Different
Country Different Law
Moving
To The Dutch Caribbean ~ by Tinah Tran
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| July
2005
Before moving
to a new location, to retire or to live, expatriates would do themselves
a good service if they check out the law of the land.
My husband
and I have moved to a Dutch Caribbean island to retire since last year.
Before retirement, we visited the island on vacation, and then to prepare
for the move. With all of the research and planning, we still have
a lot to learn about the islands' government and legal system.
First, I need
to clarify that the island is definitely safer than most locations in the
US. We feel safe driving around during the day and night. We walk through
downtown, watching the beautiful sunset over the ocean and never feel threatened.
Local folks, for the most part, are friendly and kind towards Americans.
We do not live in a gated or guarded community. Dutch Caribbean islands,
as a whole, are safer than most other Caribbean islands. But these islands
are not without problems. They do have crimes, mostly petty thief, a few
robberies and on rare occasions, murder. |
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As American
expatriates, we tried to learn and understand the local laws. It was not
an easy task because most legal documents are in Dutch. We managed to understand
a few main points. Dutch law, based on Roman Civil law, is very influenced
by Napoleonic Codes. It protects the bad guys and severely restricts victims’
rights to fight back. It means that you cannot use deadly force against
a thief who trespasses on your property. One of our neighbors, a Dutch
expat who is more familiar with the local laws, claimed that the only thing
a person could do in case of somebody trying to break into his or her house
is to take the thief’s picture! I asked jokingly: “Can we take his picture
with a strong flash so we can blind him for a little while in order to
call the police?”
"The police
are slow to respond”, was the answer. From another friend, a small hotel
owner from New Jersey, who has been living on the island for a while: “Somebody
came, broke in by the window and took a small TV. I called the police to
report. They said they would come in a couple hours”
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Petty
thief is a fact of life on the island but robbery with assault or more
serious crimes are deat with more severely if not very swiftly.
Local gun laws
are very strict. Owning a gun without a license is punishable with a minimum
2 year jail sentence. A person after jumping through hoops (figuratively
speaking) can obtain a gun license, and therefore possess one, but must
keep it under lock and key. This is the opposite of what we were used to;
we came from a state where you had the right to carry a concealed weapon.
Traffic and
transportation laws are also different than in the States. Local police
are more relaxed about speeding than about having no license tag. Zero
tolerance here means that the fees for driver licenses, tag licenses and
insurance coverage must be up to date or there will be a big fine and an
impounding of your vehicles.
People living
on Caribbean islands move with a different beat, great for relaxing in
good times, frustrating to cope with in bad times, especially when dealing
with the law. |
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There are
a few hundred American expatriates living on the island. We learned to
live with the system. When in Rome do as the Romans do. I love the place
in spite of its problems. My husband said “It ain’t paradise, but we can
see paradise from here!
| Tinah Tran
lived in the US until retired on a Caribbean island with her husband. Read
other articles on her blog “Slant eye view of the world” (www.slanteyeview.blogspot.com)
To email Tinah Click Here |
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