1 GB
Valid for 7 days
$8.99
$8.99 per GB
eSIM for Netherlands Antilles
The Netherlands Antilles stopped existing as a country on 10 October 2010. Curacao and Sint Maarten became constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and Bonaire, Saba and Sint Eustatius became Dutch public bodies. The country code AN stayed alive in telecom systems, which is why you still see Netherlands Antilles in eSIM catalogues and on phone bills. Treat it as a label for the Dutch Caribbean islands rather than a place on a modern map.
That history matters when you buy data. Because the islands are now separate jurisdictions, catalogues differ on which ones an AN plan actually reaches. Before you install, check in the FairSIM app which island your plan lists, and if you are island hopping between Curacao, Sint Maarten, Bonaire and Aruba, look at the individual country pages too. Aruba was never part of the Antilles after 1986 and always needs its own plan.
A FairSIM eSIM here roams on Digicel, which runs 2G, 3G and 4G in the Dutch Caribbean. There is no 5G on this plan, so expect solid 4G in towns, along the main coast roads and around the resorts, and patchy service on the windward cliffs, in the national parks and on dive boats a few kilometres out. One local rule worth knowing: the euro is not used anywhere on these islands. Curacao and Sint Maarten run on the Antillean guilder, Bonaire, Saba and Sint Eustatius on the US dollar, and EU roam-like-at-home rules do not apply to any of them even though the flag is Dutch.
Netherlands Antilles eSIM plans
Wholesale rates in US dollars, with nothing added at checkout. Buy in the FairSIM app and the plan is on your phone in seconds.
How long is your trip?
All plans. Pick a trip length to narrow the list.
- Get it in the app for Netherlands Antilles
5 GB
Valid for 30 days
Get it in the app for Netherlands Antilles$29.99
$6.00 per GB
- Best value
10 GB
Valid for 30 days
Get it in the app for Netherlands Antilles$49.99
$5.00 per GB
Coverage in Netherlands Antilles
- 4G LTE
- 5G
- DigicelThe regional Caribbean operator, listed for this destination as Digicel Antilles. 2G, 3G and 4G LTE, strongest in the main towns, resort strips and along the coastal roads. It is the only host network on this plan, so there is no second carrier to fall back on in a weak spot.
Typical speed: Typical island 4G: comfortable for maps, messaging, streaming and video calls in town, slower at peak resort hours and when a cruise ship is in port.
Expect reliable service in Willemstad, Philipsburg, Kralendijk and the built-up coast. Signal thins on the rugged windward sides, inside the national parks, on hill roads and offshore. On the smallest islands, Saba and Sint Eustatius, coverage is limited to the villages and the main road.
How much data do you need in Netherlands Antilles?
It depends on how you travel. Find your trip below, then pick the plan that matches. You can always top up in the app.
Curacao beach week
Willemstad base with rental car runs to the west end beaches.
Why data matters: Google Maps on unnumbered beach roads, restaurant bookings, beach club payments and photo uploads. You are off Wi-Fi most of the day.
- 7 days
- 5 GB
- 14 days
- 10 GB
- 30 days
- 20 GB
Bonaire diving trip
Shore diving with a pickup truck and a tank rack.
Why data matters: Dive site maps, tide and wind checks, tank refill calls and video from the boat once you are back in range. Data drops offshore, so download maps first.
- 7 days
- 3 GB
- 14 days
- 5 GB
- 30 days
- 10 GB
Sint Maarten and island hopping
Philipsburg, Maho Beach and ferries or short hops to nearby islands.
Why data matters: Flight and ferry times, plane-spotting streams, and a second plan for each island you cross into. An AN plan does not cover the French side or the neighbours.
- 7 days
- 5 GB
- 14 days
- 10 GB
- 30 days
- 20 GB
Caribbean cruise with Dutch island calls
Port days in Willemstad, Kralendijk or Philipsburg.
Why data matters: Ship Wi-Fi is expensive and slow. Switch to the eSIM as soon as you dock for maps, excursion messages and calls home, then back to airplane mode at sea.
- 7 days
- 3 GB
- 14 days
- 5 GB
- 30 days
- 10 GB
Remote work from Curacao
A month on the island with a laptop and a sea view.
Why data matters: Zoom and Teams on days when the villa Wi-Fi drops, Personal Hotspot as a backup line, and large file uploads. Keep an eye on the 4G ceiling at peak evening hours.
- 7 days
- 10 GB
- 14 days
- 20 GB
- 30 days
- Unlimited
What your home carrier charges in Netherlands Antilles
Daily roaming passes look small until you multiply them by the length of the trip. FairSIM plans for Netherlands Antilles start at $8.99 and never bill per day.
