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BUYING PROCESS

Buying Property in Aruba: The Complete Guide

Everything we've learned about buying on Aruba, in one place, who can buy, what it really costs, the two kinds of land nobody warns you about, and how the whole thing runs from first offer to the day you get the keys.

By Jakob Jakubov, every winter on Aruba since 2021 · Updated August 2026 · 16 min read

Who can buy property in Aruba?

Let's clear this up first, because it's the question that stops most people before they even start: yes, you can buy here as a foreigner, and it's genuinely straightforward.

Aruba is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and it welcomes foreign property owners. There's no restriction on nationality, no residency requirement, and no rule that you need an Aruban co-owner or a shell company. You buy in your own name, you hold the title, you rent it out or sell it whenever you want.

The differences that actually matter aren't legal, they're practical. How you finance the purchase. What the land under the house really is. Which taxes follow you home. We've written full guides for the two biggest buyer groups:

• Buying in Aruba as a US citizen, closing costs, the IRS side, financing without a US bank.
• Buying in Aruba as a Canadian, CRA reporting, RRSP and home-equity angles, CAD/AWG.

What buying actually costs

The sticker price isn't the whole story anywhere, and Aruba is no exception. On top of the agreed purchase price, budget for closing costs: mostly transfer tax, the notary's fee, and registration.

Ranges based on the official notary scale and transfer-tax tiers: we re-check these every winter. Full breakdown in the taxes & closing costs guide.

The transfer tax is tiered, so a higher-value property sits in a higher band. Notary fees follow a published scale rather than being negotiated. None of it is mysterious: it's just money you want in the plan from day one, not a surprise two weeks before signing.

Freehold vs. land lease

Here's the concept that trips up nearly every foreign buyer, because most of us don't have it at home: not all land in Aruba is owned the same way.

Freehold (eigendom) means you own the land outright, forever. Simple, and what most buyers picture.

Land lease (erfpacht) means the government owns the underlying land and you hold a long-term, renewable lease on it, often 60 years, while fully owning the building on top. You pay a modest annual ground fee (canon).

Neither is a trap. Plenty of excellent streets, including parts of Malmok, sit on land lease, and locals don't blink at it. What matters is the remaining term and the annual fee, and how those affect resale. We go deep on this in the freehold vs. land lease guide, if you read only one spoke before you start viewing, make it that one.

Land lease isn't a red flag. An expiring land lease is.

Taxes you'll deal with

Two layers here: the taxes you pay in Aruba, and whatever your home country expects.

In Aruba, the big one at purchase is the transfer tax above. After that, expect a modest annual property tax (grondbelasting) on value above a threshold, and, if you rent the place outincome tax on rental earnings. The rates are gentle compared with a lot of North American and European jurisdictions, but they're real, and they belong in your yield math.

Then there's home. US owners report worldwide income to the IRS; Canadians report to the CRA and may trip foreign-property reporting thresholds. Aruban tax paid is often creditable, but the mechanics differ by country, and this guide isn't tax advice. The full picture, with the tiers and the annual numbers, lives in taxes & closing costs in Aruba.

Financing your purchase

The honest headline: overseas banks don't lend against Aruban property. Your US or Canadian bank won't write a mortgage on a condo in Noord. So the real options are:

1. Cash, the cleanest path, and how a big share of foreign purchases actually happen here.
2. A local Aruban mortgage, available to non-residents at some banks, but with lower loan-to-value, more paperwork, and stricter income proof than you'd get at home.
3. Borrowing against a property back home, a HELOC or cash-out refinance on your primary residence, then buying in Aruba with cash. Common, and often the cheapest money.

Rates, LTV, and exactly what local banks ask of foreigners are all in financing as a foreigner.

The buying process, step by step

Once you've found the place, the mechanics are refreshingly orderly, because a government-appointed notary runs the legal side, not the buyer's or seller's own lawyer. Here's the shape of it:

1. Make an offer and, once accepted, sign a purchase agreement. A deposit (often ~10%) goes into the notary's escrow.
2. Due diligence, the notary verifies title, land type, and that the property is free of debts and liens.
3. The deed of transfer (akte van levering) is prepared and signed at the notary.
4. Keys. Funds are released, the transfer is registered, and it's yours.

Start to finish, 2–3 months is typical. The step-by-step version with realistic time estimates is in the notary process guide.

Where on the island to buy

Aruba is small, but the areas feel genuinely different, and price follows character. A quick orientation:

• Palm Beach, the high-rise, resort-and-nightlife strip. Strong short-term rental demand. See Palm Beach.
• Eagle Beach, lower-rise, wide beach, a calmer feel; some of the island's most-loved sand. See Eagle Beach.
• Malmok, upscale, villa-heavy, snorkeling on the doorstep; a lot of land lease here. See Malmok.

For the full tour and where your money actually goes, start at the area-by-area hub and pair it with what your budget buys on Aruba.

Common mistakes we see

• Budgeting only the sticker price and getting blindsided by closing costs.
• Ignoring the land type until the notary's due-diligence stage, check freehold vs. land lease before you fall in love with a place.
• Assuming a US or Canadian mortgage will work here. It won't. Sort financing first.
• Underestimating rental rules and taxes when the whole plan hinges on rental income. Read renting out your property before you model returns.
• Skipping the "will I actually live here?" question. If the plan is more than an investment, moving to and living on Aruba is worth an evening.