Is Hemp Legal in Aruba?
May 29, 2026
Industrial hemp is restricted in Aruba. Cultivation requires BMCA exemption. Finished products under 0.2% THC follow CBD rules. Full 2026 compliance guide.
Industrial hemp is restricted in Aruba. Cultivation requires BMCA exemption. Finished products under 0.2% THC follow CBD rules. Full 2026 compliance guide.
Industrial hemp cultivation is restricted in Aruba and operates only under specific government exemption tied to medical and scientific purposes. There is no open commodity-hemp market: the general cultivation prohibition in the Landsverordening verdovende middelen applies to all cannabis plants, with carve-outs administered by the Bureau Medicinale Cannabis Aruba (BMCA) under the UN Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs of 1961.
The 2021 BMCA Request For Proposal process invited applicants for cultivation and processing of cannabis for medicinal purposes, including hemp-strain material below 0.2% THC. That licensing pathway has been slow to mature and no large-scale commercial Aruban hemp industry exists as of 2026. Finished hemp-derived products at or below 0.2% THC fall under the 2019 CBD framework and can be imported. Raw flower, biomass, seeds for planting, and live plants remain controlled.
This page is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Verify current law with qualified counsel before making compliance decisions.
Restricted
Bureau Medicinale Cannabis Aruba (BMCA); Ministerie van Volksgezondheid
0.2% delta-9 THC for finished derivative products
Landsverordening verdovende middelen as modified by December 2019 regulation and BMCA RFP framework of January 2021
Raw hemp flower, biomass, viable seed, and live hemp plants cannot be freely imported. Each shipment of cannabis or hemp plant material for licensed medical or scientific purposes requires individual BMCA authorization in line with the 1961 UN Single Convention. Finished hemp-derived consumer goods at or below 0.2% THC, such as CBD oils, topicals, and cosmetics, follow the CBD import pathway. Hemp textiles, paper, and seed-derived foods face no narcotic restriction but are subject to standard Aruban import tariffs.
