To be eligible for membership of Parliament, a person must be a resident of Sint Maarten, a Dutch national, must have attained the age of eighteen years and his/her right to vote must not have been taken away.
After the results of the election are established by the Central Voting Bureau, the elected Member presents his/her credentials to Parliament. The credentials consist of the following:
- Notification by the Chairman of the Central Voting Bureau to the elected Member of his/her election;
- Proof of notice from the Chairman of the Central Voting Bureau that the elected Member accepts his/her election.
Besides the credentials, the elected Member also has to submit the following documents to Parliament:
- Declaration stating whether or not the elected Member has a public function;
- Declaration indicating that the elected Member has not acted in contravention with the National ordinance registration and finances of political parties during the election campaign;
- For those elected Members who have not been a Member of Parliament before, also an extract from the Civil Registry.
During the investigation of the credentials, it is ascertained whether the elected Member has any functions which are incompatible with the membership of Parliament, such as:
- Governor
- Acting Governor
- Member of the Council of Advice
- Member of the General Audit Chamber
- Ombudsman
- Minister
- Minister Plenipotentiary
- Active civil servant
- Member of the Judicial branch
- Solicitor General or Attorney General at the Common Court of Justice of Aruba, Curaçao and Sint Maarten and Bonaire, Saba and Sint Eustatius
Close family relations between the Members of Parliament may also be an impediment to being admitted as a Member of Parliament.
When the credentials are verified, and the oath has been administered by the Governor, the Member of Parliament is officially certified and can begin his/her work.