Establishing a company in Curaçao

Curaçao is a small island country in the southern Caribbean Sea, north of Venezuela, with the island of Aruba to the west, and tiny Bonaire to the east. In the years 1954-2010 Curaçao belonged to the Netherlands Antilles. In 2009 the island citizens elected dissolution from Dutch control and became an independent state. Their final step to independence was completed in 2010 with the Dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles, although remaining a constituent countries within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of only 150,000, and its capital is Willemstad, named for William of Orange who established the Netherlands. Its official languages are Dutch, English, and the Caribbean dialect of Papiamentu. The island boasts a developed banking system and convenient infrastructure for those wishing to establish a company in Curaçao and pursue local and international business endeavors.

The original settlers of Curaçao were South American natives that migrated to the area, but in 1634 the Dutch took control of the island. Curaçao became a central depot of the Caribbean slave trade, then suffered economic collapse with the abolition of slavery during the 19th century. The island began to flourish financially again when some of its territories were required for the oil refinery installation being built on the Venezuelan coast, primarily by Royal Dutch Shell.

Curaçao has a tropical savannah climate. Along with an inviting and convenient infrastructure for establishing a company there, this small and gorgeous island offers exotic tourist attractions and an interesting cultural mix that combines the heritage of the Dutch islanders, the descendants of African slaves, and the Caribbean natives.