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Getting Married

Are you planning to get married? Notify the Civil Affairs Department of the Public Entity of Bonaire of your plans.

What does this product or service mean?

What should you pay attention to?

On Bonaire, you can only get officially married through the Public Entity of Bonaire. A religious ceremony alone does not make you officially married. Therefore, a service held in, for example, a church or a mosque is not sufficient on its own.

If you are getting married, notify the Civil Affairs Department of the Public Entity of Bonaire of your plans. You will make arrangements with the Civil Affairs Department regarding the marriage ceremony—for example, the location, the officiant, the date, and the time. You can also discuss the details of the ceremony.

You will need witnesses to officiate the marriage. There must be a minimum of 2 and a maximum of 6 witnesses present. The witnesses must be of legal age.

When can you apply for this?

The standard requirements for getting married are:

  • You are 18 years of age or older.
  • You are not married to anyone else.
  • You are not too closely related to your partner. This means, for example, that your partner cannot be your father, daughter, granddaughter, grandfather, or (half)sister.
  • You are not under guardianship. If you are under guardianship, you need permission from the guardian or a judge.

The Civil Affairs Department of the Public Entity of Bonaire will verify whether you are eligible to marry.

How do you apply for this?

You can submit your plans for your wedding day well in advance.
Submit your plans no later than 2 weeks in advance. If you need to submit documents from abroad to the Civil Affairs Department of the Public Entity of Bonaire, please keep in mind that 2 weeks may not be enough time. For on-location weddings, submit your plans at least 1 month in advance.

Here’s how to notify us that you want to get married:

  • Contact the Civil Affairs Department of the Public Entity of Bonaire if you want to get married.

Which laws and rules apply?

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