Immigration at PJIA fielding rising calls over airline confusion with entry form

GREAT BAY--Immigration services at Princess Juliana International Airport (PJIA) are reporting an increasing number of calls from U.S.-based visitors who are being denied boarding because of conflicting instructions about St. Maarten’s entry form.

Calls from stranded or delayed travelers first reach PJIA’s information lines before being transferred to immigration officers, who are left to handle complaints and frustrations. Immigration staff emphasize that this forces them into roles outside their official mandate, as they attempt to mediate disputes between passengers and airlines instead of focusing on their core responsibilities at the border.

The problem originates from inconsistent messaging. The St. Maarten Tourist Bureau has informed carriers that the entry form is not currently mandatory for boarding. However, when airlines refer to the official government portal, entry.sx, the instructions are unambiguous:

“Complete your official entry form prior to arrival in Sint Maarten. This digital entry form is the official Embarkation Disembarkation (ED) card for traveling to (Dutch) Sint Maarten. All travelers residing, transferring through or visiting Sint Maarten and St. Martin (French side) are required to fill out this form. Each traveler in a group or family are required to complete this form.”

Airlines say that when passengers challenge staff at check-in counters, they simply point to the official entry.sx notice, which clearly states the form is required. As a result, carriers act accordingly and deny boarding to travelers without a completed form, regardless of what St. Maarten’s tourism officials say locally.

This contradiction has created a patchwork of enforcement. Some airlines allow travelers to board without the form, while others, citing the official online instructions, refuse them. Passengers also report technical issues when attempting to complete the form on entry.sx, with applications failing to process or showing false approvals, leaving them stranded abroad.

The digital Embarkation Disembarkation (ED) card is intended to modernize immigration processing. However, while tourism officials maintain the form is not mandatory for boarding, the government’s official portal continues to instruct that it is required, leading to confusion.

Tourism and Justice Ministry officials could not be reached on Sunday for comment.

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