Saint Martin

Saint-Martin Tourism website

Sint Maarten Tourism website

General Entry Information: ED Card

Since 2024, a St. Maarten Embarkation / Disembarkation card is requested to be filled in before arriving at Princess Juliana International Airport. Communications are somewhat contradictory about whether completion is obliged: the process is not mandatory, but "highly recommended to expedite entry". When arriving however, it becomes clear the expectation is that you have filled it in. Computer terminals allow for filling in on the spot, but this takes more time than filling in before arrival. Arriving via the French side does not require this process.

The French side of the island is part of the European Union, so all EU, EEA and Swiss citizens may immigrate and seek employment without any additional permits.

However it is not part of the Schengen Area, so border controls are in place for people travelling between Metropolitan France and Saint-Martin. If you do not need a visa for Metropolitan France, you can also visit Saint-Martin for up to 90 days without a visa. If you need a visa, Schengen visas for Metropolitan France are not valid for entry to Saint-Martin, and you will need to obtain a separate Saint-Martin visa from a French diplomatic mission for that.

The Dutch side of the island is part of neither the EU nor the Schengen Area. This means that border controls are in place for people travelling between the European Netherlands and Sint Maarten. Except for Dutch citizens, even EU/EEA/Swiss citizens need to obtain an employment permit if they want to work in Sint Maarten.

Countries eligible for a visa-free entry to the Dutch territory of Sint Maarten are shown in cyan on image to the right.

Citizens of other countries must obtain a visa, which is valid for Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten and the Caribbean Netherlands and allows multiple entry for a maximum period of 90 days within 180 days. The maximum uninterrupted stay in one of the individual countries is 30 days. The visa is not valid for the European part of the Netherlands. However, Schengen visas are valid for visits to Sint Maarten, and people with valid visas for Saint-Martin are also exempt from having to obtain a separate visa for Sint Maarten.

1 Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM IATA), ☏ +1 721 545-2060. This airport on the Dutch side is the larger airport on the island and one of the Caribbean's busiest. Planes land and take off unusually close overhead to sunbathers at Maho Beach (see related item under "Stay Safe" below). Maho Beach is a tourist draw for die-hard aviation enthusiasts for this reason, and the airport is something of a holy grail for them. You don't want your hotel too near. It is not only a beautiful airport, but a very busy airport, especially on the weekends when many timeshare owners are coming and going.

2 Grand Case-Espérance Airport (SFG IATA). The other airport is near Grand Case to the north, and primarily serves inter-island flights, commercial and private. (updated Jun 2018)

When leaving St. Martin by plane, you need to pay an exit tax at the Phillipsburg airport, unless it has been included in the airfare, which is the case with some airlines. Travellers departing on international flights pay US$30. Exempt are passengers flying with certain airlines, transit passengers and children under two. The exit tax to the other Netherlands Antilles Islands such as Saba and St. Eustatius is only US$10.

On a typical day, thousands of people visit the island by cruise ship, landing mostly in Philipsburg on the Dutch side. Four very large cruise ships, or 6–8 others can dock at once. Very occasionally in high-season, a few ships must moor or anchor off-shore.

In high-season, passengers from those ships make the city of Philipsburg the busiest city on the island, offloading perhaps 18,000 or more passengers. In low season, one occasional ship is more common. You can find usually-accurate schedules for this and many ports and dates at visitstmaarten.com.

These docks are approximately a 1.6-km walk to the east end of Front Street leading into the main shopping area. However, a short walk from the cruise ship docks you'll find:

A fleet of taxis (and cars/guides) for hire as noted under "Get around" below.

A water taxi service: continuously running boats in a circular route to Philipsburg in either order, to a dock near the east end of Front Street and another opposite the courthouse on Front Street centre, before returning to the cruise ship area.

Both stops offer ready access to a large beach and Front Street shopping. Several boats run while multiple cruise ships are there.

You can buy single-trip wristbands at modest cost, or wrist-bands for unlimited travel all day for slightly more.

You'll see long lines when many cruise ships are docked, but the number of water taxis employed rises to meet demand, so you'll rarely have a long wait.

Marigot port on the French side is limited to hosting one small cruise ship at a time, but is also served by attractive marinas supporting many yachts of all sizes. Most inter-island ferry service also arrives/departs at Marigot.

It is possible to travel from the neighbouring islands: Saint Barthelemy, Anguilla, Saba, Sint Eustatius, and St. Kitts.

