It’s not just the sandy jet blasts from ultra low-flying planes above Maho Beach that visitors to the Caribbean island of St. Maarten should keep an eye out for.
The government of the island’s Dutch side (Sint Maarten) recently issued a warning alerting travelers to avoid third-party websites that are charging bogus fees to complete the Embarkation/Disembarkation (ED) form required for entry.
“Travelers should exercise caution when using search engines or clicking on online advertisements, as unofficial third-party websites may appear in search results and misrepresent themselves as official services,” according to the government’s statement.
Since late 2024, travelers to both the Dutch (Sint Maarten) and French (Saint-Martin) sides of the island have been required to complete the digital ED immigration form, even if a visa is not required for those travelers, including visitors from the U.S., Canada, U.K., and EU.
The form is available through the government for free at entry.sx.
That’s the only site you should visit in order to complete the step.
But scammers have evidently created decoy links to misdirect travelers to fraudulent websites designed to trick users into paying for filing fees or other services connected to the form.
To reiterate: There should be no fees for completing the form and registering your trip to St. Maarten with the government. Anyone telling you otherwise is trying to steal your money.
Similar scam sites sprang up last year when the U.K. launched its own Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) requirement. You can always count on fraudsters to exploit any amount of bureaucratic uncertainty.
It’s wise to be cautious of search results for government services in general, especially when it comes to sponsored results.
Search engines prioritize results from sites that pay for top placement, even if the sponsored results don’t necessarily have the correct info you’re looking for.
When searching online for services related to passports, immigration, visas, and services like TSA PreCheck, always double-check to make sure you’re on an official government website, and be aware that might mean scrolling past the first few links returned by the search engine.
Are there alternatives to completing St. Maarten’s entry form online?
Individual travelers, families, group travelers, transfer passengers, cruise line crew, and even airline crew on layovers are all required to fill out St. Maarten’s digital entry form, and it’s recommended to do that in advance online. Travelers arriving via cruise ship for short port stays are generally not required to fill out the form.
You can technically wait until you’re on the island to fill out the paperwork digitally at one of the kiosks located in the immigration area of Princess Juliana International Airport. But that will slow you down—and slow down any better-prepared folks behind you in line.
Think you might have been the victim of a scam site?
If you’ve already paid, you might be out of luck, but you may have some recourse.
“If you believe you have been charged by an unauthorized third party,” says May-Ling Chun, St. Maarten’s director of tourism, “contact your bank or credit card provider immediately.”
For more information about St. Maarten’s Embarkation/Disembarkation form or to register—for free, remember—an upcoming trip, go to Entry.sx.
