Can foreigners buy property in Curaçao in 2026?

Curaçao does not require a special foreigner landholding permit. Buyers commonly take eigendom (full ownership of land and building) or erfpacht (long-term ground lease with an annual canon). Both are available to internationals. Resort and gated stock around Jan Thiel, Blue Bay, or Coral Estate can add VvE (homeowners association) rules on short lets and renovations: Living in Jan Thiel and Where to live.

Sales of residential real estate need a written koopovereenkomst. Private buyers who are not buying in a professional capacity generally receive a three-day bedenktijd (cooling-off period) after receiving the signed contract, a mandatory consumer protection that cannot be written away. Practice commonly places about 10% of the price in notary escrow as a purchase deposit. Closing runs through a notary who checks the Kadaster for mortgages and liens, collects overdrachtsbelasting of about 4% of the purchase price, and registers the transfer deed. Budget notary, valuation, and insurance on top of the sticker price: How expensive is Curaçao.

Owning a Pietermaai flat or Westpunt villa does not replace @HOME or Toelatingsorganisatie residence permission: Residence or work permit. Tax identifiers such as a CRIB number may still appear when you pay utilities, property tax (OZB), or later rental income: Get a CRIB number. Annual OZB, Aqualectra if you live there, and hurricane-season shutters remain owner costs even on the southern storm track: Hurricane season.

Ordinary residential rentals do not need a purchase deed; freehold purchases do: Rental contracts and deposits and How to rent a home. Many movers rent first in Willemstad while they learn corridors and notary timelines: Living in Willemstad and Rent in Curaçao. If you later let the property, separate landlord tax and Huurcommissie rules apply; buying still does not authorise you to work locally without the right Immigration status.