WILLEMSTAD – Curaçao's associate membership agreement with the Caribbean Community includes the right to participate in regional arrangements such as the Advance Passenger Information System (APIS), which involves the collection and exchange of information about travelers.
The provision is included in Article I of the treaty and explained in the accompanying memorandum.
According to the document, Curaçao may participate in CARICOM arrangements involving passenger information, including details about travelers and their journeys.
The provision is one of several mechanisms intended to strengthen the island's participation in regional cooperation.
Passenger Information and Regional Coordination
Advance passenger information systems are used in international travel to provide authorities with information about passengers and their journeys.
The explanatory memorandum identifies APIS as an example of a CARICOM arrangement in which Curaçao has the right to participate.
It describes the system as involving information supplied by travelers about themselves, their travel and their place of stay.
The agreement therefore creates an opportunity for Curaçao to participate in regional passenger information arrangements.
However, the memorandum does not state that Curaçao has already implemented CARICOM's APIS arrangements or connected its systems to a regional platform.
It also does not describe the technical infrastructure, information-sharing procedures or privacy safeguards that would apply to any future implementation.
Broader Cooperation Framework
The APIS provision forms part of a wider agreement granting Curaçao access to CARICOM information, Secretariat services and technical cooperation forums.
The government has identified judicial cooperation and regional security as important areas for participation.
The memorandum also refers to efforts to strengthen cooperation against drug trafficking, human trafficking and money laundering.
However, it does not explicitly establish that participation in APIS will form part of a particular criminal investigation or enforcement program.
Any operational use would require further clarification of the applicable arrangements.
The government intends to develop a dedicated administrative structure to coordinate participation in CARICOM initiatives.
For the aviation and travel sectors, the APIS provision is an important element to monitor as Curaçao determines which regional systems it will join.
At present, the memorandum establishes a treaty-based participation right rather than confirming that a new passenger information system has become operational in Curaçao.