|
Great Bay, St. Maarten - The Local Chief of Police, Governor Franklyn Richards, is reminding the general public, most importantly non-nationals leaving St. Maarten for travel abroad, of guidelines pertaining to requesting and obtaining a re-entry permit. As is generally known, the governor of the island territory is the competent authority to issue a re-entry permit, with the actual processing of such realized by the immigration department, based on specific conditions. Those conditions are based on legal regulations and the Decree on Admittance ("Toelatingsbesluit", P.B. 1985 No. 57), as stated in its article 8, section 1, sub 1.
The law states that a re-entry permit can be issued to persons upon their request, whom are traveling abroad, and who reside here legally. On the re-entry permit, the conditions are listed under which that person may return, as well as the final date on which the person in question should have returned to the Netherlands Antilles. An important stipulation is that the person is in possession of valid documents. Those eligible to request and receive a re-entry permit are persons who are non-nationals and who reside on St. Maarten with a residence permit for an indefinite period, those with temporary residence permit and those with a pending decision on their request for extension of their residence permit. To receive a re-entry permit, the person to which the document is issued must have a valid ID such as a passport or ID card, a valid residence permit or a declaration act of guarantee, a 10 guilder stamp obtainable at the Federal Receiver's office and a recent passport photo. It is not necessary to present a letter of the person's employer to the immigration department, in order to obtain a re-entry permit. The re-entry permit is issued, after the immigration department has verified if the person has met all the requirements for such. Based on recent correspondence from the Minister of Justice, addressed to governors of the various island territories, a re-entry permit issued for visa purposes (visa request to travel to Holland), should be valid for three months, after the date of return to the island. This would mean that the immigration department would take into consideration the date of return to the island, when preparing the re-entry permit. Following the abovementioned, requests for re-entry permits should be finalized within 1 week. The re-entry permit can be requested and picked up at the immigration department at the police station in Philipsburg. END |
