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Sint Maarten
Central America N Caribbean · Philipsburg · parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy
What Sint Maarten means for your money — the prices you pay, the tariffs in motion, and where U.S. policy could change both.
$133M
U.S. imports, 2025
+31.5%
change in one year
$756M
U.S. exports, 2025
47K
Population
$1.7B
GDP
In your house
What you buy that Sint Maarten makes
America bought $133M in goods from Sint Maarten in 2025 — up 31.5% in a single year. Of every $100 of it, here's where the money went.
U.s. goods returned, and reimports
Copper
copper for wiring
Bauxite and aluminum
aluminum for cans and autos
Minimum value shipments
Electric apparatus
Nonmonetary gold
Alcoholic beverages, excluding wine
spirits and liquor
Jewelry
jewelry
Steelmaking materials
Photo, service industry machinery
2026 so far (through April): $53M in imports. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, International Trade in Goods (customs basis).
The other direction
What America sells to Sint Maarten
$756M in 2025 — a trade rupture cuts both ways, for American producers as well as American prices.
Jewelry, etc.
$311Mjewelry
Petroleum products, other
$56MMinimum value shipments
$41MFuel oil
$31MGem diamonds
$27MToiletries and cosmetics
$22Mtoiletries and cosmetics
Meat, poultry, etc.
$22MOther foods
$20MPassenger cars, new and used
$19Mnew and used cars
Where you stand
U.S. tariff posture toward Sint Maarten
No U.S. tariff action singles this country out. Its goods face the universal 10% temporary import surcharge under Section 122 of the Trade Act (which replaced the IEEPA reciprocal baseline in February 2026) plus the sectoral Section 232 duties — steel and aluminum at 50% — that apply to all countries. The Section 122 surcharge is statutorily temporary — scheduled to lapse on or about July 23, 2026 (a 150-day cap) unless extended or replaced.
Reciprocal tariff (universal baseline)
10%
The universal 10% floor — a Section 122 import surcharge since February 2026, previously the EO 14257 reciprocal baseline — applies to nearly all U.S. imports. This country has no higher assigned rate of its own.
Policy in motion
Tariff status: a moving target
No U.S. tariff action names Sint Maarten. These are the universal measures — applied to every country without a country-specific arrangement — that set its treatment.
2026-04-06
Section 232 metals coverage expanded
In effectThe April 2026 proclamation strengthening Section 232 actions on aluminum, steel, and copper expanded derivative-product coverage for all countries, keeping the general metals rate at 50%.
91 FR 18201 →2026-02-24
IEEPA reciprocal tariffs terminated — replaced by 10% Section 122 surcharge
In effectExecutive Order 14389 (Ending Certain Tariff Actions) terminated the IEEPA tariff duties — including the EO 14257 reciprocal baseline — effective February 24, 2026. A flat 10% Section 122 temporary import surcharge (Proclamation 11012 of February 20, 2026) replaced them, leaving the universal rate unchanged at 10% on a different statutory basis. Section 122 caps such surcharges at 150 days, so this 10% surcharge is scheduled to lapse on or about July 23, 2026 absent further action (the administration has signaled it could raise the rate toward the 15% statutory maximum).
91 FR 9437 →2025-11-13
Agricultural products exempted from reciprocal tariffs
In effectExecutive Order 14360 of November 14, 2025 removed reciprocal duties from certain agricultural products listed in its annexes (coffee, cocoa, bananas, and other goods the U.S. does not produce in sufficient quantity), retroactive to November 13, 2025 — for all countries subject to the reciprocal tariff.
90 FR 54091 →2025-06-04
Section 232 steel and aluminum duties doubled to 50%
In effectThe June 3, 2025 proclamation raised Section 232 duties on steel and aluminum articles and derivatives from 25% to 50% for all countries, effective June 4, 2025.
90 FR 24199 →2025-04-05
Universal 10% reciprocal baseline takes effect
In effectExecutive Order 14257 (signed April 2, 2025) imposed a 10% ad valorem reciprocal duty on imports from all trading partners, effective April 5, 2025. Countries without a higher Annex I rate remain at this baseline.
Federal Register · 2025-06063 →2025-03-12
Section 232 steel and aluminum duties set at 25% for all countries
In effectProclamations of February 10, 2025 terminated all country exemptions and quota arrangements and applied 25% Section 232 duties to steel and aluminum imports from every country, effective March 12, 2025.
90 FR 9817 →
Reference
The country itself
Central America N Caribbean · Geography, people, economy, and government — public-domain data from the CIA World Factbook.
