicel or Setar for approximately $20. Purchase a data plan separately.

Change your APN (Access Point Name) settings for better internet connection

1. (for Digicel) APN Name: Digicel – APN: web.digicelaruba.com
2. (for Setar) APN Name: setarinternet – APN: internet.setar.aw

Tips To Save Money On Your Current Phone

• Turn off your mobile data
• Turn on your WiFi
• Put your device in airplane mode.

Aruba is dotted with WiFi hot-spots. You can make a phone call if you need via Skype, What’s App, Facebook Messenger and all other calling apps over WiFi.

U.S. and Canadian cellphones will work in Aruba. However, please keep in mind that if you retain your own US/CAD SIM card you may incur considerable roaming fees from your US/CAD cellphone company. You should call to see if they offer coverage in Aruba and what it would cost. You can also consider renting a cell phone or SIM card (in Aruba) to use with your own cellphone if your cellphone company does not offer coverage in Aruba. Please also keep in mind that the voltage in Aruba can be as high as 127 volts, so you would need to make sure that your charger can handle this voltage. There are no area codes in Aruba, so just dial the phone number directly without any prefixes. To call the United States from Aruba dial "00" (international prefix to dial outside of Aruba), then dial "1" (international code for the U.S.). and then the area code and phone number you wish to connect to.

When making a call you always have to dial +, the country code, area code if applicable and the phone number.

• To call Aruba dial +297 (phone number)
• To call the United States or Canada dial +1 (area code and phone number)
• To call the Netherlands dial +31 (area code and phone number)

There are NO limitations. Anyone can own real estate in Aruba.

It is optional to have an attorney; however, all real estate purchases go through a Government Licensed Notary which guarantees the transaction.

Typically when purchasing real estate, clients put the properties on their own name. This is a matter that each client can consider discussing with their attorney, as it might be depended on each individual's legal and tax situation.

Yes. At closing of the deed, the notary will deliver you your title to the real estate property. The official document will be in Dutch, but the notary can explain it in English or Spanish.

Buying process

1.Signing of a preliminary Purchase & Sale agreement (P&S) with the owner of the property which contains the basic terms and conditions. The Seller is committed to sell the property after signing this agreement.

2.A Security Deposit of 10% of the selling price is usually required at signing of the P&S agreement.

3.In order to process the P&S agreement, the notary requires the following documents:

Copy of a valid identification card of the Buyer.

Complete information of sale form and personal data form.

Copy of the security deposit paid

Source of funds form

Closing expenses

The followings costs are for the account of the buyer:

1. Depending on the value of the property, the transfer tax is between 3% – 6%

2. The Notary fees varies from 0.5% – 1% of the purchase price

If the purchase/selling price is lower than US$140,449, the transfer tax is 3%, and above this price, the transfer tax is 6%.

Yes, owners have to pay real estate property tax each year. In Aruba we have property land and long lease land.

Lease land (Leasehold): You can purchase lease land or a home built on lease land (leasehold). Lease land belongs to Land Aruba is renewable every 60 years. The fixed annual fee depends on the location of the land.

Property land: The annual property land tax you have to pay is called ground tax and it is based on the purchase/selling price.

Unless you become an Aruban resident, you do not have to pay personal income taxes. If a real estate property belongs to a local or offshore company, then you do have to pay taxes

No, not if it belongs to a personal identity (if a company sells a real estate property, it will have to pay taxes).

It is recommended to have any property insured and there are many types of property insurances. Please visit our inspiration page for insurance companies.

Water:Water is supplied by W.E.B. Aruba N.V. The average consumption per month is approximately US$82.00. Those who have more extensive landscaping and/or swimming pool consume approximately US$180 per month.

Electricity:Power is supplied to all homes at 60-Hertz frequency and at 110/220 volts, just like in the United States. The average consumption of power per month for a single family home is approximately$200

Land line and cable services are provided by the national company, Setar N.V.

For cellular services, there are additional options subscribe at Digicel Aruba N.V. and Mio Aruba.

All three companies offer different packages to fit the needs of each individual client.

Through Setar N.V. you can subscribe for either DSL (ASDL) or Wi-Fi internet connection. Unlimited use is at $55 per month.

Besides the three local channels, there are other options where you can subscribe to receive additional channels as in the United States.

During your stay in Aruba as a tourist you are not allowed to work.

Persons who are considered a tourist are those who travel to Aruba for one of the following purposes: vacation and relaxation, sport, health reasons, family matters, study, religious purposes or a business visit.

