Licences · Curaçao · Hub licence
Curaçao gaming licence: requirements, fees, timing and register check
Since 24 December 2024 the Curaçao Gaming Authority issues licences directly under the National Ordinance on Games of Chance (LOK), replacing the old master and sub-licence system. There are two: a B2C Gaming License and a B2B Supplier License. An application costs €4,592; a B2C licence then costs €47,450 a year and a B2B licence €24,490. The licence has no end date. The LOK sets decision periods of eight weeks per phase, and requires a local company run by a Curaçao resident.
Quick facts
| Parameter | Value and source |
|---|---|
| Regulator | Curaçao Gaming Authority LawNational Ordinance on Games of Chance (LOK), English translation (archived copy), read 23 September 2026 |
| Main law | National Ordinance on Games of Chance (LOK), fully in force since 24 December 2024 LawNational Ordinance on Games of Chance (LOK), English translation (archived copy), read 23 September 2026 |
| Licence model | Hub licence: authorises services from Curaçao; each target market needs its own check Kompanion analysisNational Ordinance on Games of Chance (LOK), English translation (archived copy), read 23 September 2026 |
| Licence types | B2C Gaming License and B2B Supplier License, issued directly by the CGA Regulator guidanceLOK fees and charges (archived copy), read 27 October 2026 |
| Licence term | Indefinite; kept in force by the annual fee rather than renewed LawNational Ordinance on Games of Chance (LOK), English translation (archived copy), read 23 September 2026 |
| Covers consumers in Great Britain | No. Great Britain requires a UK Gambling Commission licence LawGambling (Licensing and Advertising) Act 2014, read 3 September 2026 |
| Access to other EU markets | Not applicable: Curaçao is not an EU member state Kompanion analysisNational Ordinance on Games of Chance (LOK), English translation (archived copy), read 23 September 2026 |
| Application fee | €4,592 per application, plus €150 per ultimate beneficial owner Regulator guidanceLOK fees and charges (archived copy), read 27 October 2026 |
| Annual fee, B2C operator | €47,450: €22,960 supervisory fee to the CGA and €24,490 licence fee to the Treasury Regulator guidanceLOK fees and charges (archived copy), read 27 October 2026 |
| Annual fee, B2B supplier | €24,490 supervisory fee; no Treasury licence fee Regulator guidanceLOK fees and charges (archived copy), read 27 October 2026 |
| Gaming tax or duty | None under the gaming law: its charges are the application and annual fees LawNational Ordinance on Games of Chance (LOK), English translation (archived copy), read 23 September 2026 |
| Published decision time | Statutory: phase-one decision within 8 weeks of a complete file, final decision within 8 weeks of phase-two documents, each extendable by 4 weeks. The CGA indicates about 3 to 4 months LawNational Ordinance on Games of Chance (LOK), English translation (archived copy), read 23 September 2026 |
| Local company and people | Curaçao NV or BV managed by a Curaçao resident; a full-time local key person and exclusive local premises. New B2C licensees under ANG 20 million GGR are exempt from the last two for three fiscal years LawNational Ordinance on Games of Chance (LOK), English translation (archived copy), read 23 September 2026 |
| Public licensee register | Not confirmed. The CGA website and portal returned errors on 27 October 2026 UnverifiedOnline gaming portal (archived copy), read 27 October 2026 |
What does a Curaçao licence cover, and what does it not?
Curaçao is a hub licence: it authorises a business to offer games of chance from Curaçao under CGA supervision. It does not authorise gambling for consumers in Great Britain, which needs a UK Gambling Commission licence, and it gives no access to regulated markets that license gambling themselves. Each target country has to be checked separately.
Licences issued under the old regime are not the same thing. Since the LOK came fully into force, the CGA licenses operators directly; a sub-licence from a master licence holder is no longer how the system works.
Which licence do you need?
- Gaming License (B2C). For operators offering games of chance to players.
- Supplier License (B2B). For businesses supplying gaming-related services or goods, such as platforms and software, to licence holders.
What does a Curaçao licence cost in regulator fees?
From the CGA's fee document, read from its archived copy because the original address no longer loads:
| Charge | B2C Gaming License | B2B Supplier License |
|---|---|---|
| Application fee, one-off | €4,592 | €4,592 |
| Each ultimate beneficial owner or qualified interest holder | €150 | €150 |
| Each listed ultimate beneficial owner (entity) | €2,551 | €2,551 |
| Supervisory fee to the CGA, a year | €22,960 | €24,490 |
| Licence fee to the National Treasury, a year | €24,490 | None |
| Annual total | €47,450 | €24,490 |
Annual fees are due in full by 15 January. Because the fee is flat, it weighs heavily on a small start-up and less as revenue grows.
Is there a gaming tax in Curaçao?
Not under the gaming law. The LOK's charges are the application and processing fees and the flat annual fee (arts 5.18 and 5.19); it levies no tax on gaming revenue. General Curaçao tax law sits outside the LOK and is not covered here.
How long does a Curaçao licence take?
The LOK sets the clock for B2C applications in two phases:
- completeness is checked within two weeks of each submission;
- a phase-one decision follows within eight weeks of a complete file;
- phase-two documents are due within four weeks, and the final decision within eight weeks;
- each decision deadline can be extended by up to four weeks, and a provisional licence of up to six months, extendable by six, is possible during phase two.
Supplier licence decisions have eight weeks, extendable by eight (art. 5.14(3)). The CGA's own portal put the whole process at about three to four months.
What local presence does Curaçao require?
- The licensee must be a Curaçao NV or BV managed by at least one Curaçao resident (art. 5.1).
- Besides the managing director, it must employ full time at least one key person on the Curaçao population register, rising to three from the fifth year after 24 December 2024, and keep local premises used only for the licensed business (art. 5.12(1)). These rules apply to supplier licences by analogy.
- A new B2C licensee with under ANG 20 million of gross gaming revenue is exempt from the key-person and premises rules for its first three fiscal years (art. 5.12(4)). The exemption does not cover the NV or BV form or the resident director, and does not apply to supplier licences.
Capital and reserve rules are not summarised yet.
How do you verify a Curaçao licence?
On 27 October 2026 the CGA's website and its online portal returned errors, so we could not confirm how its public licence register works today. Until we can:
- Ask the operator for its CGA licence number and the name of the licensed Curaçao company, and check that they match the business you are dealing with.
- A licence that still names a master licence holder dates from before the LOK; ask for the licence the CGA issued directly.
- Write to the CGA at [email protected] to confirm a licence when the stakes justify it.
How does Curaçao compare with other licences?
| Compare | Why it is relevant |
|---|---|
| Curaçao and Malta | Flat fee and no gaming-law tax against a revenue-based contribution and tax. |
| Curaçao and the Isle of Man | Two hubs outside the EU with local-director requirements. |
| Great Britain and Curaçao | Why a hub licence does not replace a market licence. |
What this page does not cover yet
Capital and reserves, technical certification, AML and reporting duties, advertising rules, payment restrictions and the register itself. They are added after review and once the CGA's site is reachable again.
Sources
- National Ordinance on Games of Chance (LOK), English translation (archived copy), read 23 September 2026.
- CGA: LOK fees and charges (archived copy), read 27 October 2026.
- CGA online gaming portal (archived copy), checked 27 October 2026.