On 17 May 1994, in Paris, France and the Kingdom of the Netherlands sign the Treaty on the control of persons entering Saint Martin through the airports — the Franco-Dutch treaty on the divided island.

The text aims at joint controls at Princess Juliana International Airport (Sint Maarten) and L'Espérance (Saint-Martin). Authentic languages: French and Dutch. Entry into force: 1 August 2007 after difficult ratifications in The Hague.

Dutch ratification was blocked for years by Sint Maarten’s tourism fears and objections to the joint committee’s authority; France applied pressure, and The Hague ratified in 2006.

The treaty requires a visa (or landing permit) for both sides — contentious because the French side (EU outermost region) has a stricter visa list. Negotiations cut the extra Caribbean list to Dominica, Jamaica, Guyana and Suriname.

Implementation lagged: a joint committee meets yearly; in 2016 Sint Maarten’s government reported “steady progress”, but joint controls remained incomplete.

The treaty illustrates the complexity of an island split between the Schengen/EU regime and the Antilles.

The Franco-Dutch Treaty of 17 May 1994 remains the legal framework for airport controls on Saint Martin / Sint Maarten.

Image: Saint Martin; Wikimedia Commons. Cropped to 16:9.

Source consulted: Franco-Dutch treaty on Saint Martin border controls. Treaty text: Franco-Dutch Saint Martin Treaty (verdragenbank).