Own a house, an apartment or a plot in Curaçao? Then you pay property tax every year: the onroerendezaakbelasting, or OZB. It's not a big amount next to the buying costs, but it comes back every year, so it belongs in your budget. This article explains who pays it, how the stepped rates work out with a few examples, how the tax office sets the value and when the bill comes, with a link to the source of every fact.
What is OZB?
OZB is a yearly tax on the value of real estate, charged to the owner (Doing Business Dutch Caribbean). It replaced the old land tax (grondbelasting) on 1 January 2014, according to the OZB website of the Curaçao tax office. The rest of this article is based on that website, unless another source is linked.
Who pays?
- The owner at the start of the year: OZB is charged to whoever owns or uses the property at the beginning of the year, or has a limited right on it (tax office, concepts). A house on erfpacht (a long lease on government land) is therefore taxed too.
- A building on rented government land: then the person renting the land pays OZB on the value of the building (tax office).
- Several owners: if you own a house together, each of you is liable for the full OZB amount, not just your own share.
The rates: a stepped tariff
OZB is calculated in steps, like income tax: each part of the value has its own rate (tax office, rates). The steps are in guilders:
- Up to XCG 350,000 (about $195,500): 0.4%.
- XCG 350,000 to 750,000 (about $195,500 to $419,000): XCG 1,400 plus 0.5% of the part above XCG 350,000.
- Above XCG 750,000 (about $419,000): XCG 3,400 plus 0.6% of the part above XCG 750,000.
The law still says NAf., the Netherlands Antillean guilder. The Caribbean guilder (XCG) replaced it one-for-one in 2025, and it's fixed at 1.79 guilders to the US dollar (Wikipedia). Moret Real Estate and Century 21 give the same 0.4% to 0.6%.
What that means in practice
- A home valued at XCG 300,000 (about $168,000): 0.4% = XCG 1,200 a year, about $670.
- A home valued at XCG 500,000 (about $279,000): XCG 1,400 + 0.5% of 150,000 = XCG 2,150 a year, about $1,200.
- A house valued at XCG 1,400,000 (about $782,000): XCG 3,400 + 0.6% of 650,000 = XCG 7,300 a year, about $4,080.
So the total always stays below 0.6% of the value: about 0.43% at XCG 500,000 and 0.52% at XCG 1,400,000. Note that it's calculated on the value the tax office sets, not on the asking price you see online.
How the value is set
The basis is the market value: simply put, the price the property would sell for to a third party (tax office, valuation). The tax office's inspector sets that value based on an appraisal, and it's fixed for a period of 5 years; the first period ran from 2014 to 2018 (tax office, 5-year period). Don't agree with the value? You can only object to it in the first year of the 5-year period.
The bill: assessment and payment
OZB is charged every year (tax office, assessment). As long as the final value isn't set, the inspector sends a provisional assessment (voorlopige aanslag) every year. You can object to a provisional assessment within 2 months of its date, and the inspector answers in writing (tax office, objections). A final assessment must be paid within 2 months of the date on it, and the tax collector (Ontvanger) can agree to a different payment arrangement (tax office, payment).
When you buy a house
- Ask the seller for the latest OZB assessment: it shows the value the tax office uses and what you'll pay each year.
- Ask the notary whether this year's OZB is paid, and how it's settled between you and the seller.
- On erfpacht? Then the yearly canon for the land comes on top of the OZB: see erfpacht or eigendom in Curaçao.
Put it in your budget
OZB is one of the yearly costs of owning a home, next to service costs, insurance, water and electricity: see the cost of living in Curaçao. The one-time buying costs are in our buyers guide. The median asking price of a house on our map is $780,000 today: see what's for sale in your budget on the map with every house for sale.
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Find your new homeThis article is general information, not tax advice. Rates and rules can change, so check your own situation with the Curaçao tax office or a tax adviser.