VWP - one-way ticket with onward travel to the caribbean

M

Manteip

New Member
Hello all,

I have a question on which I still can't seem to a find an answer for. Me and my girlfriend, currently living in The Netherlands, are planning on moving to Curacao (an island in the Caribbean). The trip that we would like to make will take us first to Miami, where we wish to stay for a maximum of a week, and later on from Miami we will be flying to Curacao. The tickets that we want to buy will be one-way tickets since it saves us allot of money. So a single ticket Amsterdam-Miami and another single ticket Miami-Curacao.

My fear is though that we might get denied entry in the US because we won't have a return ticket but an onward ticket to a Caribbean island. Reading the FAQ of the Visa Waiver Program I found this:

Visa not required if traveling under the U.S. Visa Waiver Program, VWP (see details below) and meeting the following conditions:
-Holds onward/return ticket (or electronic ticket record or return passages) with a final destination to a country, other than Canada, Mexico or countries/islands situated in or bordering the Caribbean sea, unless passenger holds proof of residence in such country/islands in which case onward/return tickets to that country are accepted

Only problem is, when we arrive in Miami we will not have a proof of residence yet for Curacao. We will only have a proof that we are not registered citizens anymore in The Netherlands. Besides this though, I was born in Curacao and have proof that I have signed contract with an employer on Curacao. My girlfriend though was NOT born in Curacao though and she also does NOT have a proof of employment for Curacao because she will be starting her own business there.

So this is a situation on which I can't find an answer for.

To sum it up:
- We will be using a one-way ticket to Miami and an onward (also one-way) ticket to Curacao
- Our stay in Miami will be for a couple of days
- We have visited the United States in the last 4 years a couple of times now. So our history of leaving the country in time (we only went for vacation purposes for a max. of 3 weeks) is good.
- I was born in Curacao and have proof of employment. I don't have proof of residence yet because I have to get to Curacao first in order to do that.
- My girlfriend was not born in Curacao and does not have proof of employment for Curacao.
 
Do you have some proof of your legal ability to take up residence in Curacao? It should be easily available. It appears that the political relationship makes this very easy for you, however, you may need to show written proof to a U.S. CBP Officer if that Officer is not fully aware of the specific legalities.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curaçao#cite_note-16 says:

Dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles was effected on 10 October 2010. Curaçao is now a country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, with the Kingdom retaining responsibility for defence and foreign policy. The Kingdom will also oversee the island's finances under a debt-relief arrangement agreed on between the two.

http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_5430.html says:

COUNTRY DESCRIPTION: Curaçao is a semi-autonomous part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The economy is well-developed and tourist facilities are widely available. Tourism and the financial services sector have been the mainstays of the Curaçao economy since the 1970s.

SEE:
http://dc.the-netherlands.org/ and http://www.ctb.an/Sites/curacao,-d-,com/VacationPlanning/GettingHere/EntryRequirements.aspx?lang=en
 
Thanks for your reply BigJoe5.

A small fix from my previous post: my girlfriend was not born in Curacao but her father was. This makes her a "legal citizen" of Curacao because she does not need any work permit etc.. in order to stay longer then 90 days on Curacao.

Your question was "do you have some proof of your legal ability to take up residence in Curacao?" No, we don't. Me myself only have proof that I was born in Curacao (as stated in my passport) and thus will be allowed to stay as long as I want in Curacao without any further hassle. My girlfriend does not have this proof in her passport as she was born in another country but, as I just mentioned in the previously, her father was born in Curacao and thus she will also be allowed to stay as long as she want in Curacao without any further hassle.

Would a proof (which I think we can acquire) of her ties with Curacao be sufficient for the immigration to let us through you think?
 
Manteip said:
Thanks for your reply BigJoe5.

A small fix from my previous post: my girlfriend was not born in Curacao but her father was. This makes her a "legal citizen" of Curacao because she does not need any work permit etc.. in order to stay longer then 90 days on Curacao.

Your question was "do you have some proof of your legal ability to take up residence in Curacao?" No, we don't. Me myself only have proof that I was born in Curacao (as stated in my passport) and thus will be allowed to stay as long as I want in Curacao without any further hassle. My girlfriend does not have this proof in her passport as she was born in another country but, as I just mentioned in the previously, her father was born in Curacao and thus she will also be allowed to stay as long as she want in Curacao without any further hassle.

Would a proof (which I think we can acquire) of her ties with Curacao be sufficient for the immigration to let us through you think?
Click to expand...

That is something that you probably need to ask of the government in Curacao. Once you know what she needs and has something in hand to explain it to anyone who might get in her way (like a U.S. CBP Officer) things should work out OK. Was she born in or have a passport from or other legal residence in a country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands? That would probably be sufficient.
 
She was born in Venezuela but has the Dutch nationality/passport.

So just to be clear, if we can both prove to the U.S. CBP Officer that we can enter Curacao without any problems (because of our ties with the island), then it shouldn't be any problem to get access to US you think? I'm still a little worried because at the time of our arrival in Miami we are still not registered residents of Curacao. On the other hand we can prove that we can stay in Curacao as long as we want, which in this case is permanently.
 
I doubt you'll have trouble since you're both Dutch and are going to a Dutch territory, but if you carry proof of your ability to settle in Curacao, it would be good (just in case).
 
Thx cafeconleche. My girlfriend managed to get a copy of her father's passport and also a copy of her birth certificate so we have proof that she is able to settle in Curacao without any further permits. I think (hopefully) we have enough proof now in case the officers won't allow us entry.
 
See if you can find the law (in English) that stipulates the right of residence for both of you and print out the relevant page(s) to take with you too.
 
I think if your GF was not born in Curacao, i feel she is not an Curacao's Citizen. But she can get it as her father belongs to that place....
 
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