Can Foreigners Buy Property in St Maarten and St Martin? What the Rules Say

Oct 7

6 min read

Yes. Foreigners can buy property on both sides of the island. On the Dutch side, Sint Maarten, there is no restriction on foreign buyers: you can buy in your own name or through a company, and a civil-law notary handles the sale. On the French side, Saint-Martin, a foreign acquéreur buys the same way a French one does, through a French notaire, in euros.

What buying does not do is just as important. Owning a home here does not give you the right to live here. Residence is a separate permit, with its own rules on each side.

Andreu Realty is licensed on both sides of the island. These are the questions foreign buyers ask us first, answered with the rules as they stand on 7 October 2026.

The short answer, side by side

Sint Maarten (Dutch side): foreigners buy freely, in their own name or through a company. The sale goes through a civil-law notary. Prices are in US dollars. The buyer pays a 4% transfer tax; total closing costs usually come to about 5.5% of the price.
Saint-Martin (French side): foreigners buy freely, in their own name or, with advice, through a company. The sale goes through a French notaire. Prices are in euros. The Collectivité de Saint-Martin's tax office lists an 8% registration duty; the notaire's fees come on top.
Both sides: the notary checks the title, holds the deposit in escrow and registers the deed. You do not need a local partner or residence to own property.

How a foreigner can hold the property

Most of our international clients buy in their own name, alone or jointly. Some buy through a company, for estate planning or because they own several properties. Decide this before you sign the purchase agreement: the buyer named there is the owner in the deed. Ask your tax adviser at home first: your home country may tax the property, the rental income or the estate.

Freehold or long lease

On the Dutch side, check what you are actually buying. Most land is freehold. Some is held on long lease (erfpacht), where you own the right to use the land for a set term, often with an annual fee. Government land on long lease is managed by the Department of Domain Affairs, which issues, renews and approves transfers of long leases. The notary will show the type of title in the deed; read the remaining term and the renewal terms before you make an offer.

Condos

A condo is usually held as an apartment right with an owners' association. You own your unit and a share of the common parts. As a foreign owner, you have the same vote and pay the same fees as everyone else. Read the house rules before you buy: some buildings restrict short-term rental.

What a foreign buyer pays

Nothing extra for being foreign. The costs are the same as for a local buyer:

Dutch side: 4% transfer tax paid by the buyer, plus notary and registration fees; together about 5.5% of the price.
French side: 8% registration duty listed by the Collectivité's tax office, plus the notaire's fees. Ask the notaire for a written estimate before you sign the compromis de vente.
Both sides: the notary will ask where your money comes from. Keep bank statements that trace the funds from your account to the notary's escrow account.

On a $650,000 condo on the Dutch side, 5.5% is about $35,750. The figure is an estimate; the notary gives the exact one.

Buying a home does not give you residency

This is the point most foreign buyers get wrong. On the Dutch side, the St. Maarten Tourist Bureau states that American nationals may stay up to six months uninterrupted and Canadian nationals up to three months, both with the possibility to extend. That is a visitor stay. Living here full time needs a residence permit from the Sint Maarten government, and owning property does not replace it. The government's own page for first-time investor permits notes that first-time applicants must await the decision abroad, not on the island.

On the French side, entry and residence rules are set by the French state. EU citizens can live there freely; other nationals check their situation with the Préfecture de Saint-Barthélemy et de Saint-Martin or the French consulate that covers them.

Plan the permit and the purchase as two projects. Our guide to moving to Sint Maarten from the US or Canada covers the permit side.

Buying from abroad

You do not have to be on the island to buy. You can view by video, and close through a power of attorney given to the notary. Ask the notary early so the documents are ready in time.

Most of our foreign buyers pay cash. If you borrow, several banks on the Dutch side say they lend to non-residents, with a larger down payment than at home. Our guide to financing property in Sint Maarten as a non-resident lists who lends and what they ask for.

What foreign buyers can buy today (7 October 2026)

Andreu Realty has 63 properties for sale on 7 October 2026: 38 condos and penthouses, 16 villas, 4 apartment buildings and multi-unit properties, a house with two apartments, a townhouse development, a boat slip and 2 commercial units. Every one of them can be bought by a foreigner. A few examples:

From $285,000: La Terrasse, a poolside 1-bedroom condo in Maho Village, the lowest-priced condo on our list.
$340,000: a new ocean-view studio at Concord Residence, Pelican Key.
$920,000: Lotus, a new villa in Grand Case, on the French side.
$7,150,000: Villa Avanti, a 5-bedroom private estate in Terres Basses, French side.

See them all: every property for sale, condos for sale and villas for sale. Not sure where to look? Start with Cupecoy for condos on the Dutch side and Terres Basses for estates on the French side.

The steps, in short

Choose the side of the island first. It decides the law, the currency and the costs.
Get the documents before you offer: title, association documents, booking history if you plan to rent.
Sign the purchase agreement (Dutch side) or the compromis de vente (French side) and pay the deposit to the notary.
Let the notary check the title, then close in person or by power of attorney.

The full process, step by step, is in how to buy property in Sint Maarten, with the French side in buying property on the French side of Saint-Martin. Our buyer's guide puts it all on one page.

Questions we get

Can foreigners buy property in St Maarten?

Yes. On the Dutch side, Sint Maarten, there is no restriction on foreign buyers. You can buy in your own name or through a company, and a civil-law notary handles the sale.

Can foreigners buy property in St Martin, on the French side?

Yes. A foreign acquéreur buys through a French notaire, in euros, under the same rules as a French buyer. The registration duty listed by the Collectivité's tax office is 8%, plus the notaire's fees.

Does buying property give me residency in St Maarten?

No. Owning property does not give you the right to live on the island. Residence needs a separate permit, issued by the Sint Maarten government on the Dutch side and under French rules on the French side.

Can I buy without travelling to the island?

Yes. Many of our clients view by video and close through a power of attorney given to the notary. The notary will still ask for identification and proof of the source of funds.

Do foreigners pay higher taxes when they buy?

No. The transfer tax and fees are the same for local and foreign buyers: about 5.5% in total on the Dutch side, and the 8% registration duty plus notaire's fees on the French side.

Buying from abroad? Talk to Andreu Realty, or create a property alert to receive new listings that match your budget.

Sources: Andreu Realty listings, 7 October 2026; St. Maarten Tourist Bureau, entry requirements (vacationstmaarten.com); Government of Sint Maarten, Department of Domain Affairs and First Time Investor Permit pages (sintmaartengov.org); Collectivité de Saint-Martin tax office (impots-saint-martin.fr). Rules change: confirm your own case with the notary, the immigration authorities and a tax adviser.