Most visitors can enter Curaçao without a visa, including those from the US, Canada, the UK, the Netherlands and other European countries. Passports are typically stamped for stays of 30 days, on the condition that accommodation and flights are pre-booked. Unless you’re coming from a high risk yellow fever region, vaccinations are not necessary.
Health and Safety
The sun, mosquitoes, and unhygienic food are the main health risks, although problems can be avoided with common sense. The people are generally friendly and helpful, and although crime is not endemic, car crime and drug-related theft can be problematic. Avoid driving at night and in out-of-the-way downtown areas.
It is hot year-round in Curaçao so always use sun block and wear good sunglasses when at the beach or sightseeing. Mosquitoes are an issue in the interior, with reports of dengue fever among the local populace. Try to cover up at night (avoid wearing black) and use mosquito repellant, particularly on the ankles.
Tap water, which is distilled sea water on Curaçao, is potable though most people stick with bottled water. Restaurants are hygienic for the most part, but visitors should only eat from street vendors where they can see the food being cooked and where it is served piping hot. There have been incidences of tourists contracting ciguatera poisoning through eating certain reef fish.
Main beaches have lifeguards and many are sheltered, while northern beaches are fewer, rougher, and more remote, and therefore should be avoided by swimmers. Always carry water when hiking in Christoffel National Park. Local drivers can be unpredictable and aggressive, and country roads tight, so be extra careful when behind the wheel.