Chamber of Commerce
The Aruba Chamber of Commerce and Industry was instituted on the 8th of September 1930 by law as the official representative of trade and industry on Aruba.
Objectives
The objectives of the Aruba Chamber are:
- to promote the economic interests of commerce and industry in its territory
- to stimulate the activity and development of the business community by taking the public interest into account.
- to represent the business community.
Organization
The Board of the Chamber consists of 9 members of whom 5 represent businesses with an invested capital of Afl. 100,000 or more (Grootbedrijf) and 4 represent smaller businesses (Kleinbedrijf). To become eligible for membership one must have the age of 25 years, Dutch nationality and one must have been a resident of Aruba for the last two years.
The members of the Board are elected by residents of Aruba with Dutch nationality whom for one year preceding compilation of the voters' register, appear in the Commercial Register as either owner, manager, director or general proxy. The members take seat for 3 years. Every year 3 members resign by rotation and are re-eligible at once. The members, moreover may resign at any time, as a consequence of which by-elections must be held.
The daily operations of the Chamber are vested in the Secretariat, headed by an Executive Director who is entrusted with the execution of Chamber policy and the handling of all Chamber activities.
What the Chamber does
Some of the services offered by the Chamber are listed below.
Registration in the Commercial Register or Foundations Register
Assist you when registering a business in the Commercial Register or a foundation in the Foundations Register, and when making any amendments thereon. According to the Commercial Register Ordinance all business operating in Aruba must be registered in the Commercial Register of Aruba (Trade Register), and all changes in the registered data must be submitted to this Register.
Registration Information
Provide you with an extract of the registration of a business or a foundation. An extract is a document issued by either the Commercial or Foundations Register containing the most important and essential data of a registered enterprise or foundation, such as, name of the enterprise or foundation, trade name if any, registration number, objects, date of establishment, owner or management and proxies, and in the case of corporations, the capital. All records are open for public viewing whilst for businesses inquiries may also be made by phone.
Validate Certificates of Origin
These are documents which certify the origin of goods to be exported; the importing countries can request these documents in relation to custom tariffs and the like.
Validate EUR-1 Certificates
These are documents which certify the origin of goods, and which are required for export to countries of the European Community.
Declarations & Letters of Recommendation
Provide you with declarations or letters of recommendation. Upon request these letters can be issued in Dutch, English or Spanish, to be used by businessmen related to their business contacts abroad.
Information
Supply you with information on commerce & industry in Aruba in general and provide guidance to the prospective entrepreneur with the establishment of a business.
Library
Provide you with all other Information from our library, such as addresses and business information on commerce & industry abroad, products offered, international exhibitions etc.
Assistance to Visiting Trade Missions Assist visiting trade missions and investors in making contacts with enterprises, professional associations and government agencies.
Responsibilities and institutional powers
In its capacity the Chamber is obliged to report to the Government and to furnish information and advice of a social, financial and economic nature in the general interest of commerce and industry. The Chamber may of its own accord give such advice and also, submit proposals or recommendations to the Government.
Furthermore, the Chamber performs its advisory tasks through its representatives in advisory bodies as well as having itself represented in the governing bodies of foundations and other organizations, whose purpose is to promote, directly or indirectly, the interest of the business community, in the widest sense.
In addition to its advisory task, the Chamber is responsible for administering the Commercial Register and the Foundations Register. It maintains these public registers accessible to everyone and is entrusted with the function of giving service for the benefit of commerce and industry.
Furthermore, according to legal stipulations The Chamber must be consulted on the issuance, refusal and revocation of business licenses.
The Commercial Register
By Ordinance of November 6th 1944 the Commercial Register was instituted, as set forth in the Official Gazette of 1944 No. 233, the so-called "Trade Register" Ordinance. This Ordinance prescribes that any undertaking, carrying on some business operation in Aruba, must be registered.
The registration of such business must be effected not later than one week after its initial start. A company is considered as established when business with respect to the public commences.
All enterprises in which any business is conducted by whosoever have to register. Partnerships, corporations and cooperative societies are for this purpose considered carrying on an enterprise.
Enterprises pertaining to bodies of public law, miners, street vendors, craftsmen with a limited number of employees, gardeners, farmers and fishermen, are exempted. The Chamber is also responsible for managing ]the annual accounts of those limited liability companies which are required by law to file complete copies at the office of the commercial register.
The Foundations Register
Since 1988, the Chamber is entrusted by Law to manage the Foundations Register. It is mandatory for all foundations constituted according to Aruban Law to file registration for public record.
Aruba Chamber of Commerce & Industry
J.E. Irausquin Boulevard 10,
P.O. Box 140, Oranjestad, Aruba (Dutch Caribbean)
Tel: (297) 582-1566
Fax: (297) 588-3200
The Chamber of Commerce website offers a registry search.