How does insurance differ between Sint Maarten and Saint-Martin?

Key facts

What is the difference between Sint Maarten and Saint-Martin?

They are two political entities on one island. Sint Maarten is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and Saint-Martin is a French overseas collectivity. Many people cross every day, but each side has its own laws and its own supervision of insurance. This guide does not summarise those laws, because they change and because they belong on the supervisors’ own websites.

Why does the side matter for insurance?

It matters because insurers, rules and supervision differ between the sides, and a policy usually follows the location of the home, vehicle, boat or business. Three practical consequences are:

• Which insurers can cover the risk. An insurer may operate on one side and not the other.
• Who may place the cover. An intermediary may be registered on one side and not the other.
• How the policy applies across the border. The territory, limits and conditions may change if a car, boat or person crosses to the other side.

What can Enterprise Insurance arrange, and what can it not?

Enterprise Insurance has offices in Philipsburg and Cole Bay, on the Dutch side, and works with insurers that operate there. We can explain how the two sides differ, discuss your situation, and tell you whether a French-side insurer or intermediary is likely to be needed. What we cannot do is promise that a risk on the French side can be placed through us. That depends on the insurer and on who is allowed to place the cover.

What should I do if I live on one side and work on the other?

Start with where each item is located, then ask each insurer how its policy applies across the border. A short checklist:

• Write down the location of your home, vehicle, boat and business premises.
• Ask each insurer for the territory of the policy in writing.
• Ask what the liability limit is if an accident or loss happens on the other side.
• Ask whether claims are handled by the same office and in what language.
• Ask whether the hurricane or named-storm conditions differ.
• If you own a vessel, ask for the cruising area.
• If you employ people, ask who needs to be insured where.

Where can I check the rules myself?

Use the supervisors’ own websites: the Central Bank of Curaçao and Sint Maarten for the Dutch side, the ACPR for the French side, and the ORIAS register for French intermediaries. These sites are the authority, not this guide.

What about neighbouring islands?

Anguilla, Saint-Barthélemy (St. Barths), Saba and Sint Eustatius (Statia) each have their own rules, supervision and available insurers. Questions about a second home, a vessel or a business with activities there are common. An advisor can explain what may be possible and what you may need to arrange locally.