A new Certificate of Conduct (Verklaring Omtrent het Gedrag, VOG) form (formerly Police Record) has been introduced on St. Maarten. The new form requests additional information of the applicant, which will help to better facilitate the decision-making process with regard to the issuance of a Certificate of Conduct.
The new form, which went into effect September 19, 2015, has been sanctioned by the Minister of Justice, Dennis Richardson by means of a ministerial decree.
A “Certificate of Conduct” is required for various purposes including: employment, business licenses application, adoption, residency, foreign visa application, or school placement.
A petit committee consisting of representative of the Ministry of Justice, the Attorney General’s Office, the Public Service Center and ICT departments of Government has been charged with the redesign of the application process to ensure a smooth implementation.
Citizens requiring a “Certificate of Conduct” (Police Record) will soon have to apply for this document at Public Service Center Department in Simpson Bay.
This new approach, which includes an online component will help reduce lengthy processing delays experienced in the past and will accelerate the application process.
More information about the start date for the new application procedure will be provided to citizens in a subsequent release.