Getting around
Your first days in Sint Maarten
Get your bearings across the two jurisdictions, recognise the current currencies, set your phone and local time correctly, and build a useful first-day contact card.
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ForJoining crew · Purser · All crew
Reviewed9 September 2026
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On a first visit, familiar names can hide important differences. SXM is the airport code, Sint Maarten is the Dutch side, and Saint-Martin is the French side of the same island. A day may take you between both without a visible change in the road, while currency, mobile service and the authority responsible for an issue change underneath it.
Learn the island through the yacht’s location
Start with the actual berth or anchorage and the point where you join road transport. Around the lagoon, “Simpson Bay” is not a precise pickup instruction. Save the marina name, entrance and a pin for the place where a driver can meet you. For a vessel at anchor, record the agreed tender landing as well.
Philipsburg is the main Dutch-side town on Great Bay. Simpson Bay is a different area, useful to learn for lagoon and airport movements. Marigot is on French Saint-Martin. Knowing those names helps you understand a transfer brief; it does not tell you how long a journey will take from your particular gate.
The island has two jurisdictions. The ability to travel along its roads does not settle permission to enter, stay or work, and it does not describe the clearance procedure for moving a vessel. If the yacht or your joining arrangements involve both sides, use the crew-change guide and have the relevant requirements confirmed for your circumstances.
Recognise the money before agreeing a price
The Caribbean guilder became legal tender in Curaçao and Sint Maarten on 31 March 2025. Its currency code is XCG and its symbol is Cg. The Central Bank confirms a peg of Cg1.79 to US$1. Older guides may still describe the Netherlands Antillean guilder; it ceased to be legal tender on 1 July 2025.
French Saint-Martin uses the euro. US dollars are also commonly used on the island, but the accepted currency and the conversion applied to a purchase should be clear before payment. The official currency peg is not a promise about a shop’s conversion, bank fees or a card transaction.
For shared taxis, shopping or crew expenses, keep the amount and currency together in messages and receipts. A bare “50” is ambiguous. Confirm whether a quoted fare covers the whole party, and keep the return payment available even if another purchase needs more cash than expected.
Phone numbers, roaming and local time
Save ordinary contacts in their full international format. Dutch-side numbers use +1 721; French-side contacts use the +590 country code. Copy the published complete number rather than rebuilding it from a local abbreviation. Keep emergency short codes separately, clearly labelled by jurisdiction.
A phone showing a signal does not tell you which allowance it is using. TelEm’s guidance explicitly treats French Saint-Martin as roaming outside its home service area. Check your own plan before crossing, and confirm which SIM handles calls and data if the handset has two subscriptions. The mobile essentials guide covers that setup.
Sint Maarten uses Atlantic Standard Time, UTC−4, without daylight saving. This matters when speaking to someone whose clocks change seasonally. Label a meeting time as local island time and give the date; avoid carrying over a fixed time difference from a previous European season.
Make a small contact card you can use offline
Include the yacht’s receiving contact, agency, marina entrance, accommodation and any booked driver. Add the reporting time and the person to notify if a flight, appointment or outing runs late. A saved screenshot or note remains useful when the first mobile activation is incomplete.
Keep operational contacts distinct from emergency services. On Dutch Sint Maarten, police are 911, ambulance 912 and fire 919; on French Saint-Martin the Collectivité directs emergency callers to 112. Learn the access point before you need to explain it under pressure.
The first-day aim is modest: know how to return, how to reach the people expecting you and which local system applies. Once those details are settled, choosing accommodation, errands or a few hours off becomes much easier.
First-day card
- Yacht and marina written correctly
- Marina gate or tender landing pinned
- Agent and onboard contacts saved
- Dutch and French names understood
- Payment method and currency checked
- Mobile roaming reviewed
- Emergency and insurance contacts saved
Questions that change the plan
What does XCG mean on a price or receipt?
It is the currency code for the Caribbean guilder, used on Dutch Sint Maarten. Confirm the currency whenever a quote gives a number without a code or clear symbol.
Is SXM the name of the French-side airport?
SXM identifies Princess Juliana International Airport on Dutch Sint Maarten. Use the full airport name and flight details when arranging a transfer.
Can I use an old Netherlands Antillean guilder guide?
Its currency information is out of date: those notes and coins ceased to be legal tender on 1 July 2025. Use the Central Bank’s current guidance for exchange questions.
Sources
- St. Maarten Tourist Bureau · Two nations, one island
- CBCS · Caribbean guilder introduction and currency code
- CBCS · Caribbean guilder and US-dollar peg
- St. Maarten Tourist Bureau · Phone codes and time zone (currency section outdated)
- TelEm · French-side roaming
- Government of Sint Maarten · Official emergency contacts
- Collectivité de Saint-Martin · Call 112 in an emergency
Sources checked 9 September 2026.
Related guidance
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