Curacao Gaming License: What It Costs and How It Works in 2026
Curacao rebuilt its licensing from scratch. The LOK took effect in December 2024, the master-license era is over, and every operator now deals directly with the Curacao Gaming Authority through its portal.
This guide carries the numbers from the CGA's own fee schedule and the LOK text, the deadlines that actually apply in 2026, and the vetted firms that can run the application for you.
Every figure on this page comes from the regulator's own documents. Last verified July 13, 2026.
Our verdict, in brief
Curacao is still the fastest widely accepted route to market, but the cheap-and-lax era is over. The recurring bill for an operator is EUR 47,450 a year, a full first year lands around EUR 52,300 once the application and due diligence fees are in, and the license now comes from a regulator that has revoked 30 licenses since mid-2024 and publishes every action in a public enforcement register. A local managing director is required from day one. The heavier substance rules with local staff and office are law too, but enforcement is postponed until April 1, 2027, which makes 2026 the cheapest year to enter compliantly.
What the license costs
The CGA prices everything in one public fee schedule. There is no GGR levy and no gaming tax in it: official licensing costs are the flat fees below, changeable only by national decree. All fees are non-refundable.
| Fee | Amount | When |
|---|---|---|
| Application, operator or supplierCGA terms: B2C Gaming License / B2B Supplier License. Same application fee for both. | EUR 4,592 | One time, before processing starts |
| Due diligence, per UBO or 10%+ interest holder | EUR 150 | At application, per person |
| Due diligence, listed UBO entity | EUR 2,551 | At application, per entity |
| Operator annual license fee (National Treasury) | EUR 24,490 | In full by January 15 |
| Operator annual supervisory fee (CGA) | EUR 22,960 | In full by January 15 |
| Supplier annual supervisory fee | EUR 24,490 | In full by January 15, no Treasury fee |
| Adding a main domain | EUR 250 | Per application |
| UBO or interest-holder change | EUR 128 | Per person, per change |
| Certificate application (test labs, ADR) | EUR 383 | One time |
Source: License Fees under the LOK, version 2.0, October 15, 2025 (official CGA fee schedule)
The first-year math
The EUR 47k figure that circulates is the recurring annual fee (EUR 47,450), not the cost of getting in. A full first year of operator fees runs about EUR 52,300: the EUR 4,592 application, EUR 150 per person in due diligence, and the annual fee on top. The first annual invoice is pro-rated from the grant date and due within 14 days, and the license with its Green Seal only issues once it is paid. A B2B supplier pays the same application fee but EUR 24,490 a year, with no Treasury component.
Requirements
Legal form and local director
From day oneThe license goes only to a Curacao NV or BV, and the company must be managed by at least one natural person resident in Curacao, or by a Curacao entity that is itself managed by one (LOK Article 2.1). The license is non-transferable.
Key persons and a real office
Postponed to April 1, 2027Article 5.12 requires one full-time Key Person from the local population register in years one to four, three from year five, plus own equipped premises in Curacao used exclusively for the licensed business.
The Minister of Justice granted a general extension in January 2026: license holders do not have to meet Article 5.12 before April 1, 2027. Startups under ANG 20M in annual GGR are exempt until their fourth fiscal year anyway.
Share capital
There is no minimum share capital anywhere in the LOK or the fee schedule. Any capital figure you see attached to a Curacao license comes from a service provider's package, not from the law.
AML and crypto
Licensees fall under Curacao's NOIS and NORUT identification and unusual-transaction reporting regimes, with a compliance officer requirement in the CGA's AML regulations.
Crypto acceptance is governed by the CGA's June 2026 crypto policy guideline: KYC in the crypto context, blockchain analytics capability, and restrictions around privacy coins.
How the application runs
Applications run through the CGA portal in two phases, with the clock defined in LOK Article 5.1. In practice the regulator bridges the wait with provisional licenses.
- 1
Phase 1: people and money
8 weeks, extendable by 4Integrity screening of UBOs, qualified interest holders, and policymakers, plus financial viability. The completeness check runs within 2 weeks, and a file left incomplete for 4 weeks after a warning kills the application.
- 2
Phase 2: everything else
8 weeks, extendable by 4Full LOK compliance review. Phase-2 documents are due within 4 weeks of passing phase 1.
- 3
Provisional license while you wait
Up to 6 + 6 monthsPending phase 2 the CGA can grant a provisional Gaming License for up to six months, extendable once. Current register entries all run on six-month windows.
- 4
Grant on payment
14 daysThe first pro-rated invoice lands with the local director and the license with its Green Seal only issues after it is paid.
The regime, dated
The reform ran in stages, and several deadlines that consultants still quote are already in the past. The dates that matter:
Direct licensing begins
The GCB started granting direct licenses under the new online gaming policy, a year before the LOK. The OGL license number series dates from here.
