Courtesy of: The Morning News
The government has recently introduced changes in their policy regarding tourism stay over on the island. The Department of DIMAS has recently published a bulletin informing the public of these changes.
A tourist is anyone visiting Aruba to relax, do sport, for medical purposes, to visit family or friends, for religious reasons, or to do business.
A tourist is not allowed to work while on Aruba as a tourist. Any tourist caught working while vacationing here, will be deported. And, the employer of such a tourist will be levied a fine for employing the tourist.
The amount of days that a tourist may be given by the immigration to reside on the island is 30 consecutive days. In the majority of cases 30 days is more than sufficient.
In a few cases the tourist may want more than 30 days. In such a case he will have to submit a special petition to DIMAS. This petition must be submitted before his time allotted by the Immigration has expired. What does DIMAS require for an extension of a tourists stay (up to a maximum of 90 days from date of entry)?
A petition form (available at www.dimasaruba.com)
Copy of passport valid for at least 3 months (of all pages with rubber stamp and visa)
Copy of valid airline ticket with departure date
Copy of travel insurance (valid for the required extension time)
Copy of ID card (both sides)
Proof of hotel/resort reservation or use of own property on Aruba
If the tourist is staying with family or friends, they will be held responsible for his guarantee and must sign for all expenses than may arise during his guest’s stay. That person must appear personally at DIMAS together with the tourist to submit additional information:
A guarantee statement (available at www.dimasaruba.com) legalized at the Palace of Justice in Santa Cruz (DWJZ)
Copy of passport (valid for more than 3 months and only the page with the pass photo on) of the guarantor
If the guarantor is a licensee, a copy of his valid license (must earn minimum wage) is required
Both the guarantor and the tourist must be present at the DIMAS offices when filing a petition for stay over extension.
DIMAS office hours are:
Monday to Thursday from 7:30 to 11:00 and 1:00 to 3:30 pm.
Fridays from 7:30 to 11:00 are General Service hours and from 1:00 to 4:30pm.
As of April 1st it is no longer possible to extend a tourist’s stay beyond 90 days for a maximum of 180 days. There may be exceptions within the confines of the law. Persons of Dutch nationality and those who have property here may be granted an extension of up to 180 days consecutively.
For more information, please consult the website www.dimasaruba.com or call during office hours, tel. +297-522-1500.
