Guides → ISLAND LIFE

ISLAND LIFE

Moving to Aruba from the US or Canada: The Practical Checklist

Deciding to move is the easy part. The hard part is the order you do things in, because a few of these steps block the others, and people routinely discover that in the wrong sequence. Here's the version we wish someone had handed us.

By Jakob Jakubov, every winter on Aruba since 2021 · Updated September 2026 · 10 min read

Step 0: the test winter

We'll keep saying this because it's the highest-value advice on the page: spend a real winter here before you move. Not a week in a resort: a month or three in a rental, in an ordinary neighbourhood, doing groceries and laundry and dealing with the electricity bill.

It costs a fraction of a bad relocation, and it answers the questions that brochures can't: whether the size of the island suits you, whether you like it in September as well as February, and which part of it is actually yours. Most people who move here happily did this. Most people who leave within two years didn't.

Step 1: residency (the blocker)

This is the step that gates everything else, and the one people misunderstand most.

Buying a house here does not give you residency. They are two entirely separate processes, and plenty of foreigners own property on Aruba while only ever visiting as tourists. If you want to live here year-round, you apply for a residency permit, the common routes being employment, self-employment/business, family reunification, or the pensioner / person-of-independent-means route with a minimum income requirement.

The specifics (categories, income thresholds, the mandatory AZV health system, what DIMAS actually asks for) are in our healthcare & residency guide. Start this early: it sets the timeline for everything below. This isn't legal advice, confirm current rules with DIMAS or an immigration lawyer.

Owning the house is the simple half. Being allowed to live in it year-round is the half that takes the time.

Step 2: where you'll actually live

Decide rent or buy first, and our answer is almost always rent first. Renting for the first six to twelve months lets you learn the island's geography with your feet instead of a map, and it means your eventual purchase is a decision rather than a bet. Start with the area guide; the short version is that most newcomers land in Noord, Palm Beach or Eagle Beach and sort themselves out from there.

When you are ready to buy, the whole process (offer, notary, costs, timelines) is in the complete buying guide.

Step 3: shipping your things

The honest framing: everything you own has to cross an ocean, and the island imports nearly everything anyway.

Placeholders: get live quotes from at least three international movers, and ask each one specifically about Aruban customs clearance and duty.

The advice from everyone we know who's done it: ship less furniture, bring more of the specific things you're fussy about. Big items are replaceable here (or better suited to the climate if bought locally); the niche stuff (a particular coffee grinder, your tools, medications, favourite kitchen things) is what you'll actually miss.

Step 4: pets, cars and the awkward stuff

Pets. Very doable, and people do it constantly, but it's a paperwork sequence with timing built in: vaccinations, an import permit, health certificates, and airline-specific crate rules. Start months ahead, not weeks, and confirm the current requirements with the Aruban veterinary authority.

Cars. Importing one is usually the wrong call. Duty and shipping frequently exceed what the car is worth, the island is small enough that you don't need much, and local supply and servicing are set up for what's already here. Most movers sell up and buy on-island.

Electronics. Aruba runs on 120V/60Hz, the same as the US and Canada, so North American appliances generally just work. That's a genuine advantage over moving to Europe.

Step 5: banking, licences and admin

• Bank account. Opening one locally is far easier once your residency status is sorted; expect the usual documentation. Keep a home-country account open regardless.
• Driving licence. You can drive on a foreign licence for an initial period, after which you convert to an Aruban one. Check the current window on arrival.
• Taxes. Moving changes your tax position in both countries, and US citizens keep filing with the IRS wherever they live. Get advice from someone who handles cross-border cases before you move, not after.
• Health cover. Residents enrol in the mandatory AZV system; many expats add private cover on top. Detail in the healthcare & residency guide.
• Address and utilities. Straightforward once you have a lease, and be ready for the electricity bill, which is the number that surprises new arrivals most. Full monthly picture in the cost of living guide.

What it costs to move

There's no honest single number, but the shape of it looks like this:

The bigger ongoing number isn't the move: it's the monthly cost of living once you're here, and that's the one to stress-test before you go. We break it down properly in cost of living on Aruba, and the blunt version of whether the island is expensive is in is Aruba expensive?.