Upon arrival in Aruba a tourist must have:

– A passport that is valid upon entry and for the duration of stay in Aruba. If the tourist holds a passport from a visa required country (list A), he must have a valid visa sticker in his passport;

– A completely filled-in and signed Embarkation and Disembarkation card (ED-card);

– A valid return- or onward ticket;

– The necessary documents for returning to the country of origin or to a country that he has the right to enter, for example a valid residence permit (temporary or permanent), a re-entry permit or a (entry) visa;

– If so requested, the tourist has to be able to prove to the satisfaction of the migration officer that he has a valid reservation for an accommodation in Aruba (e.g. hotel or apartment) or that he owns property in Aruba (a residence, condominium, apartment, timeshare apartment or a pleasure yacht moored in Aruba with a length of at least 14 meters measured on the water line);

– If so requested, the tourist has to be able to prove to the satisfaction of the migration officer to dispose of adequate financial means to provide for hotel expenses (if applicable) and living expenses during his stay or that he has a declaration of guarantee from a legal resident of Aruba.

The final authorization for admission to Aruba remains with the migration officer at the border-crossing/port of entry. The migration authorities at the border-crossing/port of entry have the authority to grant or refuse admission. Admission can be refused if not all admission requirements are fulfilled by the time of entering Aruba or if the tourist has been blacklisted.

The maximum period of time that a person can be admitted to Aruba as a tourist is 30 days. The total amount of days a person can stay in Aruba, as a tourist cannot exceed 180 days per year.

Upon entry in Aruba, the following persons can apply for an extension of their stay for more than 30 days but not exceeding 180 days:

– Nationals of the Kingdom of the Netherlands can request an extension of their stay for up to 180 consecutive days;

– Nationals from the countries mentioned in list A and visa required persons who are exempt from the visa requirement, can request an extension of their stay for up to 180 consecutive days, if:

– They have property in Aruba, i.e. a house, condominium, apartment, time-share, apartment or a pleasure yacht moored in Aruba with a length of at least 14 meters measured from the water line. They must show proof of ownership of the property. For a stay of up to 180 days.

– If they don't have property in Aruba, they must have a declaration of guarantee from a resident of Aruba who will act as guarantor for and be liable for any costs incurred during their stay.

All tourists who apply for an extension of their stay beyond 30 days are required to have travel insurance (medical and liability) valid for the duration of the extended stay.

If a tourist wants to stay longer then the number of days granted by the immigration officer on the ED-card upon admission, he or she can apply at the office of Dimas for an extension for up to 180 days if applicable. The form for a tourism stay extension is available at the office of the DIMAS and can also be downloaded from www.dimasruba.com

LIST NATIONALS WHO NEED A VISA TO TRAVEL TO ARUBA

Afghanistan	Ethiopia	Mongolia	Syria
Albania	Fiji	Montenegro	Tajikistan
Algeria	Gabon	Morocco	Tanzania
Angola	Gambia	Mozambique	Thailand
Armenia	Georgia	Myanmar	Togo
Azerbaijan	Ghana	Namibia	Tonga
Bahrain	Guinea Republic	Nauru	Turkmenistan
Bangladesh	Guinee-Bissau	Nepal	Tunisia
Belarus	Haiti	Niger	Turaku
Benin	India	Nigeria	Turkey
Bhutan	Indonesia	North Korea	Tuvalu
Bolivia	Iran	Northern Mariana Isl.	Uganda
Bosnia-Herzegovina	Iraq	Oman	Ukraine
Botswana	Jamaica	Pakistan	United Arab Emirates
Burkina Faso	Jordan	Palau	Uzbekistan
Burundi	Kazakhstan	Palestinian National Authority	Vanuatu
Cambodia	Kenya	Papua New Guinea	Vietnam
Cameroon	Kiribati	Peru	Yemen
Cape Verde Islands	Kuwait	Philippines	Zambia
Central Africa Rep.	Kyrgyzstan	Qatar	Zimbabwe
Chad	Laos	Rwanda
China (People's Rep.)	Lebanon	Russian Federation
Colombia	Lesotho	Samoa
Comoros Isl.	Liberia	Sao Tomé and Principe
Congo (Brazzaville)	Libya	Saudi Arabia
Congo (Kinshasa)	Macedonia	Senegal
Cote d'Ivoire	Madagascar	Sierra Leone
Cuba	Malawi	Serbia
Djibouti	Maldives	Solomon Islands
Dominican Republic	Mali	Somalia
East Timor	Marshall Islands	South Africa
Egypt	Mauritania	Sri Lanka
Equatorial Guinea	Micronesia	Sudan
Eritrea	Moldova (Rep. of)	Swaziland

The following persons, who normally require a visa, are exempt from this requirement:

– holders of a valid residence permit (temporary or permanent) from:

– another part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands;

– The United States of America;

– Canada

– The Schengen Territory

– United Kingdom

– Ireland

Yes. Persons who want to live and work on Aruba must have a valid residence permit from the Directorate of Alien Integration, Policy and Admission (DIMAS).