SX
Sint Maarten
Usually admitted, but questioning or secondary inspection is common.
Based on 7 reports. Score 0.32 on a scale from −1 (always refused) to +1 (always admitted), with recent reports counting most. How scoring works
What to expect
All six reports, including four since February 2026, end in admission by air on the Dutch side, though the recent ones involved a short secondary stop.1–6 The 2026 travelers described an entry card asking about criminal records, then questions about lodging, purpose and departure dates, plus a brief bag search or a photographed itinerary.1–4 Accounts differ on advance knowledge: one 2026 traveler felt officers knew beforehand while another thought the stop was random, and 2016 and 2024 arrivals passed through in minutes.3–6
Written by an AI model from the reports below on October 12, 2026. The numbers link to the reports each sentence is based on. Read those before you decide.
Common questions
Can registered sex offenders enter Sint Maarten?
It's rated Caution: Usually admitted, but questioning or secondary inspection is common. Of 4 trips reported in the last two years by people on a US registry, 4 ended in entry and 0 in refusal.
Do Sint Maarten's border officers know about US registrants in advance?
In 1 report, officers appeared to know before the traveler arrived, which usually points to a US advance notification (often called Angel Watch).
How do travelers usually arrive in Sint Maarten?
Reports on file describe 5 by air. Outcomes can differ by how travelers arrive; each report below says which.
- 1Oct 2026 (reported)
Admitted after questioning
The traveler completed an embarkation/disembarkation card disclosing a criminal record and no warrants, was briefly and politely stopped after initial screening, asked about length of stay, accommodation, and purpose of travel, had bags searched, and was then admitted.
ACSOL (Alliance for Constitutional Sex Offense Laws) · Forum post · Firsthand
- 2Jul 2026
Admitted after questioning · By air
Customs was smooth, though an officer stopped them at the border for general questions and photographed their itinerary before admitting them. Their passport carried the IML endorsement.
PFR Guide · Forum post · Firsthand
- 3Feb 2026
Admitted after questioning · By air
Entering on a second, European passport rather than their marked US one, they were pulled aside at border control for routine questions and a brief bag search, then admitted. They noted the entry card now asks about criminal records.
PFR Guide · Forum post · Firsthand · officers appeared to be notified in advance
- 4Feb 2026
Admitted after questioning · By air
The traveler, with a marked US passport but entering on a second citizenship's passport, completed the required online entry card (which asks about criminal record) and was pulled aside at border control for basic questions about lodging, purpose and departure date, with a brief bag search, then admitted. Officers were polite and the traveler thought it might have been random.
ACSOL (Alliance for Constitutional Sex Offense Laws) · archived copy · Forum post · Firsthand
- 5Aug 2024
Admitted, no issues · By air
Immigration on the Dutch side took about a minute over their passports and was cordial, and confirmed they would be allowed to return.
PFR Guide · Forum post · Firsthand
- 6Aug 2016
Admitted, no issues · By air
They entered on the Dutch side of the island without incident, one of at least three such trips. A later written enquiry to the immigration service was answered to say no further action was needed given the age of the conviction.
PFR Guide · Forum post · Firsthand
- 7By 2022
Mixed results
Row from the RTAG Travel Matrix, an undated summary last maintained around 2021.
- Registrants turned away
- Sometimes
- Law bars sex offenders
- No
- Law bars people with felonies
- No
- Has its own offender registry
- No
- Notes
- Permission needed in advance; RTAG asked travelers to contact them.
Registrant Travel Action Group (RTAG) · Legacy matrix · Summary