Voyager company offers crossings every day, except on Sundays and on public holidays. The boat leaves from Marigot or Oyster Pond (Saint Martin) and arrives in Gustavia (Saint Barthelemy). A return ticket costs arount €90 and €140 (2021), depending on the type of seat selected.

Great Bay Express offers daily crossings as well. The boat departs from Bobby's Marina in Philipsburg (Saint Martin) and arrived in Gustavia (Saint Barthelemy). A return ticket costs between €95 and €115 (2021).

Funtime Charters offers daily crossings. The boat departs from St Maarten-Anguilla Doc, Airport Road (Saint Martin) and arrives at Blowing Point (Anguilla). A return ticket costs around €116. The price includes transfer from Princess Juliana Airport (SXM). The crossing takes about 20 minutes.

Calypso Charters offers several crossings per day. A return ticket costs around €108 (2021). The boat departs from St Maarten-Anguilla Doc, Airport Road (Saint Martin) and arrives at Blowing Point (Anguilla).

Dawn II offers crossings on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. The boat departs from Dock Maarten Marina in Philipsburg (Saint Martin) and arrives at Fort Bay (Saba). The crossing takes about 90 minutes. A return ticket costs around €91 (2021).

The Edge offers crossings on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. The boat departs from Simpson Bay Police Station Dock (Saint Martin) and arrives at Fort Bay (Saba). A return ticket costs around €91 (2021).

Makana Ferry offers crossings on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. The boat departs from Bobby's Marina in Philipsburg (Sint Maarten) and arrives at Fort Bay (Saba). Round trip tickets cost $110 (2023).

Travelling between St Martin and Sint Eustatius

Makana Ferry offers crossings on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Saturday. The boat departs from Bobby's Marina in Philipsburg (Sint Maarten) and arrives at Gallows Bay (Sint Eustatius). Round trip tickets cost US$106 (2023). However, you will have to stop in Saba on the way to get your passport stamped.

Travelling between St Martin and St Kitts

Makana Ferry offers crossings on Monday and Friday. The boat departs from Bobby's Marina in Philipsburg (Sint Maarten) and arrives at Port Zante Marina, Basseterre (St. Kitts). Round trip tickets cost $199 (2023).

Sint Maarten is one of the largest yachting centres of the Caribbean. Major marinas include Dock Maarten and Bobby's Marina in Philipsburg and:

Port de Plaisance Marina (in the Simpson Bay lagoon).

IGY Marina (in the Simpson Bay lagoon).

Marina Fort Louis (in Marigot).

Rental cars are available at Princess Juliana International Airport at a dedicated area outside of the airport. You'll find most of the major rental car companies available at the airport. The roads are narrow, sometimes quite bad on both sides of the island, and often very crowded between Philipsburg and Marigot. See also "Stay Safe" below.

If you are driving (especially on the French side) expect a lot of scooters and motorcycles to speed around you on both sides of the road. This can be startling to drivers not used to two wheeled traffic as it can create a dangerous situation. If you stay in your lane and don't waver you can trust most of the time that the cyclists will pass you safely. It's better to just let them pass you at a steady pace than try to slow down or pull to the side.

Motorcycles, quads and scooters are also available for rent, however it is advisable that you have some experience on these vehicles before venturing into St. Maarten's sometimes very hectic traffic.

Taxi cabs are usually SUVs or vans, which are geared towards servicing the cruise ship traffic. Most drivers are quite willing and able to hire-out as tour guides. A custom experience for 3-4 people can be less expensive and more versatile and satisfying than large bus tours offered by cruise ships or hotels. A taxi-app is available to book taxis and find available taxi drivers.

Saint Martin has a bus system using small minivans. You can get most anywhere on the island for just a few dollars, usually US$2/persons, during the day between cities. A short trip will cost you $0.50. They run frequently between Philipsburg and Marigot. Ask a local where the bus stops are, and look for license plates that say (oddly enough) "bus". It is possible to flag them elsewhere and they may stop if safe.

Once you reach Philipsburg, Marigot, Simpson Bay, Maho or Grand Case, you can get around nicely on foot. The distances in each are not long. Take some care in Philipsburg and Marigot with heavy traffic, narrow, sometimes missing pavements, and the midday sun.

Beaches are a main attraction on the island of Saint Martin. It has 37 beaches, with hotels holding property on most of them. Beach bars and cafés are very popular attractions on the island. Many offer unusually good dishes with European and Caribbean inspiration. Frozen cocktails are also a trendy treat to keep down the heat.

All beaches of Saint Martin are fine for swimming and sun bathing, though the west half of the good beach at Philipsburg has better water. The island caters to all, with beaches of fun things to do as well as secluded and more private ones.

