Curacao Gaming Licence Application Process: Step by Step
You have built the platform. Your team is ready. The only thing between you and a live casino is a regulator’s sign-off. The Curacao gaming licence application process is the route to that sign-off, and it shifted in a big way when the National Ordinance on Games of Chance (the LOK) took effect on 24 December 2024. The Curacao Gaming Authority (CGA) now grants every licence directly, and the old master licence model is gone. This guide breaks the Curacao gaming licence application process into clear steps, covering the documents you prepare, how you submit them, what the CGA reviews, and how approval works.
The New Curacao Gaming Licence Application Process Explained
For years, operators reached the market by buying a sub-licence from a master licence holder. However, the LOK ended that. The CGA, which grew out of the Gaming Control Board, now issues licences on its own and publishes a register of who holds one. As a result, operators now deal with one regulator and one direct relationship. For a wider look at what the licence covers and who it suits, the operator overview is a good starting point.
Step one, set up a Curacao company
You cannot apply as a foreign company. Only a legal entity formed under Curacao law, with its statutory seat on the island, qualifies. That entity also needs at least one managing director who lives in Curacao, either a natural person or a Curacao company that has a resident managing director of its own. So incorporation comes before anything else.
How the Curacao gaming licence application process works
Everything runs through the CGA online portal. You will not get anywhere by emailing documents or applying off-platform, because the CGA only processes applications that arrive through the portal. Two tracks exist. B2C operators apply for an online gaming licence. B2B providers apply for a supplier licence, a requirement that phases in two years after the LOK started. Whichever track fits you, the CGA assesses the file in two phases.
Documents you need
Everything you gather for the Curacao gaming licence application process feeds into the forms the CGA publishes. Prepare these before you open an application:
- The completed Online Gaming Application Form, signed by an official company representative. B2B applicants file the Supplier Licence Application Form instead.
- A Business and Corporate Information Form, which every application type needs.
- A Personal History Disclosure Form for each qualifying person. Anyone the CGA has already cleared can file the short version.
- A business plan with a financial forecast that runs at least three years.
- Proof of ownership and control. The CGA investigates every ultimate beneficial owner who holds 10 percent or more of the company.
- Recent police clearance certificates for the people behind the company.
- Documentation of source of funds and source of wealth, so the CGA can trace where the money comes from.
- Proof that the company holds enough liquid assets to cover expected player payouts.
- A responsible gambling policy and an AML/CFT framework, including a named Money Laundering Reporting Officer and a compliance officer.
- Registration in the goAML reporting system, which the National Decree goAML requires.
The CGA can ask for more. Notarised copies, certified translations, and extra supporting papers come up often. Treat the published list as the floor, not the ceiling.
Submitting through the portal
You register a company account on the portal, upload your forms and supporting files, and pay the application fees. Clear those fees early, because unpaid fees give the CGA a direct reason to refuse. Once your file is complete, the review clock starts.
The two-phase review
The Curacao gaming licence application process splits into two review phases, each with its own focus.
Phase one tests integrity and financial stability. The CGA verifies the identity and involvement of every beneficial owner, qualified participant, and policy-maker. It checks criminal history, and a conviction in the past eight years for fraud, theft, money laundering, or terrorist financing blocks approval. It also confirms your source of funds is clean and traceable.
Phase two moves to the wider LOK requirements. Your games and platform have to meet recognised technical standards, so an independent test house checks your random number generator, game fairness, and system integrity against GLI standards before you launch. The CGA also confirms your responsible gambling tools, dispute resolution route, domain setup, and the way your key functions actually operate.
In each phase, the CGA aims to decide within eight weeks of receiving a complete set of documents. Complex files can add up to four weeks per phase. Incomplete ones stretch further, since the eight weeks only starts once everything is in.
Approval in the Curacao Gaming Licence Application Process
Meet every requirement and the CGA grants a definitive licence. Approval at the end of the Curacao gaming licence application process gives you a licence with an indefinite term, which the CGA can still suspend or revoke if you break its conditions. Meet most but not all, and the CGA may grant a provisional licence valid for up to six months, with one possible extension of up to six more months while you close the gaps. After approval, you display the CGA dynamic seal on your authorised domains, link it to your certificate of operation, and manage those domains through the portal.
If the CGA rejects your application
A refusal does not end things. You can file an objection with the CGA, or appeal to the Court of First Instance of Curacao. Both routes run on a deadline of roughly six weeks from the decision date. Get legal advice before you respond, because the grounds for refusal are specific and you answer them point by point.
Costs and local presence
Budget for the whole Curacao gaming licence application process. The annual fee is only part of the bill. Fees run in Antillean guilders, and the annual licence fee sits around 24,600 euros at current rates, though you should confirm exact figures with the CGA before you plan. The LOK also expects real substance on the island. You employ at least one full-time local staff member, the role the LOK calls a key person. That number rises toward three by the fifth year. The CGA set 1 April 2027 as the date it starts enforcing the staffing rules, which gives newer entrants room to plan.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does the Curacao gaming licence application process take?
Plan for roughly four to six months between incorporating and holding a definitive licence. However, it can sometimes take longer. Each review phase runs about eight weeks once your documents are complete. In addition, the CGA may add up to four extra weeks per phase. Usually, gaps in your file are the main thing that drags it out.
Can you still buy a sub-licence from a master licence holder?
No. As a result, the LOK ended that model, and every operator now holds a licence the CGA issued directly.
Do you need a local company and a local director?
Yes. You apply through an entity formed under Curacao law with its seat on the island, and at least one managing director has to live in Curacao.
What gets an application refused most often?
Ownership the CGA cannot verify, an unclear source of funds, unpaid fees, a missing responsible gambling policy, and no goAML registration. The CGA lists each ground openly, so most refusals trace back to a file that was incomplete or unconvincing.
Is the process the same for B2C and B2B?
Almost. B2C operators file the online gaming application, while B2B providers file the supplier application, a requirement that phases in two years after the LOK took effect.