How to get a gaming licensе in Curacaо in 2023

Curacaо belongs to the Netherlands Antilles and is a self-governing state entity within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The degree of independence of a small island in the Caribbean manifests itself in many ways, but one area where Curacaо has clearly excelled is in international business.

Curacaо offers special conditions for doing business in the field of e-commerce, including online gamblіng licensе: casino, poker, betting licensе in Curacaо  and more.

Why it is worth getting a gamblіng licensе in Curacaо

Curacaо offers businessmen the following benefits:

• Developed infrastructure and reliable technical support;
• 17+ years of experience in e-commerce, e-zone and other modern business areas;
• Companies in the E-zone are subject to a flat income tax rate of 2% until 2026;
• Curacaо Gaming License obtaining, which is recognized by many countries of the world;
• Opportunity to work with special permission even with the local market.

Important Steps to Obtain a Curacaо Gaming License

In general, the procedure for obtaining a gamling licensе in Curacaо is quite simple and consists of the following steps:

• Register a company in the E-zone;
• Prepare documents and send for preliminary consideration;
• Directly apply for a Curacaо gamblіng licensе along with all related documents to the holder of the Master License, plus pay the state fee and the fee of the licensе holder himself;
• Wait for the decision of the holder of the main licensе (Master License): if everything is correct, then you will receive it.

Now that it is clear in general terms how to proceed, let’s take a closer look at each step of the procedure.

How to get Curacaо gaming licensе

E-zone’s official company name is N.V. or Naamloze Vennootschap in Dutch. Naamloze Vennootschap is a limited liability company similar to an LLC.

Curacaо allows N.V. to register in the e-zone, pay a tax of 2%, and also not pay taxes on the payment of dividends, royalties and interest, regardless of the country of receipt.

You can register a company in the E-zone only after permission from the authorities. To do this, it is necessary to prove that the company complies with the requirements of the zone: trade or services provided must be carried out for the benefit of customers outside Curacaо, and the provision of the necessary processes is possible using electronic communication systems.

In other words, we are talking about e-commerce.

If desired, the company has the right to obtain permission to interact with companies and clients from Curacaо (outside the e-zone). To do this, you need to write an application to the authorities. At the same time, income from trading with Curacaо should not exceed 25% of the total income. Trading and working with companies from the E-zone itself is allowed without restrictions.

Worldwide income is taxed at a rate of 2%, with the exception of income received in Curacaо outside the E-zone.

Curacaо gamblіng licensе

To date, it is possible to obtain only one type of licensе – Sub-licensе. Prior to that, they issued a Master License. What is the difference?

The main licensе was issued to companies by the Curacaо government itself. Master licensе holders have the right to issue sub-licensеs to other companies and charge a fee for this.

The issuance of master licensеs has been stopped and you can get a Curacaо gamblіng licensе only from those who received it earlier – Sub-licensе. This imposes additional requirements: payment of not only the state fee, but also the fee of the licensе holder, the variability of the set of documents, depending on who to apply for a sublicensе.

Having received a licensе for Curacaо, you can create your own casino licensе in Curacaо, attracting customers to gamblіng and poker rooms. The licensе allows you to work with clients from all over the world. However, it concerns primarily online business. If your goal is to create a real casino in any country, then this licensе is unlikely to help. The reason is not that Curacaо prohibits it, but that almost every country has its own rules for licensing real casinos. If you want to open a casino in another, you will have to obtain permission on the spot.

What documents are required for a Curacaо online gaming licensе

In order to create a company and obtain a gamblіng licensе, the following documents must be prepared for each director of the company, shareholder and beneficiary (main package):

• Certificate of good conduct;
• Copy of valid passport
• Letter of recommendation from the bank;
• Letter of recommendation from the employer;
• Proof of residential address;
• CV (Resume);
• Contact Information.

Documents must be translated into English and certified or apostilled in English. You also need to provide additional information:

• Evidence of the legality of the origin of funds of shareholders and beneficiaries;
• Detailed description of the business;
• A document confirming ownership of the domain on which the business website will be located;
• Description of the games that are planned to be launched on the portal;
• List of countries in which gamblіng activities are planned;
• Schematic representation of the location of servers;
• A copy of the contract with the software supplier.

The time for registering a company and Curacaо Gambling License obtaining is up to 2 months. The cost of registering a company and issuing a licensе is from 40,000 USD. The  Curacaо gaming licensе price includes:

• Preparation of documents for company registration;
• Notary fees;
• State duties;
• Registration of a legal address;
• Registration agent services;
• Assistance in opening a bank account;
• Preparation of an application for a licensе;
• Assistance in collecting data for due diligence;
• Writing a business plan based on the information provided.