One particularly famous beach is Maho Bay beach on the Dutch side. The beach is situated at the end of the airport's runway, so landing large aircraft fly just feet over the beach. Some people attempt to hold on to the fence on airport premises as aircraft depart. This is not recommended due to flying gravel and debris. People have been injured, a very few killed doing this. However, the spectacular view of aeroplanes landing so close is one that you might find stunning. The greatest number of large aircraft arrive and depart in the early-mid-morning and mid-late afternoon.

Just beyond Maho Bay is Mullet Bay; some say it has the nicest beach on the island, with food and drink vendors and beach lounger rentals but few facilities. Virtually all beaches are described in web sites for the island. A full complement of tours and excursions are also available as well as water sports and para-sailing.

Clothing optional beaches. As a European island, topless sun bathing is frequently seen. Some tourists come to Sint Maarten/Saint-Martin because there are clothing optional beaches and resorts on the island. Not every beach is clothing optional.

On the Dutch side, there is Cupecoy Beach in the far western tip of the Dutch jurisdiction. The beach is not clothing optional, but the local administration does look the other way on nude sunbathing on the far western edge of the beach (Cupecoy is a very small beach located at the base of a cliff face). No other beaches on the Dutch side tolerate it, and you will be fined by the Sint Maarten Police for indecent exposure or lewd behaviour.

On the French side, nudity is permitted at the Club Orient beach (Papagayo Beach), and topless sunbathing for women is accepted throughout the French jurisdiction. Nude sunbathing is "tolerated" at some of the smaller, less touristy beaches (the southern ends of Prune and Rouge Beaches) generally on weekdays when there are fewer beach patrons. As long as beach guests do not make spectacles of themselves, French gendarmes (police) may overlook your lack of clothing.

The major currencies in circulation are the euro (EUR, €) and the U.S. dollar (USD, $), which are commonly accepted on both sides of the island. The Dutch side of the island also has a separate official currency, the Caribbean guilder (XCG, ƒ), shared with Curaçao. This is pegged to the USD at $1 = ƒ1.79, though the most commonly-used rate is 1.80.

Credit and debit cards are widely accepted, but as there are many places that do not accept cards, you should ask. Always have some cash on you in small denominations for small purchases and for transport. Expect change in local currency for lesser cash transactions.

The island has a deserved reputation as an excellent place to shop, rivalling Saint Thomas in the US Virgin Islands for price, but with somewhat fewer stores. Some shoppers report better prices for some items than the USVI. Both sides of the island offer a wide range of quality, and shopping is duty free on both, with no tax or duty paid directly by buyers. Merchants on the Dutch side do pay a five percent "turnover tax" on all items they sell. A few sellers may try to add it as a separate cost item on sales slips, despite instructions from the tax authority not to do so.

The French side has fewer retailers, and their goods (e.g., clothing, perfumes, wine) tend to be European brand-name or designer items, at fairly competitive prices. Items are often priced in euros, so some are or appear to be more expensive (after currency conversion) than on the Dutch side or elsewhere in the Caribbean. Many stores on the French side are closed 12:00–15:00.

Unique items (e.g., souvenirs, spices) particularly at the water-front open-air market (large and growing) in Marigot are very reasonable priced, and the banter among vendors is worth the visit, especially mornings on Wednesday and Saturday.

French wine and delicacy lovers may find premium offerings that are available perhaps nowhere else in the Caribbean.

Rum « island cane » the French rum made and bottled on the French side, awarded a silver medal in 2018 at the famous general agricultural competition in Paris, concours général agricole.

If you are shopping on Sunday, forget the French side: the only places open will likely be restaurants and some food stores.

Dutch side. Front Street in Philipsburg is the centre of shopping on the Dutch side. Numerous stores offer jewellery, liquor, cosmetics, cameras, electronics and tobacco, with souvenirs everywhere. You'll find a small open-air bazaar behind the courthouse.

Those looking for well-priced beachwear and souvenirs might try the few places on Back Street, one block farther from the beach than exclusive Front Street and parallel to it.

Fairway Mark-It supermarket (beyond the east end of Front Street) both offer a wide range of grocer's items, e.g., mild Dutch Gouda "wheels" are popular buys.

Shops are generally open from 08:00 or 09:00 until 12:00, and then again from 2 until 18:00. If one or more cruise ships are visiting, many stores remain open during the "lunch" period and on Sundays.

Warranties: Any electronics (including cameras and lenses) purchased here may have an international warranty, or are grey-market with no warranty. You should clearly understand what "protection" any such product includes, e.g., what's necessary to obtain service at home.

