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Netherlands Antilles country code +599 — call Netherlands Antilles & get a number.
The Netherlands Antilles no longer exists as a country — it was dissolved on 10 October 2010, splitting into Curaçao, Sint Maarten, and the "BES islands" (Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba). Its old +599 country code lives on for Curaçao and the BES islands, while Sint Maarten switched to +1 721 in 2011. Here's what happened to the code, who uses what today, and how to reach these islands now.
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Netherlands Antilles at a glance
The numbers and facts you need before you dial.
What is the country code for Netherlands Antilles?
The Netherlands Antilles was a country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, encompassing Curaçao, Bonaire, Sint Maarten, Sint Eustatius, and Saba, until it was formally dissolved on 10 October 2010 — a date often shortened locally to "10-10-10."
Its former country code, +599, didn't disappear entirely: Curaçao and the three "BES islands" (Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, Saba) kept it, each identified by a distinct leading digit after +599. Sint Maarten, however, broke away from +599 in 2011 and joined the North American Numbering Plan as +1 721, while Aruba had already left the Netherlands Antilles altogether back in 1986, using +297 ever since.
If you only remember one thing: "Netherlands Antilles" isn't a place you can call anymore. Figure out which specific island — Curaçao, Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, Saba, or Sint Maarten — and use its current code.
All four mean the same thing — they connect your call to Netherlands Antilles.
How to call Netherlands Antilles from anywhere
For Curaçao, Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, or Saba: dial your exit code, then 599, then the island's leading digit (9, 7, 3, or 4 respectively) and the rest of the local number. For Sint Maarten: dial your exit code, then 1, then 721, then the local number — exactly like a domestic US long-distance call from the US or Canada.
Full example: +599 9 XXX XXXX — a Curaçao number, the former Netherlands Antilles code plus the island's leading digit plus the subscriber number.
Netherlands Antilles phone number format explained
Since 1999, each former Netherlands Antilles island under +599 uses a 7-digit local number, with the leading digit identifying the specific island rather than a separately dialed area code: 9 for Curaçao, 7 for Bonaire, 3 for Sint Eustatius, and 4 for Saba. Sint Maarten no longer uses this system at all — it now follows the standard NANP format under +1 721.
Landline
Island-identifying leading digit (9 Curaçao, 7 Bonaire, 3 Sint Eustatius, 4 Saba) + 6-digit subscriber number, all under +599.
Mobile
Mobile numbers follow the same island-prefix structure as landlines under +599; Sint Maarten mobiles instead follow standard NANP mobile formatting under +1 721.
Netherlands Antilles area codes — major cities
Drop the local leading 0 when calling from abroad.
| City | Region | Area code |
|---|---|---|
| Willemstad | Curaçao | 9 |
| Kralendijk | Bonaire | 7 |
| Oranjestad | Sint Eustatius | 3 |
| The Bottom | Saba | 4 |
Netherlands Antilles mobile network prefixes
The prefix after +599 tells you which network issued the SIM — though number portability means it no longer guarantees the operator.
Various (island-specific)
Since 1999, each island uses a 7-digit local number under the shared +599 code, with the leading digit identifying the island rather than a separately dialed area code.
Netherlands Antilles time zone
Curaçao and Bonaire keep a fixed Atlantic Standard Time (AST, UTC-4) offset year-round, with no daylight saving. Sint Maarten, Sint Eustatius, and Saba are generally cited on the same AST offset, though it's worth confirming current practice for the specific island you're contacting.
Because these islands never shift for daylight saving but the US does, the practical gap to US Eastern narrows to zero during US summer and widens to one hour during US winter.
Since these islands keep a fixed UTC-4 offset with no daylight saving, US Eastern callers get the simplest scheduling of any international destination — the business day lines up almost exactly, adjusting only slightly for the US DST season.
Emergency numbers in Netherlands Antilles
Free to call from any Netherlands Antilles phone, landline or mobile.
Common mistakes when calling Netherlands Antilles
Almost every failed international call is a formatting issue, not a network issue.
Assuming the Netherlands Antilles is still a country
It was dissolved on 10 October 2010 (often called "10-10-10" locally) — there is no longer a single Netherlands Antilles government, currency, or unified numbering authority.
Assuming all five islands still share +599
Curaçao, Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba kept +599, but Sint Maarten switched to +1 721 in 2011 to join the North American Numbering Plan, and Aruba had already left in 1986 to use +297.
Confusing Sint Maarten with Saint Martin
Sint Maarten (Dutch side, now +1 721) and Saint-Martin (French side, +590) are two halves of the same small Caribbean island, but under entirely different sovereignties and country codes.
Treating the BES islands as independent countries
Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba are special municipalities of the Netherlands itself (not separate constituent countries like Curaçao and Sint Maarten), despite each keeping a distinct +599 local prefix.
Assuming a uniform time zone across all successor islands
Curaçao and Bonaire keep fixed Atlantic Standard Time (AST, UTC-4, no DST); confirm the specific island before scheduling, since practices can vary by jurisdiction.
Tips to reduce the cost of calling Netherlands Antilles
Identify the island first, then the code
"Netherlands Antilles" isn't dialable anymore — figure out which specific island (Curaçao, Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, Saba, or Sint Maarten) you actually need to reach.
