Safety in Oranjestad

• Unlicensed / Unmetered Taxi Overcharging (Airport and Cruise Port Pickups)

  How It Works

  Aruban taxis are regulated but do not run on meters — fares are supposed to follow a government fixed-rate chart. Drivers, especially those working the airport arrivals hall or cruise terminal, sometimes quote inflated prices to tourists, claim 'new rates,' or split a group into two cabs when one would fit everyone. Multiple traveler reports describe being charged far above the posted fare, including one case of being charged $60 for what should have been a $13 fare from the cruise port. Some reports also describe drivers approaching people inside the terminal before they reach the official taxi rank.

  How To Avoid

  Use only the official taxi rank just outside the arrivals/cruise exit rather than drivers who approach you inside the terminal. Ask to see the official rate card and agree on the fare before getting in — the government-fixed rate from the airport to the Palm Beach area is roughly AWG 40–45 (about USD 22–25). Consider hotel-concierge-booked taxis, or a rental car, if you want to avoid fare negotiation entirely.

• Timeshare 'Scratch-and-Win' Street Solicitation

  How It Works

  Street promoters — sometimes claiming to represent a marketing company or a generic-sounding brand — stop pedestrians in tourist shopping/hotel-strip areas and hand them a 'scratch-off' ticket that always reveals a 'grand prize' (a gift card, cruise, or cash). Collecting the prize requires attending a timeshare sales presentation, and the companies running this frequently change names to dodge their reputation. One detailed traveler account describes being stopped on the strip and handed a resealed scratch ticket by someone claiming to work for a local tourism-branded promotion.

  How To Avoid

  Politely decline scratch-off tickets and street promotions altogether — there is no free prize that doesn't require sitting through a high-pressure sales pitch. Do not hand over contact information or agree to 'just come by for info,' and never attend a timeshare presentation purely to claim an advertised gift.

• Fake ED (Embarkation/Disembarkation) Card Website

  How It Works

  Aruba requires visitors to complete an official ED card before travel. Lookalike third-party websites charge a marked-up fee or collect personal/payment data by mimicking the real government process.

  How To Avoid

  Only use the official ED card site directly; the legitimate fee is a flat per-person charge. Any site with a different domain or a higher price should be treated as suspect — book directly rather than through a search-ad link or an unfamiliar travel-agency site.

• Rental Car / Scooter Damage-Deposit Disputes

  How It Works

  Some rental car and scooter/moped operators dispute pre-existing damage at return, or hold back part of a security deposit citing damage, restrictive geofencing violations, or unexpected charges that weren't clearly disclosed at pickup.

  How To Avoid

  Photograph or video the entire vehicle (including tires, undercarriage, and existing scratches) before driving off, get any damage noted in writing on the rental agreement, and confirm geofencing/usage restrictions and deposit-return terms before signing. Prefer well-reviewed, established rental companies over unmarked roadside stands.

Practical Points

• Always carry your physical driver's license, rental agreement, and a passport copy — a valid U.S. or Canadian license is accepted without needing an International Driving Permit.
• If in an accident, do not move the vehicle; call 100 to notify police and separately contact the rental company and insurer immediately.
• Seatbelts and motorcycle helmets are legally required, right turns on red are prohibited, and roundabout right-of-way rules differ from the U.S., so an unfamiliar-looking violation is a realistic reason for a stop.
• Speed limit and DUI laws exist and DUI can lead to fines, license loss, or jail, but enforcement of these is described as inconsistent in practice — this is not a guarantee of leniency, just an observed pattern.
• There is no widespread, documented pattern of bribery expectations at routine traffic stops in the sources reviewed; the described norm is a standard stop, ID/documents check, and citation or warning.

Scam And Risk Warnings

• Informal street/beach sellers (sometimes describing themselves as 'jetski guys') are a known route by which cannabis reaches tourists, but buying from them still constitutes a criminal drug offense with no informal tolerance, and travelers report the product sold this way is frequently poor quality for the price.
• There is no safe or legal channel to purchase cannabis anywhere on the island; any transaction carries real arrest risk regardless of how casual or open the sale appears.

Safety And Harm Reduction

• Foreign medical-marijuana cards and authorizations from any country are not recognized at the border or by local courts.
• Queen Beatrix International Airport uses drug detection dogs and screens both arriving and departing passengers, so risk exists on both legs of a trip, not just on entry.
• Detention during a drug investigation can be authorized by a judge, and posting bail/bond is generally not available, meaning pre-trial custody can be lengthy.
• Enforcement is applied to tourists as well as residents; there is no informal 'tourist leniency' to rely on, even though cannabis is visibly sold in tourist areas.
• Local jail conditions are reported to be substantially below European or North American standards, and a home embassy/consulate can monitor a case but cannot intervene in prosecution or pay bail.
• If any prescription medication is controlled elsewhere, carry it in original packaging with a prescription, since the range of legally available medicines on the island is narrower than in the US and substitutions may require a local prescription.

Safety And Harm Reduction

• Only workers inside the licensed/registered San Nicolas system are subject to government-mandated health screening; independent escorts advertised via phone, newspaper classifieds, or online are operating outside this oversight and are not required to undergo regular health checks.
• Sex trafficking of foreign women (particularly from Venezuela, Colombia, and the Dominican Republic) has been documented as an ongoing problem tied to the island's sex trade, so the existence of a legal framework does not eliminate coercion risk in parts of the informal sector.
• Underage involvement and coercion/trafficking remain criminal offenses with severe penalties regardless of where the activity occurs.