Anyone who handles food or beverages for work in Aruba needs a valid health certificate from the Department of Public Health (DVG). Most people still call it the green card or carchi berde. DVG now calls it the Health Certificate, and it is the primary authority for how to get one: you apply in person at DVG’s Food and Hygiene Inspection Section, pay Afl. 30, take a stool test and a chest X-ray, and the certificate appears in the Aruba Health App about ten working days after the stool sample.15
This guide follows DVG’s page as read on 23 October 2026. Where an older government page or a commercial lab disagrees, DVG governs and we say so.
Who needs to check the requirement
A government notice of 17 April 2024 cites the Personnel Decree Food Regulations (AB 1995 no. GT 2): every person working in the food and/or beverage industry must have a valid and visible health certificate, and inspectors of DVG’s food inspection section can ask to see it.5 DVG’s page speaks of the certificate “for handling food and/or beverages”.1 If you are unsure whether your job counts, ask DVG’s Food and Hygiene Inspection Section before you start.2
Steps, as DVG describes them
- Register in the Aruba Health App first. DVG asks everyone who needs a certificate to do this ahead of time, because the certificate is delivered there.34
- Apply in person at the Food and Hygiene Inspection Section of DVG, Dr. Oduberstraat 1, Oranjestad, Monday to Thursday, 7:45 to 11:45 and 13:15 to 15:30. Applications cannot be submitted on Fridays.1
- Bring valid identification. That is a valid Aruban ID card, or, if you have none, a valid passport or driver’s licence together with the Afl. 5 Censo (Civil Registry) document.1
- Pay Afl. 30 at DVG’s Finance Section for the process. DVG’s page says payment is possible only by debit card or online transfer.1
- Do the two tests. The stool test is done at one of four laboratories DVG lists: Horacio Oduber Hospital Lab (LabHOH), Laboratorio di Servicio, Laboratorio Familiar or MEDLAB. The chest X-ray is done at the Horacio Oduber Hospital radiology department, ImSan, or Urgent Care Aruba at Noord or Punta Brabo.1
- Get the result. After the stool test is submitted, DVG says the certificate appears in the Aruba Health App in two weeks, or ten working days. If you have no access to the app or want a printed copy, you collect it in person at DVG on Fridays with a valid ID. To collect for someone else, bring the owner’s ID and your own.1
What it costs, and who pays
- DVG process fee: Afl. 30, according to DVG.1
- Chest X-ray: Afl. 75 and valid for 5 years, according to DVG.1
- Stool test: not stated on DVG’s page. A government notice of 17 April 2024 gave Afl. 40, so confirm with the laboratory.5
- Censo (Civil Registry) document: Afl. 5, only if you have no Aruban ID card, according to DVG.1
DVG’s page does not say who pays. An older Government of Aruba page, published 30 November 2023, says the employer has to pay these costs, so ask your employer before you pay yourself.6 That page also lists an X-ray cost of Afl. 53 and other items that do not appear on DVG’s current page. Where they differ, we use DVG’s figures.16
Validity, renewal and a conflict between sources
DVG says a first application and a renewal start the same way, at the same section.1 DVG’s current page does not state how long the certificate itself is valid. The government notice of 17 April 2024 and the 2023 food-handlers page both say one year, with the expiry date printed on the certificate. The notice is marked an old post, so treat one year as the last official statement we found and check the expiry date shown in your app.56
The X-ray is the part sources disagree about. DVG says the chest X-ray is valid for 5 years.1 CarchiBerde.com, a commercial laboratory service, says the X-ray is repeated every three years and the annual renewal is a stool test only.7 DVG is the authority and the lab site is a commercial page, so we follow DVG. DVG’s page does not spell out whether a renewal inside the five years needs a new X-ray, so ask DVG if that applies to you.
Our suggestion, not a DVG rule: start a renewal about three weeks before the expiry date, because the certificate takes ten working days and applications are taken four days a week.
The Aruba Health App
The Aruba Health App was developed for the Ministry of Public Health and is run technically by SETAR.4 A DVG notice of 9 September 2025 said that from 15 September 2025 people working in hospitality who need a health certificate could access it through the app, and that a paper copy stays available to people without a smartphone.3 Download and register before you apply.
For employers
The certificate must be valid and visible to inspectors.5 Keep a record of each food handler’s expiry date and say in the job listing whether candidates need the certificate before they start or whether you will arrange it. The employer compliance checklist puts this next to the other employer checks, and how to write a job listing that works in Aruba covers the listing field.
This is not the same as the medical check that comes with a residence permit application. That one is described in Work and residence permits in Aruba.
Quick answers
Is it called the green card or the health certificate?
DVG calls it the Health Certificate and notes it was formerly known as the Green Card. In Dutch it is the gezondheidsverklaring. Carchi berde is the familiar Papiamento name.1
Where do I apply?
In person at DVG’s Food and Hygiene Inspection Section, Dr. Oduberstraat 1, Oranjestad, Monday to Thursday. Not on Fridays.1
How much does it cost?
Afl. 30 to DVG and Afl. 75 for the chest X-ray, plus the laboratory fee for the stool test, which DVG’s page does not state.1
How long does it take?
DVG says about two weeks, or ten working days, after the stool test is submitted.1
Do I get a paper copy?
Yes, on request. Collect it at DVG on Fridays with a valid ID.13
Who do I ask if my case is unusual?
DVG’s Food and Hygiene Inspection Section, phone +297 522 4200.12