Use +599 9 for Curaçao specifically
Curaçao is by far the largest and most commonly contacted of the former Netherlands Antilles islands, and keeps the 9-prefix under +599.
Remember Sint Maarten is now NANP
A Sint Maarten number is dialed like a domestic US long-distance call today: 1-721-XXX-XXXX, not through +599.
Route calls through VoIP or a virtual number
Legacy carrier international rates into the Dutch Caribbean can be steep; cloud-routed calling typically costs materially less for any of the successor islands.
Why businesses get a Netherlands Antilles virtual number
The former Netherlands Antilles islands remain significant regional hubs for tourism, offshore financial services, and oil transshipment (particularly Curaçao), even after the 2010 political dissolution. A local virtual number for the specific island you're targeting gives a business a genuine local presence without opening an office there.
Higher answer rates
A familiar local caller ID gets picked up more readily than an unfamiliar international number.
Support tourism and financial-services sectors
Curaçao and Sint Maarten in particular draw heavy international tourism and offshore business traffic.
Cheaper inbound for local callers
Callers on the specific island reach your line at local rates instead of international charges.
Centralized routing
Calls to your local number route to any team, anywhere in the world.
Faster market entry
Stand up a local presence on the specific island without opening a local entity.
Real PSTN presence
A genuine, dialable local number on the public telephone network.
Netherlands Antilles virtual numbers with My Country Mobile
My Country Mobile provisions virtual numbers across 190+ countries with a 99.99% uptime SLA. Availability for the former Netherlands Antilles islands varies by territory — Curaçao and Bonaire under +599, or Sint Maarten under +1 721 — and depends on current inventory and regulatory requirements; contact our team with your specific use case and we'll confirm what can be provisioned.
Local DIDs in major area codes — provisioned in minutes
Call forwarding to any mobile, landline, SIP endpoint, or softphone worldwide
HD voice with G.711, G.729, Opus & AMR-WB — auto-negotiated per call
Sub-150ms latency on major voice corridors via distributed PoPs
99.99% uptime SLA backed by geo-redundant infrastructure & sub-2s failover
WebRTC support for browser-based calling without softphone installs
REST APIs for provisioning, routing & call detail records (CDRs)
Built-in fraud protection with AI anomaly detection & STIR/SHAKEN
24/7 network monitoring and dedicated support
How to get your Netherlands Antilles virtual number
Most businesses are live within hours, not days.
Tell us which specific island you need — Curaçao, Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, Saba, or Sint Maarten.
We'll confirm current +599 or +1 721 availability against your use case.
Configure routing — point the number at a mobile, SIP trunk, softphone, PBX, or IVR anywhere in the world.
Go live — where a specific island's number isn't directly available, we'll propose the closest working Dutch Caribbean alternative.
Other country dialing guides
More country codes worth bookmarking.
Get a Netherlands Antilles virtual number with MCM
Talk to MCM about Curaçao, Bonaire, Sint Maarten, or the wider Dutch Caribbean — we'll check current availability against your specific use case.
Netherlands Antilles +599 — FAQ
What is the phone code for the Netherlands Antilles?expand_more
The Netherlands Antilles no longer exists as a country — it dissolved on 10 October 2010. Its former +599 code is still used today by Curaçao and the "BES islands" (Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, Saba), while Sint Maarten switched to +1 721 in 2011.
When did the Netherlands Antilles stop existing?expand_more
10 October 2010, an event often referred to locally as "10-10-10." The country split into Curaçao and Sint Maarten (new constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Netherlands) and Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba (special municipalities of the Netherlands itself).
What country code does Curaçao use now?expand_more
+599, with the local prefix 9 — for example, +599 9 XXX XXXX.
What country code does Sint Maarten use now?expand_more
+1 721 — Sint Maarten switched from +599 to the North American Numbering Plan in 2011, so it's dialed like a domestic US long-distance call.
What country code does Bonaire use?expand_more
+599, with the local prefix 7 — for example, +599 7XX XXXX.
Is Aruba part of this too?expand_more
Aruba was originally part of the Netherlands Antilles but seceded in 1986, well before the 2010 dissolution, and has used its own country code, +297, ever since.
What's the difference between Sint Maarten and Saint Martin?expand_more
They're the Dutch and French sides of the same small Caribbean island. Sint Maarten (Dutch) uses +1 721; Saint-Martin (French) uses +590 — different sovereignties, different codes.
Are Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba independent countries?expand_more
No — unlike Curaçao and Sint Maarten, the "BES islands" (Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, Saba) are special municipalities of the Netherlands itself, though they retain distinct local +599 prefixes.
What time zone do the former Netherlands Antilles islands use?expand_more
Curaçao and Bonaire keep a fixed Atlantic Standard Time (AST, UTC-4) offset with no daylight saving; confirm the specific island's current practice before scheduling a call.
Can I get a virtual number for these islands through MCM?expand_more
Availability depends on the specific island and current inventory — contact My Country Mobile's team with your use case (Curaçao, Bonaire, or another successor territory) to confirm what can be provisioned.