Moving to another country for an extended period always requires one to take care of the necessary steps in order to settle. If you are staying in Curacao for longer than your tourist visa days, you have to apply for for the temporary student residence permit. This is a requirement for all nationalities.

CMU offers the service of applying for the student permit on behalf of our students. The student is required to send all documents to our Curacao campus via courier. Once all required documents are sent and the visa processing fee is completed, we can start the application process.

Caribbean Medical University
Attn.: Student Immigration
Pater Euwensweg #25
Willemstad
Curacao

Forms:

• Model 1 Form
• Student Statement Form
• Authorization Form
• Student Health Clearance Form

Immigration documents:

• Copy of the main page of your valid passport (Signature must be visible)
• Original birth certificate, issue date less than 1 year old. The birth certificate has to be apostilled if your country is part of the Hague convention. Please see following link for Convention Countries: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/Intercountry-Adoption/Adoption-Process/understanding-the-hague-convention/convention-countries.html
• If your country is not part of the Hague convention, then the following applies:
  • The birth certificate has to be legalized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and then authenticated by the Netherlands (Dutch) Embassy.
  • The same applies for Naturalization Certificates and Citizenship Certificates!! If you are naturalized or have a citizenship certificate you should apostille or legalize and authenticate the original naturalization/citizenship certificate and just attach a copy of your birth certificate.
• Original FEDERAL Police Clearance, issue date less than 3 months old.
• Proof of sufficient funds (Bank statement in your name with at least $6600 available in the account, this should exclude all school fees)
  • In case of sponsorship, the sponsor has to provide the bank statement with sufficient funds, a copy of the passport and a sponsorship letter.

The model 1 form is the application form for the temporary student residence permit. Please contact the immigration department (immigration@cmumed.org) for the student immigration booklet which contains all the forms.

Unfortunately the immigration department of Curacao only provides the forms in Dutch. Yellow comment markers with the English translations have been added in the fields that the applicant is required to fill out.

Student permits are usually approved for the duration of 1 year. US and Dutch citizens however, are granted a permit for 5 years.

It is recommended to send in all requirements at least 4 months before the start of the semester that you will be attending to avoid any delays or inconveniences. In case this is not possible, we recommend that the immigration package is sent as soon as possible.

A return ticket is always mandatory within the extended tourist visa days in case you don’t have an approved student permit yet.

The visa processing fee is $370 and can be paid on your MyCMU account.

Once all documents are successfully submitted and a proof of submittal has been issued by the immigration department, the processing time can take up to 4 months.

Permit renewals should occur 4 months before the expiration date of the current permit.

Forms:

• Model 1 Form
• Student Statement Form
• Authorization Form
• Student Health Clearance Form

Immigration documents:

• Copy of the main page of your valid passport (Signature must be visible)
• Copy of the decision regarding your first permit
• Copy of the passport stamp issued by the immigration department
• Proof of sufficient funds (Bank statement in your name with at least $6600 available in the account, this should exclude all school fees)
• In case of sponsorship, the sponsor has to provide the bank statement with sufficient funds, a copy of the passport and a sponsorship letter.

This depends on your country of origin. In some cases you would need a travel visa for the Caribbean and additionally a Schengen transit visa. Please contact the nearest Netherlands (Dutch) Embassy for more information. These visas can only be applied for once you have received the decision from the immigration department that your petition for a student permit has been approved.

• Original passport
• Proof of health insurance (In case you have an international coverage please make sure to carry proof where it specifically mentions that you are covered in Curacao, otherwise it will not be accepted.)
• Enrollment certificate
• Student permit approval issued by the immigration department
• Waiver

After you collect the stamp from the immigration department, you have to register the permit with the Civil Registry. For the registration you need your passport and your apostilled original birth certificate with an issue date of less than 1 year. Once this step is completed you can apply for the Sedula which is the local ID card.

Prior to completing MD4 or leaving indefinitely, the following process should take place to cancel the permit even if it has expired:

• Make a payment of Fls. 145 at MCB Bank for ‘Definitief vertrek’ (payment order available at the office)
• Go to the Immigration office to submit the proof of payment and collect ‘Definitief vertek’ form
• Go to Paga bo but Curaçao/Boetebetaling Curaçao. They will check if you have any unpaid fines, if not, you will receive a stamp on the ‘Definitef vertrek’ form. If yes, you will have to pay the fines prior to receiving the stamp
• Go to the Tax office to collect a stamp. (With a form you receive from CMU and an enrollment letter)
• Go to Kranshi (civil registry) to unregister. Receive the final stamp.
• Go to the Immigration office to receive the clearance stamp in your passport If you choose to leave without cancelling your permit and airport immigration figures out that you are leaving indefinitely, they might turn you around and you will lose your ticket.