Coming home to Aruba after your studies: the 35% Arubalening rule and a job plan

If you studied with an Arubalening and come back to live and work in Aruba within three years of graduating, you can ask the Minister of Finance to forgive 35% of your study debt.¹² There is a condition attached: you keep repaying the rest, and you work in Aruba for five years without a break.¹

That rule is worth knowing before you book a flight. So is the other half of coming home: having interviews lined up before you land rather than after.

Who can have 35% of their Arubalening forgiven?

An Arubalening is a study loan from the Government of Aruba. A 2011 national ordinance allows part of it to be forgiven; a 2017 amendment raised that part from 30% to 35%, with effect from 1 January 2017.¹² The loan agreement for the 2026–2027 study year still refers to both.⁴ You qualify if you:¹

• finished your studies on or after 30 October 2009;
• finished within the nominal length of your programme, or within the term of your loan;
• return to Aruba and register in the population register (bevolkingsregister) within three years of finishing; and
• work in Aruba.

This is about the Arubalening only. A loan from DUO in the Netherlands, or from a bank or another lender, follows that lender’s own rules.

What you sign up for

The forgiveness is conditional, and the conditions run for five years:¹

• You keep repaying the rest of the loan as your loan agreement says. Stop, and the forgiveness lapses.
• You work in Aruba for five years without interruption, shown with an employer’s statement at the end. Fall short, and the forgiveness lapses in proportion to the time you did not work here.

How to apply

You ask in writing, addressed to the Minister of Finance, and include:¹

• a certified copy of your diploma or certificate;
• proof that you are registered in the population register; and
• a statement from your employer.

The Departamento di Enseñansa Aruba runs the Arubalening portal; ask them where to send the request.⁵

Or pay it all off at once

The same ordinance gives 35% off the remaining debt if you repay the rest in one go. It is one or the other: once you have had the forgiveness for coming back, you cannot also get the discount for paying at once.¹²

Mind the clock. The three years start when you finish your studies, not when you decide to come back. If you plan to work abroad first, check that date against your graduation.

Start the job search before you fly home

Employers in Aruba can find your profile and read your applications long before you arrive. A few months ahead of the move:

• Make your profile and upload your CV on Aruba Jobs. Uploading the CV fills in much of the profile for you.
• Set your availability to “available soon”, so employers searching profiles know when you can start.
• Turn on job alerts. New jobs that match your skills reach you by email, wherever you are studying.
• Put your return date in every cover letter, and say whether you can interview online before then. The Cover Letter Builder helps you write one per job.

Make a foreign degree easy to read

Your CV will sit next to those of people who studied here or never left. Make it easy to see what you bring.

• Explain the programme in a line. A Dutch or American programme name may mean little to a recruiter in Oranjestad. Say what you studied and what you can do with it.
• List every language and your level. Papiamento and Dutch are Aruba’s official languages,⁶ and many listings on Aruba Jobs also ask for English or Spanish.
• Count your internships and side jobs. Say what you did and what came of it, not just where.
• Keep certified copies of your diploma. You need one for the forgiveness request anyway.

Your timeline

1. Final year: note your expected graduation date and when your three years would end.
2. Three to six months before you move: profile, CV, availability and job alerts on Aruba Jobs; start applying.
3. At graduation: get certified copies of your diploma.
4. On arrival: register in the population register.
5. Once you have a job: ask your employer for the statement and send the request to the Minister of Finance.

Quick answers

How much of my Arubalening can be forgiven if I return to Aruba?

35% of your total study debt, if you meet the conditions: finished in time, back and registered in Aruba within three years, and working here.¹²

How long do I have to come back?

Three years from finishing your studies, to return and register in the population register.¹

Does this apply to a DUO loan from the Netherlands?

No. The rule covers the Arubalening, the study loan from the Government of Aruba. Other loans follow their lender’s rules.¹

What happens if I leave Aruba within five years?

The forgiveness lapses in proportion to the time you did not work in Aruba.¹