Plain-language guides
Insurance guides for Sint Maarten
Each guide answers one question people in Sint Maarten ask about insurance, starts with a short answer and lists its sources. They are general information, not advice on your own situation.
Quick answer: These guides answer common insurance questions for Sint Maarten and Saint-Martin: health cover and SZV, hurricane cover, claims after storm damage, choosing a broker, car, boat and yacht insurance, differences between the two sides of the island, and a glossary. Each starts with a short answer and lists its sources.
Key facts
| Key fact | In short |
|---|---|
| Who it is for | Residents, visitors and business owners in Sint Maarten and Saint-Martin who want a plain answer first and the detail second |
| How each guide is built | A short answer, key facts, question headings, a visible FAQ, a list of sources and a named author and reviewer |
| What they are not | Personal advice, a recommendation or an offer of cover |
| What to ask an advisor | How the guide applies to your own policy, property, boat or business |
How should I use these guides?
Read the short answer first, then the key facts, then the section that matches your question. The guides link to each other and to the insurance pages that describe each type of cover. Use the sources at the bottom of each guide to check anything that matters, and speak with an advisor if you want help applying a guide to your own policy.
Which guides are available?
- How does boat and yacht insurance work in Sint Maarten?Boat and yacht insurance is arranged around how the vessel is used (private, liveaboard or charter), where it is kept and what the policy requires in the hurricane season, such as mooring, haul-out or a cruising area. Tell the insurer the real use, read the named-storm clauses, and ask what the policy does if you do not comply.
- What car insurance do residents and visitors need in Sint Maarten?Residents of Sint Maarten insure the vehicle they own, usually choosing between liability-only cover and a policy that also covers damage to their own car. Visitors in rental cars should check what the rental agreement includes, what excess applies, and whether their own insurance or card covers the rest. Ask about driving on both sides of the island.
- How does insurance differ between Sint Maarten and Saint-Martin?Sint Maarten and Saint-Martin share one island but have separate insurance supervision, insurers and intermediary rules. Cover for a home, vehicle, boat or business depends on where it is located. Enterprise Insurance has offices on the Dutch side, so ask an advisor early whether a French-side insurer or intermediary is needed.
- How do you choose an insurance broker in Sint Maarten?A broker is an intermediary who can explain your options and ask several insurers for quotes, while an agent or an insurer’s own representative usually sells that insurer’s products. Ask which insurers they can approach, how they are paid, what they are registered for, who handles claims, and ask to see the proof.
- How do you make an insurance claim after hurricane damage in Sint Maarten?After hurricane damage, make everyone safe first, then tell your insurer or broker promptly, protect the property from further damage, photograph everything before cleaning up, and gather your policy number, proof of ownership and repair quotes. The time limits and rules are in your policy wording, and the insurer decides the claim.
- What does hurricane insurance cover in Sint Maarten: wind, flood or storm surge?A hurricane can damage property through wind, rain, flood and storm surge, and a policy may cover, limit or exclude each differently. Some policies also apply a separate named-storm deductible. Read the covered perils, the deductible and the exclusions in your own policy wording, and ask an advisor to explain them before the season starts.
- What do common insurance terms mean in Sint Maarten?This glossary explains 37 insurance terms in one sentence each, from deductible and excess to indemnity, exclusion, named storm and sum insured. The meanings are general. The wording of your own policy decides what a term means for you, so ask your insurer or advisor if a definition matters to a decision.
- How does private health insurance relate to SZV in Sint Maarten?SZV administers Sint Maarten’s social and health insurances, including access to medical insurance benefits for employees and their families. A private health policy is a separate contract with an insurer. Whether you need SZV, a private policy or both depends on your work, status and the care you want, so check your SZV status first.
Frequently asked questions
Who writes the Enterprise Insurance guides?
The guides are written by the Enterprise Insurance team, an insurance broker in Philipsburg and Cole Bay. Each guide shows who wrote it and, once a named advisor has checked it, who reviewed it and when. Until then it is marked as a draft.
Are the guides financial or insurance advice?
No. They are general information. Policy terms, limits, exclusions and availability depend on the insurer and the wording, and an advisor can look at your own situation and explain the options.
How do I know the information is current?
Each guide shows the date it was last updated or reviewed, and links to the sources it relies on. Rules, wage limits and insurer terms change, so check the official source for anything that matters to a decision.
Where do the guides get their facts?
From the sources listed at the bottom of each guide, such as the National Hurricane Center, SZV and the insurers’ own pages. Where a guide could not confirm something at a primary source, it says so and does not state it as fact.
Can I ask for a guide on a topic that is not here?
Yes. Tell an advisor which question you could not find an answer to, by phone or through the contact form, and we will consider adding it.
Sources
Each guide lists its own sources at the bottom of the page.
Talk to an advisor in Sint Maarten
An advisor can look at your own situation, request quotes from insurers and explain the policy wording.
This website gives general information about insurance. It is not personal advice, a recommendation or an offer of cover. Terms, limits, exclusions and availability depend on the insurer and the policy wording.
Contact Enterprise Insurance
If you would like to talk through your insurance needs, you can call or visit one of the offices in Philipsburg or Cole Bay, or request a call back using the form. An advisor can discuss your situation, explain how different types of cover work and answer questions about policies you already have. What suits you depends on your own circumstances.
- Philipsburg60B A.Th. Illidge Rd, Philipsburg
- Cole Bay69 Welfare Road
- Call us +1 721 542 5078 +1 721 544 3050
Request a Call Back
Leave your details and a short note about what you would like to discuss, and someone from the team can contact you. Please do not include payment or other sensitive personal details in the message.