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Although St. Maarten is a Dutch administered territory, its
official currency is the Netherlands Antilles Florin or Guilder (NAF) and not
the Euro, in spite of the Netherlands
being one of the founding members of the European Union. In the neighboring
French administered St. Martin, however, Euro
is the legal currency. But US dollars are widely accepted in both St Maarten
and St Martin. It is safe to carry dollars as they
are accepted by most businesses including restaurants, hotels, motels and
retail shops.
On St Maarten, banks are open from Monday to Friday 8:00 am to 1:00 pm, with an additional hour on Friday 4:00 pm to 5:00 pm.
Netherlands Antilles Guilder or Florin (symbol ƒ) = 100 cents.
Notes are in denominations of ƒ100, 50, 25 and 10. Coins are in denominations of ƒ5 and 1, and 50, 25, 10, 5 and 1 cents. There are also a large number of commemorative coins which are legal tender. The Netherlands Antilles Guilder is linked to the US Dollar. All the major currencies can be exchanged at banks on the island. Travelers' cheques (with photo identification) and all major credit cards are widely accepted. To avoid additional exchange rate charges, travelers are advised to take traveler's cheques in US Dollars.
It is ok to exchange currencies at your hotel but you receive the best rates at banks. And avoid additional exchange rate charges it is advisable to take traveler's cheques in US dollars. A departure tax of US$ 30 is payable on leaving St Martin/St Maarten, the rate however depends on which side you leave from.
Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) are located all major urban centers of St Maarten including Juliana Airport, resorts and Bank of Nova Scotia.
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