Can you travel freely between St. Martin and St Maarten?

Many cruise ships visit the island on a weekly basis, docking at the Port of St. Maarten in Philipsburg. You will need a passport to travel to and from St. Martin but rest assured that you can travel freely between the island's French and Dutch sides.



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The 87-square-kilometre (34 sq mi) island is divided roughly 60:40 between the French Republic (53 km2, 20 sq mi) and the Kingdom of the Netherlands (34 km2, 13 sq mi) by the 16 km (10 mi) border. However, the two parts are roughly equal in population. The border is completely open and can be crossed freely.

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When you visit St. Maarten there's so much more to get out of your vacation, and an endless amount of opportunities to discover. Island hopping can be an amazing day trip or the ultimate St. Maarten getaway.

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More often than not, the answer is no. U.S. citizens don't need a passport if the cruise starts and ends in the same U.S. city. This is known as a closed-loop cruise. That said, some may require a passport if you want to disembark at ports in any Caribbean destination.

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Maarten in Philipsburg. You will need a passport to travel to and from St. Martin but rest assured that you can travel freely between the island's French and Dutch sides. A tourist visa is not required to enter the island, but a return ticket is required unless you are of Dutch or French nationality.

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Traveling by public bus (more like a minivan) is a reasonable means of transport on St. Maarten/St. Martin if you don't mind a bit of inconvenience and overcrowding. Buses run daily from 5am to midnight and serve most major locations on both sides of the island.

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You can drive from one end of the island to the next in as little as 30-45 minutes (without traffic), and explore the best things to do on St Maarten.

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Martin,” you are actually getting two separate nations on one island: the French St. Martin and the Dutch Sint Maarten. And from there you can easily reach three other islands – Anguilla, Saba, and St. Barth – each with its own vastly different appeal.

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St. Maarten (and its French counterpart, St. Martin) is considered the melting pot of the Caribbean. Three days are enough time to experience the island's rich diversity of cultures and activities, and even venture farther afield in the Lesser Antilles.

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While Sint Maarten has the upper hand in nightlife, the French side of the island is known for having the more pristine beaches. Notoriously white sands edge up against crystalline turquoise oceans on the shorelines along the island's northern face.

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See our dedicated what to do with kids on St Maarten page for the best beaches and activities for our junior visitors! ? CAN YOU WALK AROUND ST. MAARTEN ? St Maarten is a compact island allowing, in theory, to walk around the entire island within a day.

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Taking Your Passport Should you take your passport with you on shore excursions? No, you shouldn't bring your passport, unless your tour requires it. We recommend bringing your driver's license as a form of ID instead. You don't want to risk losing your passport ashore.

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A closed-loop cruise is a cruise that departs from and returns to the same U.S. port and remains in the Western Hemisphere. As such, it does not require the passengers to have a U.S. passport—even if the itinerary visits some international ports along the way.

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U.S. citizens on closed-loop cruises will be able to enter or depart the country with proof of citizenship, such as an Enhanced Driver's License (EDL), a government-issued birth certificate (issued by the Vital Records Department in the state where he or she was born) or passport, and if 16 or older, a government ...

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