Naturism in Saint-Martin: laws and customs
Updated October 24, 2026
On the French side of Saint-Martin, naturism has been a tourist tradition for decades: nudity is tolerated on the southern part of Orient Bay and in the resorts. On the rest of the beach you wear swimwear.
At a glance
- Official naturist beaches and areasNot verified: no official act found
- Naturist staysAllowed; there are clothing-optional resorts
- Unofficial naturist beachesTolerated on the southern part of Orient Bay; no fines found
- Naked in nature, away from peopleNot verified
- Regular beach, townRisk of a criminal offence: up to 1 year and €15,000 (French law)
- Local bansNot verified: no ordinance found
- ToplessAccepted at Orient Bay; elsewhere not verified
- Sauna without swimwearNot verified
- LGBTQ+ travellersNo legal risk: French law applies
An island where naturism is a tourist tradition, backed by the authorities too: nude on southern Orient Bay and in the venues, swimwear elsewhere.
What the law says
This guide covers the French part of the island. The Dutch half, Sint Maarten, has different laws, not covered here.
Saint-Martin is a French overseas collectivity. It can make its own rules in areas such as taxes, tourism and town planning, but for criminal offences "l'État demeure compétent" (Légifrance, CGCT art. LO6314-3). So the French Criminal Code applies, and its art. 222-32 punishes "exhibition sexuelle imposée à la vue d'autrui" with 1 year in prison and a €15,000 fine.
Where you can be naked
- Orient Bay, southern part: this is the area of the former Club Orient, the naturist village that made it famous and that closed a few years ago. Here nudity is tolerated and the area works as a naturist zone by tradition; on the rest of the beach you wear swimwear (Visit St. Maarten / St. Martin).
- Naturist stays: some resorts have gone clothing optional. You'll find them in the list of naturist stays in Saint-Martin.
Tolerated beaches and bans
The naturist area of Orient Bay is tolerated, but we found no official act marking out its boundaries, and no ordinances of the collectivity on nudity. Nor did we find any cases of fines or arrests.
Topless, towns and saunas
- Topless: according to regular visitors to Orient Bay, it is accepted on the rest of the beach; in the nudist area there are people of all ages, mostly fully naked (TripAdvisor, 2023).
- Towns and saunas: no specific information.
The local mood
In Saint-Martin naturism is a tourist tradition going back decades, and topless is normal. The authorities back it too: in 2026 the Collectivity approved plans for a luxury naturist hotel in the southern part of Baie Orientale (Naturisme Magazine, 2026).
The limit is the French one: nude on the southern part of Orient Bay and in the venues, swimwear elsewhere.
Naturist associations
We found no local federation, and Saint-Martin does not appear in the list of the INF-FNI, the international federation. The French federation is the FFN.
LGBTQ+ travellers
No legal risk: French rules apply, with same-sex relations legal and marriage since 2013 (ILGA, France).
This guide sums up laws and customs as we checked them on the date shown, citing the sources. It is not legal advice: rules can change.