LOK in force
The National Ordinance on Games of Chance replaced the 1993 offshore gaming law. Existing license holders got six-month provisional licenses by operation of law.
New ministry
Responsibility moved from the Minister of Finance to the Minister of Justice.
Sub-license era ends
All former sub-licensee applications were resolved by September 25, 2025, and the transitional Orange Seal became illegal to display. Only the Green Seal is valid.
Substance postponed
The Article 5.12 key-person and office requirements were deferred to April 1, 2027 by ministerial extension.
Supplier rules clarified
The B2B supplier license applies only to companies established in Curacao. Foreign suppliers serving Curacao licensees register with the CGA instead, with registration opening October 2026 and mandatory by December 24, 2026.
Registers and official documents
Curacao publishes its registers as dated PDF snapshots rather than a searchable database, so verifying a license means opening the current file. These are the official documents we verify against.
Who can help you get it
5Firms from our vetted catalog that service this jurisdiction. Each one holds a registry-verifiable corporate record, checked July 13, 2026. Firms without a verifiable footprint are not listed anywhere on this site.
CSB Group
Swatar, Malta · since 1987Malta corporate services group with a licensed CSP core, in the industry since 1987
Three group companies authorized on the MFSA Financial Services Register: CSB International (Class C CSP), CSBL Advisory (Class B CSP), CSB Trustees & Fiduciaries
SiGMA Best Corporate Services Provider 2021, 2023 and 2024, SiGMA Euro-Med 2025 exhibitor
Gofaizen & Sherle
Tallinn, Estonia · since 2021Licensing-focused consultancy covering 30+ gambling jurisdictions
Estonian registry 16295888 since 2021, both name partners on the board, 23 staff and EUR 4.89M revenue in 2024
SBSB Fintech Lawyers
London / Tallinn · since 2013Fintech and gambling law firm running license work across 30+ jurisdictions
UK LLP OC384762 active since 2013 plus an Estonian entity since 2018, founder Yuliya Barabash
4H Agency
Limassol, Cyprus · since 2020Gambling-only advisory led by a public industry figure
Cyprus registry HE413554 since 2020, registered address matches its Limassol office
CEO Ilya Machavariani listed as speaker by SBC Summit Tbilisi 2024
Frequently asked
What operators ask before picking this jurisdiction, answered from the official record.
How much does a Curacao gaming license cost?+
The application fee is EUR 4,592 plus EUR 150 per UBO in due diligence. The recurring annual fee for a B2C operator is EUR 47,450, split between the National Treasury and the CGA and due in full by January 15 each year. A full first year of official fees comes to about EUR 52,300. Corporate setup, the local director, and compliance tooling come on top and are priced by service providers, not by the regulator.
How long does it take to get?+
The LOK gives the CGA 8 weeks per review phase, extendable by 4, so a clean application resolves in roughly 4 to 6 months. The regulator bridges the wait with provisional licenses of up to six months, extendable once, and current register entries all run on six-month windows.
Is Curacao still the cheap and easy license?+
Cheaper than Malta or the Isle of Man, yes. Easy in the old sense, no. The LOK replaced the master-license system with direct licensing, the CGA has revoked 30 licenses since mid-2024, and every action lands in a public enforcement register. What keeps 2026 attractive is timing: the local staff and office requirements are law but not enforced until April 1, 2027.
Do B2B suppliers need a Curacao license?+
Only companies established in Curacao need the B2B supplier license, at EUR 24,490 a year. A foreign platform, game, or odds supplier serving Curacao licensees registers with the CGA instead. Registration opens October 2026 and becomes mandatory on December 24, 2026.
Do I need an office and staff in Curacao?+
A Curacao NV or BV with at least one Curacao-resident managing director is required from day one. The heavier substance layer, one to three local key persons plus own equipped premises, is written into Article 5.12 but postponed: license holders do not have to meet it before April 1, 2027, and startups under ANG 20M in annual gaming revenue are exempt until their fourth fiscal year.
What happened to master licenses and sub-licenses?+
The system is gone. The four master-license holders lost their basis when the LOK repealed the old law in December 2024, every former sub-licensee application was resolved by September 25, 2025, and the transitional Orange Seal became illegal to display on October 15, 2025. An operator claiming to run on a Curacao sub-license today has no lawful basis.
Is there a gaming tax in Curacao?+
The LOK fee schedule contains no GGR levy and no gaming tax. Official licensing costs are the flat fees. A sales tax amendment for games of chance exists in the LOK but enters into force only by separate decree, and general corporate taxation sits outside the licensing law.
Where to go from here
The license is one leg of a launch. The rest of the stack and the alternatives sit in the directory.