The green card: Aruba’s health certificate for food and beverage (F&B) work

Anyone who works in food and beverage (F&B) in Aruba needs a valid health certificate, the document most people still call the green card (carchi berde). It is valid for one year. You apply in person at the Department of Public Health (DVG), pay Afl. 30, hand in a stool sample for a lab test and, if you are 18 or older, have a chest X-ray.¹ About ten working days later the certificate is ready. Since 15 September 2025 it is delivered through the Aruba Health App, with a paper version for people without a smartphone.²

Who needs one

Under the Personnel Decree Food Regulations (AB 1995 no. GT 2), everyone working in the food and beverage industry must have a valid health certificate, and it must be visible to the DVG’s inspectors.¹ In practice that covers cooks, kitchen stewards, servers, bartenders and anyone else who handles food or beverages for customers, in hotels, restaurants, bars and other food businesses.

The tests look for Salmonella, Shigella and Campylobacter, which spread through contaminated food, and for tuberculosis.³ If a test comes back positive, you may not work in F&B until you have been treated and a repeat test is clear.³

What to bring

• If you have an Aruban ID card: the ID card.¹
• If you do not: a valid passport or driver’s licence, plus an extract of inscription from the Civil Registry (Censo), which costs Afl. 5 and may be no older than six months.¹

The government’s general page for food handlers, which is undated, also lists two recent photos and, for people who are not native to Aruba, a valid work permit. Bring them to avoid a second trip.³

Step by step

1. Download the Aruba Health App and register first. DVG asks everyone who needs a certificate to do this ahead of time.² The app was built for the Ministry of Public Health and is managed by SETAR.⁴
2. Go to DVG’s Department of Food Inspection and Hygiene at Dr. Oduberstraat 1. Applications are taken in person, Monday to Thursday, 7:45 to 11:45 and 13:15 to 15:30.¹²
3. Pay Afl. 30 at the finance office of the Department of Public Health.¹
4. Hand in a stool sample at the laboratory within two days of starting the process. The lab test costs Afl. 40.¹
5. If you are 18 or older, have a chest X-ray at the hospital, ImSan or Urgent Care. The provider charges for it.¹
6. Collect the certificate about ten working days after the stool sample. It appears in the app; if you asked for paper, you collect it at the DVG office.¹²

Renewing every year

The certificate is valid for one year, and the expiry date is printed on it.¹ Renewal works the same way: the same office, your ID, Afl. 30, and the tests. The government’s pages describe the testing as yearly, for renewals as well as first applications.¹³

Our suggestion: start about three weeks before the expiry date. The certificate takes ten working days from the stool sample, and the office takes applications four days a week.

What it costs, and who pays

The amounts are from the government’s April 2024 notice.¹ The undated food-handlers page states that your employer has to pay these costs, so ask your employer before you pay yourself.³

For employers

Keep a record of each food handler’s expiry date, and remind staff a few weeks ahead: the certificate must be valid and visible whenever an inspector visits.¹ If you are hiring for F&B roles, say in the listing that a valid health certificate is required, or that you will arrange one. Our guide to writing a job listing in Aruba covers what else to include.

Contact DVG for anything this guide does not answer: phone 522-4200, or email dwh@dvg.aw (the food inspection section, per the 2024 notice) or servicio@dvg.aw (DVG’s general address, per the 2025 notice). Website: dvg.aw.¹²

Quick answers

Do I need a green card to work in a restaurant in Aruba?

Yes. Everyone working in the food and beverage (F&B) industry needs a valid health certificate, the document formerly called the green card.¹

How long is the Aruba health certificate valid?

One year from issue. The expiry date is on the certificate.¹

How much does the health certificate cost?

Afl. 30 for DVG’s processing and Afl. 40 for the stool test, plus the X-ray fee if you are 18 or older. The government’s food-handlers page says the employer pays these costs.¹³

How long does it take to get a health certificate?

About ten working days from the day you hand in your stool sample.¹

Is the health certificate digital now?

Yes. Since 15 September 2025 it is available in the Aruba Health App. If you have no smartphone, you can collect a paper version at DVG.²

Updated 4 October 2026. Earlier versions of this guide said a chest X-ray is needed only every three years, and gave an approximate X-ray price. We could not confirm either in the government’s current information and have removed them. The guide now covers the Aruba Health App.