Dutch flag, non-EU rules. Bonaire, Saba and Sint Eustatius are Dutch public bodies but sit outside the EU roaming area, so a Dutch or German SIM does not roam like at home here.
| Carrier | Roaming charge | FairSIM |
|---|---|---|
| AT&T International Day Pass (US) | $12 per day per line, $6 for extra lines, charged only on days you use the phone | from $8.99, no daily fee |
| Verizon TravelPass (US) | $12 per day outside Mexico and Canada, high-speed allowance then slowed | from $8.99, no daily fee |
| T-Mobile International Pass (US) | $5 for 1 day and 512 MB, $35 for 10 days and 5 GB, $50 for 30 days and 15 GB | from $8.99, no daily fee |
| EE (UK) | The Dutch Caribbean is not in EE's inclusive Europe zone. Any day pass here falls in a higher-cost zone, so check EE's destination checker before you fly. | from $8.99, no daily fee |
| KPN or Vodafone NL (EU) | No roam-like-at-home. Curacao, Sint Maarten, Bonaire, Saba and Sint Eustatius are outside the EU roaming rules, and standard out-of-bundle rates apply unless you buy a world bundle. | from $8.99, no daily fee |
| Telstra International Day Pass (Australia) | A$10 per day where it applies, but the Dutch Caribbean is not always on Telstra's day pass list. Check the country list, or pay-as-you-go rates apply. | from $8.99, no daily fee |
Carrier prices as published on their roaming pages at the time of writing. They change often; check your own plan before you fly.
How FairSIM works
- 1
Pick a destination and a plan
Choose the country or region and the data you need. The price you see is the price you pay.
- 2
Tap install
On iPhone (iOS 17.4+) the eSIM installs in one tap, no QR code. Do it at home while you still have Wi-Fi.
- 3
Land and connect
Turn on data roaming for the FairSIM line when you arrive. Your plan starts when it first connects.
Connectivity tips for Netherlands Antilles
Check in the app which islands the plan lists before you install. The AN code is a leftover from a country that ended in 2010, and Aruba always needs its own plan.
Install the eSIM over Wi-Fi at home, then switch the line and data roaming on after landing. Validity typically starts at the first connection to a local network.
Download offline maps for each island. Inland roads on Curacao and the hill roads on Saba lose signal fast.
Bring US dollars in small notes. They are accepted everywhere, guilder change is common on Curacao and Sint Maarten, and card machines fail when the connection drops.
Agree taxi fares before you get in. Rates are set by zone, not by meter, and there is no reliable ride-hailing app here.
Sockets are US-style at 110 to 127 V, but Curacao and Bonaire run at 50 Hz. Phone and laptop chargers are fine; hair dryers and shavers may not be.
If you are diving, keep the phone in a dry bag and expect no data on the boat. Send the pickup message before you leave the dock.
Keep your home SIM in the phone with its data roaming off, so bank one-time codes still arrive by SMS.
Apps you will actually use
- Google Maps the most reliable navigation on Curacao and Bonaire. Download the island offline before you leave the hotel; some rural turns are unsigned.
- WhatsApp how everyone communicates here, from dive shops and taxi drivers to apartment hosts. Calls and messages work normally on the eSIM.
- Windy or Windguru wind and swell forecasts that decide whether a shore dive, a kite session or a boat trip happens.
- Airbnb and Booking.com most stays outside the big resorts are apartments and guesthouses booked and messaged through the app.
- XE Currency guilders on two islands, dollars on the rest, and menus priced in either. Handy for checking card charges.
- Flightradar24 used for real at Maho Beach on Sint Maarten to time the landings over the sand.
- Uber or the local taxi numbers ride-hailing coverage in the Dutch Caribbean is thin to non-existent. Taxis are fixed-rate by zone and usually arranged by phone or WhatsApp.
- Divers Alert Network app dive emergency contacts and the nearest chamber, worth having on Bonaire and Curacao.
Do not count on ride-hailing here. Taxi fares are set by official zone tables rather than meters, so agree the price before you get in, and ask your hotel for a driver's WhatsApp number you can reuse all week.
Can you rely on free Wi-Fi?
Hotel, villa and restaurant Wi-Fi is normal across Curacao, Bonaire and Sint Maarten, and it is usually fine for messaging and email. Speeds vary a lot: resort networks slow to a crawl in the evening when everyone streams, and small guesthouses often run one router off an island connection that drops in heavy rain or during a power cut. Public Wi-Fi in Willemstad and Philipsburg is limited to individual cafes and cruise terminals rather than a city network, and beaches, national parks and dive sites have none at all. Plan to use mobile data as your main connection and Wi-Fi as the bonus.
Local SIM card or eSIM in Netherlands Antilles?
Local prepaid is possible but fiddly, because there is no longer one Antillean market. Digicel sells prepaid SIMs and top-up bundles on Curacao, Bonaire and Sint Maarten, and Flow or the island incumbents compete on some of them. You pay in guilders or dollars, show a passport at the shop, and the airport kiosks keep shorter hours than the arrivals hall suggests. If your trip touches two islands, you may be told the bundle is island-specific and be pushed into a roaming add-on you did not budget for.
