Arrival card Sint Maarten

There Sint Maarten Electronic Embarkation/Disembarkation Card, more commonly known as ED Card, is a digital pre-registration form for all travelers entering Sint Maarten by air.

This is not a visa in the strict sense, but rather a travel authorization coupled with an electronic customs declaration. This document permanently replaces the old paper forms distributed on board aircraft and comes in the form of a PDF document with a QR code, which is essential for clearing immigration.

When should you submit your ED Card application?

The timing of the application is subject to a strict time limit: The form can only be submitted to the authorities within 7 days prior to arrival on the island.. However, by using our services, travelers can send us their information well in advance; we then take care of submitting the application at the exact moment the regulatory window opens.

Regarding documents, travelers must have a passport valid for the duration of the stay, of a return or onward ticket, and a proof of accommodation.

⚠️ Particular attention should be paid to the concept of « minimum income »often mentioned by immigration authorities. In practical terms, this means that travelers must be able to prove that they can support themselves during their stay without working locally. This does not usually involve providing pay slips or detailed bank statements on arrival, but rather being able to present a valid international bank card, traveler's checks, or a sum of cash deemed sufficient by the immigration officer to cover the daily expenses (accommodation, food, transportation) of all accompanying persons.

Travelers affected by the ED Card

The ED Card must be completed by everyone landing at the’Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM) or arriving by boat. This includes tourists, whether they are staying in the Dutch or French part of the island, residents returning to the island (optional), as well as all children and babies, who must have their own form. Even transit passengers, including those heading immediately to Saint Barthélemy or Anguilla without physically leaving the airport area, are required to comply with this requirement, ideally online to speed up their passage upon arrival.

Visamundi Info : One critical point of concern relates to identity documents for French nationals. The Carte Nationale d'Identité (CNI) is systematically refused upon arrival at Princess Juliana Airport, located in the Dutch part of the island. Only passports are accepted for crossing the airport border.. Many travelers are denied boarding or entry because they mistakenly believe that they can travel with only their ID card on the pretext that they are then traveling to the French part (Saint Martin). The passport must cover the entire stay and, ideally, be valid for at least three months beyond the end of the trip as a precaution.

Geographical characteristics and transit

The island's unique geographical location means that specific instructions must be followed when filling out the form. If travelers land at SXM but are staying in the French part of the island (for example, in Marigot), they must fill out the ED Card for entry into the Netherlands but indicate the actual address of their hotel in France. The system is designed to accept addresses on both sides of the island. For travelers in transit to neighboring islands, the procedure requires explicitly mentioning « Transit to St. Barths » or « Transit to Anguilla» in the accommodation section. This step is necessary because immigration checks at SXM are frequent, even for simple transfers.

Validity, cost, and receipt of the document

The form issued is valid for a single entry corresponding to the flight number declared. The length of stay allowed varies depending on nationality: it is generally 30 days for regular tourists, but can be extended to 90 days for citizens of the European Union, Canada, or Australia, and up to 6 months for Americans and Dutch citizens. The document is historically free of charge, with only visa agency fees potentially added.

Once the application has been processed by Visamundi, the traveler will receive their ED Card in PDF format by email. It is strongly recommended that you print this document. Although the mobile version is theoretically accepted, the optical readers used by immigration officers in SXM are optimized for paper format, which speeds up the process and avoids any inconvenience due to battery failure. This document must be presented to the immigration officer before baggage claim or boarding, along with your passport.