| St.
Maarten’s no import taxes and/ or true duty free
status coupled with trade preference within the European Union
(EU) and the United States make it a favorable place for doing
business.
Uniquely, St. Maarten as an intrinsic
part of the Netherlands Antilles is subject to the economic
development relations privileges of the European Union Overseas
Countries and Territories and equally preferential tariff
treatment equivalent to that extended to Mexico products under
the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) through the
Caribbean Basin Initiative (CBI) / US-Caribbean Basin Trade
Partnership Act (CBTPA).
Doing business in St. Maarten commonly take on the formation
of a
- Limited Liability Company (Naamloze Vennootschap, N.V),
- Sole Proprietorship (Eenmanszaak) and,
- Private Foundation
To establish or conduct business as a Limited
Liability Company (N.V.) the following steps are required:
- A Deed of Incorporation of the intended Company (N.V.),
must be drafted and passed before a Notary-at-Law established
in the Netherlands Antilles.
- With assistance from the Notary-at-Law, approval for the
proposed name of the proposed of the Limited Liability Company
(N.V.) must be obtained.
- Once approval of the name is obtained, along with a draft
of the Deed of Incorporation must be submitted to the Minister
of Justice to obtain a Declaration of no objection.
- With the “Declaration of no objection”, in
hand, the necessary business licenses to legally operate
is requested from the Executive Council (of the Island Territory),
to include a director license for the person(s) managing
the business and foreign exchange license – which
exempts the corporation from foreign exchange control in
the Netherlands Antilles.
- The request must also be accompanied by,
- A business Plan
- Intended address of the business
c. Copy of the passport, police record and if already
residing on the Island, residence permit of the director(s)
- Copy of the resume (CV) of the director(s) to support
their qualifications.
To establish or conduct business as Sole
Proprietorship the following steps are required:
- A letter addressed to the Executive Council (of the Island
Territory) must be written stating:
- The purpose of the business
- The location of the proposed business
- The person(s) who want to start the business
- How long has the person(s) been residing on the Island
- The full address and a telephone number at which the
person(s) can be contacted
- Together with the above letter, the following documents
must be submitted:
- A complete Application form (which can be obtained from
the Chamber or on-line (Form # 0000)
- A copy of the applicant(s) passport
- A copy of the applicants’ resume (CV), diplomas,
certificates etc.
- A copy of the applicants’ police record
To establish a Foundation
following information is required:
1. Copy of the Deed of Incorporation
2. Registration from the Chamber
3. Directors License
4. Business License
5. Starting date of business
6. Local address of the foundation
7. Number of employees
8. Projected or monthly financial statement
Contact the Chamber for more detailed information
(599) 542 – 3590 |