A FairSIM eSIM removes that queue. You install it at home over Wi-Fi, land, turn on the line and data roaming, and it registers on Digicel automatically. Your home number stays active on the physical SIM or second eSIM for bank codes and airline texts, and Personal Hotspot is included, so the laptop or a travel companion's phone can share the same plan. There are three plan sizes for this destination in the app, and the current prices are shown live at checkout.
Good to know before you land in Netherlands Antilles
- Currency
- Netherlands Antillean guilder (ANG) on Curacao and Sint Maarten, pegged at 1.79 to the US dollar; the US dollar on Bonaire, Saba and Sint Eustatius. US dollars are accepted almost everywhere. No euros.
- Plug type
- Type A and Type B (US style); some Dutch-built hotels also have Type F sockets
- Voltage
- 127 V, 50 Hz on Curacao and Bonaire; 110 V, 60 Hz on Sint Maarten. US chargers work, but check any appliance with a motor.
- Emergency number
- 911; on Curacao, 912 reaches the ambulance service
- Language
- Dutch is official. Papiamentu is the everyday language on Curacao and Bonaire, English on Sint Maarten, Saba and Sint Eustatius. Spanish is widely understood.
- Time zone
- UTC-4 (Atlantic Standard Time), no daylight saving
- Capital
- None since the dissolution in 2010. Willemstad was the Antillean capital and is Curacao's; Philipsburg is Sint Maarten's, Kralendijk is Bonaire's.
Netherlands Antilles eSIM questions
Does the Netherlands Antilles still exist?
No. It dissolved on 10 October 2010. Curacao and Sint Maarten became constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and Bonaire, Saba and Sint Eustatius became Dutch public bodies. The AN country code survives in telecom and eSIM catalogues.
Which network will my Netherlands Antilles eSIM use?
Digicel. It is the only host network for this destination, running 2G, 3G and 4G across the Dutch Caribbean islands.
Is there 5G on this plan?
No. This eSIM connects on 4G LTE with 3G and 2G fallback. Any page or seller promising 5G on a Netherlands Antilles plan is overselling it.
Which islands does the plan cover?
It is aimed at the former Antilles islands, chiefly Curacao, Sint Maarten and Bonaire, with thinner service on Saba and Sint Eustatius. Check the island list shown with the plan in the app, and buy a separate plan for Aruba or the French side of Saint Martin.
Does EU roaming work here because the islands are Dutch?
No. The Dutch Caribbean sits outside the EU roaming area, so roam-like-at-home does not apply to a Dutch, German or French SIM. Out-of-bundle rates or a world bundle apply instead.
Can I use Personal Hotspot?
Yes. Every FairSIM plan supports Personal Hotspot at no extra cost and with no separate cap.
Will the eSIM work on a cruise ship?
Only in port and close to shore. At sea your phone picks up the ship's satellite network, which is billed by the cruise line at its own rates, not by FairSIM. Keep the line off until you dock.
How much data do I need for a week here?
A beach and restaurant week runs about 3 to 5 GB. A week of maps, video calls and some streaming is closer to 10 GB. A working month, 20 GB or unlimited.
Local SIM or travel eSIM?
A local Digicel prepaid works, but you queue with a passport, pay in guilders or dollars, and the bundle can be tied to one island. The eSIM installs before you fly, roams on the same Digicel towers, and keeps your home number reachable.
What is an eSIM?
A SIM card built into your phone. Instead of a plastic chip, you download a profile. Every iPhone since the XS has one next to the physical SIM slot, so your home number stays put while FairSIM supplies the data.
Is my phone compatible?
FairSIM works with eSIM-compatible, carrier-unlocked iPhones: the XS, XR and everything newer, on iOS 17.4 or later for the one-tap install with no QR code. iPhones bought in mainland China do not support eSIM at all, even when unlocked. Not sure yours is unlocked? Check Settings, General, About, Carrier Lock, or ask your carrier. The full list is on the How it works page.
When should I install my eSIM?
Before you travel, while you still have Wi-Fi. Installing does not start your plan; the validity typically starts when the eSIM first connects to a network at your destination.
Do FairSIM eSIMs come with a phone number?
No. FairSIM eSIMs are data-only by design, which keeps costs low. For calls and texts, your physical SIM stays active so you keep your existing number, and WhatsApp, FaceTime and iMessage work over data.
Traveling beyond Netherlands Antilles?
Get your Netherlands Antilles eSIM in the app
Plans from $8.99. Install before you fly, track your data live, and top up in seconds if you need more.
Download on theApp Store
iPhone XS or later · iOS 17.4+ for one-tap install
