Ocean Elite Car Rental ("Ocean Elite," "we," "us," or "our") is committed to protecting the privacy and personal data of every individual who visits our website, makes an inquiry, or enters into a rental agreement with us. This Privacy Policy sets out exactly what personal information we collect, why we collect it, how it is used, and the rights you hold in relation to that information.

Ocean Elite Car Rental is incorporated and operates under the laws of Sint Maarten (Dutch Caribbean). For the purposes of applicable data protection legislation — including the principles enshrined in the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) as they apply to European residents — Ocean Elite Car Rental is the Data Controller.

Who this policy applies to

This policy applies to all individuals whose personal data we process, including:

• Visitors to our website or any related booking platform operated by Ocean Elite Car Rental;
• Prospective and confirmed rental customers, whether resident on Sint Maarten or travelling from abroad;
• International tourists from the United States, Canada, and the EU/EEA, as well as all other nationalities who rent vehicles from us; and
• Representatives of corporate or group accounts.

By using our services or providing us with your personal information, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy.

We collect only the information strictly necessary to deliver safe, lawful, and professional vehicle rental services.

2.1 Personal identifiers

• Full legal name (as it appears on government-issued identification);
• Email address — for booking confirmations, amendments, and essential correspondence;
• Telephone number — for pre-rental coordination, emergency contact, and vehicle return reminders;
• Physical or mailing address — required for rental agreements and insurance documentation.

2.2 Rental & identity documentation

• Driver's licence: licence number, issuing authority, expiry date, and authorised categories. A copy (front and back) is retained per Section 5.
• Passport or national ID (international guests): document number, nationality, date of birth, issuing country, and expiry date.
• Age verification: all renters must be at least 21 years of age. Drivers aged 21–24 may incur a young driver surcharge.
• Secondary drivers: the same documentation requirements apply to any additional driver added to a rental agreement.

2.3 Financial data

• Transaction reference, payment amount, currency, date, and partial card identifier (last four digits only);
• Security deposit amount and reference, where a cash security deposit applies — refunded or applied upon vehicle return in accordance with our rental terms. No security deposit is taken where the rental is paid by card.

2.4 Technical data

• IP address: logged for security monitoring and fraud prevention. Not used to identify individuals except in fraud investigations.
• Cookies: essential session cookies for the booking engine; optional analytics cookies with your consent (manageable via Cookie Settings).
• Device & browser data: browser type, OS, screen resolution, and referring URL — collected in aggregate to improve website presentation.

We process personal data only where we have a lawful basis to do so, consistent with GDPR Article 6 for European customers and equivalent Caribbean data protection standards.

Contract performance

Confirming reservations, verifying driving eligibility, managing security deposits, executing rental agreements, issuing booking confirmations, and handling amendments or extensions.

Legal compliance

Maintaining records of vehicle operators as required by Sint Maarten law and our insurers; reporting traffic violations to authorities when legally compelled; retaining financial records per Sint Maarten fiscal legislation.

Legitimate interests

Fraud prevention via IP and booking pattern analysis; fleet management and vehicle location in the event of theft or accident; aggregated analytics to improve our service. We have balanced these interests against your rights and determined they do not override your fundamental freedoms.

Consent

Marketing communications are sent only with your explicit prior consent. You may withdraw consent at any time by clicking "Unsubscribe" in any marketing email or by contacting us directly.

We share your data only in the following limited circumstances, and only to the minimum extent necessary:

Payment processors

Card details are processed directly by our contracted PCI-DSS Level 1 certified payment gateway. We have no access to your full card number at any stage. Processors are contractually bound to use your data solely to execute and record transactions on our behalf.

Insurance underwriters

In the event of an accident or insurance claim, relevant customer data (name, licence number, date of birth, rental dates) is shared with our underwriters solely for claims handling. They are contractually prohibited from using this information for any other purpose.

Local authorities & law enforcement

We comply with lawful requests from Sint Maarten police, traffic enforcement authorities, and the judiciary. Renter identity is disclosed only under a valid legal instrument (court order, subpoena, or statutory notice). We will inform you of such disclosure where legally permitted to do so.

Service providers

A small number of trusted providers (website hosting, booking software, email delivery) process data on our behalf under written data processing agreements. They are required to follow our instructions, maintain adequate security, and delete all personal data upon contract termination.

Retention periods

After expiry, data is securely deleted or irreversibly anonymised. Physical identity document copies are cross-cut shredded; digital copies are subject to cryptographic erasure.

Security measures

• Encryption in transit: all data between your browser and our systems is protected by TLS 1.2 or higher (HTTPS only — no unencrypted HTTP).
• Encryption at rest: sensitive records including identity document scans are stored in encrypted form with keys managed separately from the data.
• Access controls: staff access is restricted on a strict need-to-know basis, authenticated and logged at all times.
• Staff training: mandatory data protection training at onboarding and annually thereafter.
• Physical security: paper records stored in locked, access-controlled cabinets within our secured premises.
• Incident response: documented breach response procedure. Supervisory authority notified within 72 hours of a qualifying breach; affected individuals notified without undue delay.

Ocean Elite Car Rental operates from Sint Maarten, a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Sint Maarten is not an EU member state; however, we serve customers from the EU/EEA, the United States, and Canada, and we handle their data with the same rigour they would expect under their home jurisdiction's laws.

EU/EEA customers (GDPR)

We process EU/EEA customer data in accordance with the core GDPR principles. Where data is shared with or accessed by a provider located outside the EU/EEA, transfers are subject to Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) approved by the European Commission, adequacy decisions where applicable, or other Chapter V GDPR safeguards.

US customers

We voluntarily extend to US customers the same transparency, access, and deletion rights described in Section 7, consistent with the spirit of CCPA/CPRA. By proceeding with a reservation, you acknowledge that your data will be processed in Sint Maarten and potentially in other jurisdictions where our service providers operate.

Canadian customers

We apply practices consistent with PIPEDA and its provincial equivalents, including data minimisation, meaningful consent, and full access and correction rights.

Regardless of nationality or country of residence, Ocean Elite Car Rental recognises and respects the following rights for all customers:

How to submit a request

Contact our Data Protection contact at contact@oceanelitecarrental.com or by post to our registered address. We will acknowledge within 5 business days and provide a full response within 30 calendar days. We may ask you to verify your identity before processing your request.

EU/EEA residents who are unsatisfied with our response may lodge a complaint with their national supervisory authority. A directory of EU supervisory authorities is available at edpb.europa.eu.

Our website uses cookies and similar tracking technologies to ensure the correct functioning of the booking engine and to understand how visitors interact with our site.

• Strictly necessary cookies: essential for the website to function. Cannot be disabled without impacting service. Set in response to actions such as completing a booking or setting privacy preferences.
• Performance & analytics cookies: count visits and measure site performance in aggregate, anonymised form. Require your consent.
• Preference cookies: remember your preferred currency or language. Require your consent.

Manage your cookie preferences at any time via the "Cookie Settings" link in our website footer, or through your browser settings (though this may affect functionality).

When we make material changes to this Privacy Policy, we will update the Effective Date at the top of this document, post the revised policy on our website with prominent notice, and — where we hold your email address — notify you directly at least 14 days before the updated policy takes effect.

Continued use of our services after the effective date of a revised policy constitutes your acceptance of the updated terms.

Questions, comments, or complaints regarding this Privacy Policy or our data processing practices are always welcome.