Christopher COLUMBUS claimed Saint Martin for Spain in 1493, naming it after the feast day of St. Martin of Tours, but it was the Dutch who occupied the island in 1631 to exploit its salt deposits. The Spanish retook Saint Martin in 1633, but the Dutch continued to assert their claims. The Spanish finally relinquished the island to the French and Dutch, who divided it between themselves in 1648. The border frequently fluctuated over the next 200 years because of friction between the two countries, with the Dutch eventually holding the smaller portion of the island (about 39%) and adopting the Dutch spelling of the island's name for their territory. The establishment of cotton, tobacco, and sugar plantations dramatically expanded African slavery on the island in the 18th and 19th centuries; the practice was not abolished in the Dutch half until 1863. The island's economy declined until 1939 when it became a free port; the tourism industry was dramatically expanded beginning in the 1950s. In 1954, Sint Maarten and several other Dutch Caribbean possessions became part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands as the Netherlands Antilles. In a 2000 referendum, the citizens of Sint Maarten voted to become a self-governing country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, effective in 2010. In 2017, Hurricane Irma hit Saint Martin/Sint Maarten, causing extensive damage to roads, communications, electrical power, and housing; the UN estimated that 90% of the buildings were damaged or destroyed.
Geography
- Location
- Caribbean, located in the Leeward Islands (northern) group; Dutch part of the island of Saint Martin in the Caribbean Sea; Sint Maarten lies east of the US Virgin Islands
- Area
- 34 sq km
- Climate
- tropical marine climate, ameliorated by northeast trade winds, results in moderate temperatures; average rainfall of 150 cm/year; hurricane season stretches from July to November
- Terrain
- low, hilly terrain, volcanic origin
- Natural resources
- fish, salt
- Coastline
- 58.9 km (for entire island)
- Natural hazards
- subject to hurricanes from July to November
People & society
- Population
- 46,738 (2025 est.)
- Ethnic groups
- Saint Maarten 29.9%, Dominican Republic 10.2%, Haiti 7.8%, Jamaica 6.6%, Saint Martin 5.9%, Guyana 5%, Dominica 4.4%, Curacao 4.1%, Aruba 3.4%, Saint Kitts and Nevis 2.8%, India 2.6%, Netherlands 2.2%, US 1.6%, Suriname 1.4%, Saint Lucia 1.3%, Anguilla 1.1%, other 8%, unspecified 1.7% (2011 est.)
- Languages
- English (official) 67.5%, Spanish 12.9%, Creole 8.2%, Dutch (official) 4.2%, Papiamento (a Spanish-Portuguese-Dutch-English dialect) 2.2%, French 1.5%, other 3.5% (2001 est.)
- Religions
- Protestant 41.9% (Pentecostal 14.7%, Methodist 10.0%, Seventh Day Adventist 6.6%, Baptist 4.7%, Anglican 3.1%, other Protestant 2.8%), Roman Catholic 33.1%, Hindu 5.2%, Christian 4.1%, Jehovah's Witness 1.7%, Evangelical 1.4%, Muslim/Jewish 1.1%, other 1.3% (includes Buddhist, Sikh, Rastafarian), none 7.9%, no response 2.4% (2011 est.)
- Median age
- 40.8 years (2025 est.)
- Life expectancy at birth
- 79.7 years (2024 est.)
Economy
- Economic overview
- high-income, tourism-based Dutch autonomous constituent economy; severe hurricane- and COVID-19-related economic recessions; multilateral trust fund helping offset economic downturn; no property taxation; re-exporter to Saint Martin
- Industries
- tourism, light industry
- Agricultural products
- sugar
- Exports - partners
- Antigua & Barbuda 28%, USA 16%, France 12%, Netherlands 8%, Morocco 7% (2023)
- Imports - partners
- USA 82%, Netherlands 7%, France 4%, Brazil 1%, Switzerland 1% (2023)
Government
- Government type
- parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy
- Capital
- Philipsburg
- Independence
- none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)
- Constitution
- previous 1947, 1955; latest adopted 21 July 2010, entered into force 10 October 2010 (regulates governance of Sint Maarten but is subordinate to the Charter for the Kingdom of the Netherlands)
- Executive branch
- King WILLEM-ALEXANDER of the Netherlands (since 30 April 2013); represented by Governor Ajamu G. BALY (since 10 October 2022)
- Legislative branch
- Parliament of Sint Maarten
Full reference data
Every field, by section — CIA World Factbook. Open a topic to expand it.
Introduction
Travel Facts
Please visit the following links to find further information about your desired destination.
World Health Organization (WHO) - To learn what vaccines and health precautions to take while visiting your destination.
US State Dept Travel Information - Overall information about foreign travel for US citizens.
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Page last updated: Wednesday, July 20, 2022