According to topschoolsintheusa, Sint Maarten, together with the French Saint Martin, forms the island of Sint Maarten, located in the Caribbean Sea (North America). Sint Maarten is an independent country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands and, together with Sint Eustatius and Saba, forms the SSS islands. The capital of Sint Maarten is Philipsburg.
According to allcountrylist, Sint Maarten is known as a popular holiday destination, especially for Americans. The island’s economy is largely based on tourism. The island is often visited by cruise ships. You can see this in the harbour. The landscape of Sint Maarten is mostly hilly and also has a wide coastline with beautiful stretches of sandy beach. The island is known for its many water sports facilities such as: diving, sailing, water skiing and windsurfing. In addition, the island is known for its nightlife and many dining facilities.
Where is Sint Maarten located?
Travel information of Sint Maarten
Official name: Sint Maarten
Continent: North America
Area: 34 km²
Capital: Philipsburg
Country code: SX, SXM
Population: 43,847 inhabitants (2020)
Form of government: Constitutional monarchy
Highest point: 341 m (Sentry Hill)
Distance (Amsterdam – Sint Maarten): 6,950 km
Flight time: approximately 8 hours
Travel advice
Current status: No special security risks.
Current color code: Green.
Travel offer
On our travel offer page you will find an overview of reliable travel organizations that offer complete trips and holidays to Sint Maarten. In addition, you will find an overview of separate travel components (car rental, hotels and airline tickets) with which you can compose your ideal trip yourself.
Travel guides and maps
Are you looking for a travel guide, map, walking map, cycling map, book or DVD about Sint Maarten?
Weather and climate
Sint Maarten has a tropical climate. The temperatures are between 25 and 30 degrees all year round.
The current weather (weather forecast) and a weather forecast for Sint Maarten can be found on our extensive weather page.
Detailed information about the climate of Sint Maarten can be found at Climate info.
Best time
January, February, March and April are the best months to travel to Sint Maarten. This avoids the rainy and hurricane season.
Language
Dutch is the official language on Sint Maarten. English is the most spoken language on Sint Maarten.
Travel documents
You must have a valid passport.
A visa is not necessary if you stay on Sint Maarten for less than 30 days.
Embassies and Consulates
Sint Maarten is a country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
There is therefore no embassy and/or consulate for the Netherlands.
Detailed information on consular affairs can be found at sintmaartengov.org.
For urgent assistance, you can contact the Ministry of Foreign Affairs 24/7 on +31247247247.
Vaccination (inoculation)
You do not need any vaccinations for a visit to Sint Maarten. Yellow fever vaccination is mandatory for Sint Maarten if you have visited a yellow fever
country in the seven days before you visit Sint Maarten.
Money and Currency
On Sint Maarten, payment is made with the Antillean guilder (ANG) and the American dollar (USD).
The current position of this currency (currency, currency) can be found on our exchange rate page.
An overview of all ATMs on Sint Maarten can be found on our ATMs page.
Price level
The prices on Sint Maarten are a lot higher than in the Netherlands. The price difference with the Netherlands is +40% on average. Some examples are: restaurants (8% more expensive), food (100% more expensive), imported beer in the hospitality industry (9% cheaper), cigarettes (70% cheaper) and public transport (70% cheaper). Please note that the price difference in tourist areas, especially during high season, may vary.
Tipping
On Sint Maarten it is customary to tip. If no service costs have been calculated yet, a tip of approximately 10% is given.
Time difference
During our summer time it is 6 hours earlier on Sint Maarten.
During our winter time it is 5 hours earlier on Sint Maarten.
Sint Maarten has no difference in winter time and summer time.
The local time, date and time zone of Sint Maarten can be found on our time difference page.
Traffic and route
On Sint Maarten you must drive on the right.
You do not need an international driver’s license to drive and/or rent a motor vehicle on Sint Maarten.
With the Google route planner you can compile a route description from, to or within Sint Maarten.
Electricity
On Sint Maarten you need a travel plug. In addition, in some cases you need an inverter.
More information about common plugs and sockets on Sint Maarten can be found on our electricity page.
Emergency services
If you need help from the police, fire brigade and/or ambulance in an emergency, you can use the emergency numbers below.
– Police: 911
– Fire Department: 911
– Ambulance: 911
– Coast Guard: 913 or VHF channel 16
Tap water
Tap water is safe to drink.
News and newspapers
The latest news regarding Sint Maarten can be found on Google news.
An overview of the newspapers from Sint Maarten can be found on Abyznewslinks.
Internet
Websites from Sint Maarten end in.sx.
Sint Maarten official websites: sintmaartengov.org and vacationstmaarten.com.
Telephony
The country code (international access code) to call someone on Sint Maarten is 001721 or +1721.
Do you want to call the Netherlands from Sint Maarten? Then use the Dutch country code 0031 or +31.
(If you use a country code, you must omit the first 0 of the number to be called.)
Company details can be found in the Yellow Pages of Sint Maarten.
Photos and videos
On Flickr you will find a nice collection of photos of Sint Maarten.
On Youtube you will find a nice collection of videos from Sint Maarten.
Holidays
An overview of all public holidays on Sint Maarten can be found on Beleven.org.
Excursions, activities and day trips
With the help of Countryaah you can reserve an excursion, activity, guided tour, entrance ticket and/or day trip for your stay on Sint Maarten at a discount. This way you are assured of a place, in some cases you can skip the queue and you can already plan your travel program.
Reviews and travel experiences
On Zoover and TripAdvisor you will find reviews from travelers about accommodations (eg hotels and holiday homes), restaurants and destinations in Sint Maarten, supplemented with photos, videos and places of interest.
Travelogues
Are you looking for a travelogue about Sint Maarten?
Here you will find travel reports and experiences of travelers who have previously visited Sint Maarten. It is also possible to keep a free diary of your trip for family and/or friends.
Nature and world heritage
An overview of the protected nature areas (including national parks, reserves and wildlife parks) on Sint Maarten can be found on Protected Planet.
Sint Maarten is not on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Customs rules
Do you want to know how much you are allowed to import and export when traveling to Sint Maarten? On the IATA website you will find an overview with the maximum quantities of cigarettes, alcohol, money and perfume, among other things. If you stick to these quantities, you don’t have to declare anything to customs. You will also find the laws and regulations regarding the entry of pets on this website.
Studying and internship
Are you considering a study, internship or gap year on Sint Maarten? You are by no means the only one and certainly not the first. To help you on your way, Nuffic (the Dutch organization for internationalization in education) has set up the WilWeg.nl website. On this website you will find all the information that can help you on your way, such as admission requirements, forms of education, housing, scholarship, internships, health insurance, study costs and of course experiences.
Relevant legislation
Below you will find relevant legislation and regulations that you may encounter during your visit to Sint Maarten.
– Alcohol: Buying and/or drinking from the age of 18.
– Alcohol and traffic: The maximum permitted alcohol content is 0.5.
– Tobacco: Buy from the age of 18, smoking at all ages.
– Smoking ban: In public places.
– Homosexuality: Allowed
Did you know that…
…Sint Maarten was discovered by Columbus in 1493?
…Sint Maarten is a staging point for many cruise ships?
…The Sint Maarten feast is the National Day of Sint Maarten?
…Sint Maarten and Saint Martin have no visible border?
…The airport of Sint Maarten is known for its low-flying planes?
… Sint Maarten or the island of Sint Maarten with the same name?
