In most of the countries you will find diplomatic missions, which usually refers to an embassy and/or a consulate. Diplomatic bodies represent other country interests in Aruba, with the aim of strengthening international relations between the states and providing services for their citizens in Aruba.

Embassies and consulates are considered legal territories of their home countries. They are not "foreign territory" but they are protected and considered the property of the country using them, meaning that Aruba does not have jurisdiction over the embassy or consulate of another country.

What is the difference between Embassy and Consulate

The Vienna Convention on Consular Relations international treaty defines the diplomatic mission’s purpose and framework. The various diplomatic missions offer several services and carry out different missions. For example:

• Embassy: This is the primary diplomatic representation of a country’s government and is headed by an ambassador. An embassy is the main location for a diplomatic presence of one country in another. A country has at most one embassy in another country, and is always established in the capital city of the host country. In the absence of a consulate in a country, the embassy has also a consular section to carry out all the relevant consular services (see below).
• Consulate General: This is a diplomatic mission, headed by a consul that provides a full range of services such as: issuing passports/visas, keeping birth and marriage records, assisting expats, providing legal information, translations etc. It can be located in any major city of the host country, although often in the capital city (in certain cases, in the same building as the embassy). In major countries and large territories, you often have more than one consulate.
• Honorary Consulate: It supplements the Consulate to provide a limited range of consular services and is headed by an honorary consul. They help nationals abroad. For example, in the event of a hospital stay, missing person, death, natural disaster or other emergency. They can also issue emergency travel documents and consular declarations for which the applicant is required to appear in person.

NB: You will usually apply for a visa at the Consulate of the country you want to visit. However, if there is no such representation in Aruba, you can apply for a visa at the embassy.

Where to find Consulates and Embassies in Aruba

Not all countries have an Embassy and/or a Consulate as it depends of the political situation, the relationship with the host country, the size of the country, and the number of foreign citizens living there.

In some cases, countries can share representations and you can be assisted by the services of another embassy or consular service to get the information you need.

We recommend you register/contact your country’s embassy at your destination. It is a free service provided by any diplomatic mission and it will allow them to record information about your upcoming trip abroad. It can be used to assist you in case of an emergency.

Registration will also allow you to get routine information from your nearest embassy or consulate, as citizen residing abroad.

The Aruban capital, Oranjestad, does not host any embassy. However, it hosts one representative office.

There are also 16 consulates in Aruba.

All consulates and honorary consulates are located in Oranjestad.

You will find below a complete list of countries that have a diplomatic mission in Aruba. The list includes embassies, consulates, honorary consulates and sometime other official representations for you to be able to get information and services.

Embassies and Main Consulates in Oranjestad

Netherlands

Netherlands Representation in Aruba
Address: L.G. Smith Boulevard 44, Oranjestad
Tel: +297 (0)525 2866 or +31 (0)70 426 8903
E-Mail: vnoinfo@minbzk.nl

The Representation of the Netherlands in Aruba, Curaçao and St Maarten is an ‘outpost’ of the Netherlands. It is a single Representation with an office in each of the 3 countries: the headquarters in Willemstad, Curaçao; the office in Oranjestad, Aruba; and the office in Philipsburg, St Maarten. The offices represent the Netherlands in its dealings with the governments of these countries.
The Representation in Aruba assists Dutch nationals in Curaçao, St Maarten and Aruba, for example if they have an accident or are the victim of crime. The Representation does not provide financial assistance or loans, but can help with contacting relatives, friends or government bodies. The representation also offers the possibility to vote in Dutch parliamentary elections, European Parliament elections and consultative referendums or apply for a DigiD in Aruba, Curaçao or St Maarten, among other services.

Honorary Consulates in Aruba

Contact directly the Embassy/Consulate website for more information.

For countries with no consulates or embassies in Aruba, the Honorary Consulates are supervised by diplomatic representations located in other country, often Amsterdam, in the Netherlands for Aruba*.

*NB: Together with Bonaire and Curaçao, Aruba forms a group referred to as the ABC islands or the Dutch Caribbean. In 1986, it became a constituent country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and acquired the formal name the Country of Aruba. Along with the Netherlands, Curaçao, and Sint Maarten, Aruba is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, with internal autonomy. Matters such as foreign affairs and defence are handled by the Netherlands.

Honorary Consulates in Oranjestad

• Colombia (caruba@cancilleria.gov.co)
• Costa Rica (consuladodecostaricaaruba@hotmail.com)
• Denmark
• Dominican Republic
• Ecuador (consuladodelecuador@hotmail.com)
• France
• Germany (oranjestad@hk-diplo.de)
• Haiti (cg.aruba@diplomatie.ht)
• India (indconsularuba@gmail.com)
• Mexico
• Panama
• Paraguay
• Spain (consuladoespana.aruba@hotmail.com)
• Sweden
• Uruguay
• Venezuela (arubavenezonsul@gmail.com)