Introduction
Since our lawyers are members of the Bar of Aruba and the Netherlands Antilles and licensed to practice in both jurisdictions, an introduction to these jurisdictions is appropriate.
Political history
Aruba and the Netherlands Antilles are former colonies of the Netherlands and are presently autonomous countries within the Dutch Kingdom or Commonwealth. The Netherlands Antilles are a federation of five islands of which Curacao is the largest. Aruba, which formed part of the Netherlands Antilles in the past, is a separate jurisdiction since 1986.
Legal System
Aruba and the Netherlands Antilles have a civil law system based on Dutch law.
Judges are appointed by the Kingdom. The court system has three tiers.
| | (i) A Court of First Instance in each island
(ii) Joint Appeals Court for Aruba and the Netherlands Antilles, and
(iii) The Dutch Supreme Court as the court of last resort. |
Economy and Infrastructure
 The economy of the islands is based on tourism, oil refining, trading and tax haven activities. Aruba is one of the premier tourist destinations in the Caribbean. The islands have excellent harbors as well as daily connections by air with the U.S., Europe and Latin America and a first class telecommunications infrastructure. There are many international professional firms and banks established in the islands.
All services performed by Sjiem Fat & Kuster are subject to our General Terms and Conditions, (accessible on this website), which contain a limitation of liability.
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