Store recommendations by cruise ship port shopping "advisers" are usually reliable, but recommended stores pay very large fees for those endorsements. They're ultimately paid by you. Virtually all recommendations apply to stores on the Dutch side. Recommended by advisers or not, large or small, most stores are reliable and will rectify any problem truly their responsibility. Still, you're wise to thoroughly examine an item before purchase and to obtain a warranty, or formal appraisal for pricey gems and jewellery.

Most merchants touted by those "advisers" are on Front Street. Those stores and others offer excellent selections. The centre and easterly parts offer pleasant walking, as does the boardwalk running parallel to it (if more than a very few cruise ships are in port, nearly all of Front Street may be "pedestrianised"). Many liquor stores there box bottles and may deliver to your hotel or ship if purchased early enough. West of the courthouse, you'll find a few smaller stores offering aggressively discounted liquor, often cash-only, boxes only for multi-bottle purchases, usually no delivery (so you'll need a sturdy bag and padding to safely carry bottles). See Saint Thomas#Returning home for tips on returning home with such purchases.

Whenever considering a significant purchase, negotiate amiably; you may well save a bit.

The practice has become far less common over the years, but people on the streets touting "freebies" or "cash" will likely lead you incrementally and smoothly to a distant, on-site sales pitch for resort condos or timeshares. Once there, you'll encounter high-pressure tactics over an extended time, with "freebies" governed by willingness to buy. If you have only a day for your visit, it may be essentially consumed at the sales pitch.

Duty Issues:

St Martin is a duty-free port, so merchants pay no up-front duty or tax as they price merchandise. They must, however, pay the above 5% turnover tax (TOT), and those funds come from somewhere (you).

It offers no special customs duty advantages over other Caribbean islands, and for U.S. citizens a slight disadvantage compared to the U.S. Virgin Islands. But, don't allow yourself to be dissuaded from a purchase here just for fear of customs duties, which may be modest even if you exceed your limit. You may find well-priced items here that you won't find elsewhere, and prices on commodity items (e.g., some premium liquors, wines) may be better than the USVI.

Take care when calculating cost per litre for liquor and wine purchases, and when declaring total litres purchased for Customs as you return home; bottle sizes can vary. See Saint Thomas#Customs and Duty for U.S. Customs details.

L' Auberge Gourmande. One of the flagship French Cuisine restaurants in the Grand Case restaurant main street. Reservations are highly recommended throughout the year.

Balls and Wine (along busy airport road in Simpson Bay). South American cuisine inspired fusion. This is a small restaurant, so booking in advance in especially high season is recommended.

La Patrona (at the boardwalk of Simpson Bay Resort & Marina). Mexican cuisine. Also known for its breakfast buffets.

Emilio's (in an old plantation mansion in Rainforest Adventure Park, separate entry). Caribbean inspired high-end menu. Also provides a 15-person wine cellar for private dining.

Ital Shack. Rastafarian restaurant that cooks with the "Ital" principles in mind of respect for nature.

Palm Court.

Cap Caribe.

La Hoste. (updated Jul 2026)

1 La Plantation (on the French side of the island, within a 5-minute walk to Orient Beach). It is setup in a bungalow format with stove, microwave, refrigerator and security safe. There is a complimentary breakfast usually consisting of ham, boiled eggs, cereal, different types of bread, juices (orange, guava), tea and coffee.

Esmeralda, Caribbean Princess

Orient Bay has many beautiful hotels and spas on site, and the most popular beach on the island is just steps away. All Orient Bay hotels are far from the main airport, so you will never hear or see an airplane. The ride is only about 15–20 minutes depending on traffic.

La Samanna , Baie Longue, ☏ +590 87-64-00 or ☏ +800 854-2252. On 55 acres with an incredible stretch of beach, top notch service, activities and facilities. It's the place to spend your lottery winnings in style.

Beacon Hill Towers, Beacon Hill Road, with access to beaches on Burgeaux Bay and Simpson Bay, Sint Maarten, ☏ +1-800-844-4156 or ☏ +1 702-258-7376. Suitable for a large family as each unit has 4 bedrooms and students of American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine (AUC), rates start at US$700 per week, and up to $2,200 per month for long term rentals.

Tropical Beach Paradise Dawn Beach, 160 Oyster Pond Rd, ☏ +1 721 527-0619. Dawn Beach, Oyster Pond. 3 pools and a hot tub. Restaurants, casino, bars, grocery in walking distance. On beach suitable for snorkelling.