Curaçao has been a self-governing nation (except in matters of defence and judicial policy) since October 2010. The Netherlands remains responsible for defence, which will strain the relationship between the two countries in the short term, as Curaçao has increased demands for security assistance owing to concerns about the large inflow undocumented Venezuelan migrants. The Kingdom Council of the Netherlands (the Netherlands ministerial executive, whose responsibilities include former Dutch colonies) will continue to provide technical support and fiscal oversight. The island's foreign policy will continue to be directed towards achieving a larger role for Curaçao in regional affairs, including developing social and cultural ties with other former Netherlands colonies. The government will focus on implementing a co-operation agreement signed with Sint Maarten in 2014, which was bolstered in August 2017 through a deal on healthcare co-operation with Sint Maarten and Aruba. The Economist Intelligence Unit expects Curaçao and Sint Maarten to become associate members of the Caribbean Community (Caricom) by 2019, following their application for accession in February.

The government will try to maintain links with Venezuela, although relations between the two countries are rapidly deteriorating. Venezuela's state-owned oil company, PDVSA, has a lease on the island's Isla oil refinery until 2019. Relations have become strained, as the economic collapse in Venezuela has impeded PDVSA from operating the refinery at full capacity (as at February 2018, only three out of the six boilers are in use). An increase in immigration from Venezuela, owing to food shortages there, has also raised the risk of the Dutch government applying diplomatic pressure on Venezuela to contain the outflow of refugees.