Products and Services
Governance & Organization
Updates

Immigration

Anyone who:

- has received a valid residence permit from the Immigration and Naturalization Service
- and intends to stay on Bonaire for more than four months within a six-month period,

must make an appointment as soon as possible after receiving the residence permit to register in person with the Civil Affairs Department of the Public Entity of Bonaire. All family members moving with you must accompany you to the registration appointment.

What does this product or service mean?

What should you pay attention to?

You can only register with the Civil Affairs Department once you have received a valid residence permit from the Immigration and Naturalization Service of the Caribbean Netherlands (IND-CN).
For more information about residence permits, please visit rijksdienstcn.com. You can also contact the IND via rijksdienstcn.com.

If you are moving to Bonaire for the first time, you must register with the Population Registry (PIVA) of the Public Entity of Bonaire. We call this “initial registration.” This will give you an identification number. You will need this number, for example, if you require medical care or long-term care on Bonaire, or if you wish to open a bank account on Bonaire.

Have you lived on Bonaire before, but moved abroad before 1997? Then you must also complete an “initial registration.”

Only after you have registered with the Civil Registry Office can you apply for a sedula.

When can you apply for this?

The requirements for initial registration on Bonaire are:

  • You must have:
    • a valid residence permit from the IND, issued for a period longer than 4 months;
    • a valid passport.
  • You must intend to live on Bonaire for longer than 4 months.

How do you apply for this?

Here’s how to register for the first time on Bonaire:

  • Schedule an appointment for immigration.
  • Come in person to the Civil Affairs Department.
  • Bring the following with you:
    • a valid residence permit. You can apply for this at the IND
    • a valid passport for each person being registered;
    • proof of deregistration for citizens from the Netherlands or the Caribbean part of the Kingdom (Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten, Sint Eustatius, and Saba);
    • if you were born abroad: legalized source documents, such as a recent extract from the birth certificate, an extract from the marriage certificate, an extract from the divorce certificate, or an extract from your partner’s death certificate. For more information about legalization (and apostilles), see the Nederlandwereldwijd website.
    • proof that you have a place to live, such as a lease or proof of ownership
    • if applicable, the following documents:
      • a marriage or divorce certificate;
      • your partner’s death certificate (as proof that the marriage was dissolved by death);
      • your children’s birth certificates.
    • Do you have proof of deregistration from your previous country? If so, please bring that as well.
  • All persons moving with you must also come in person.

Are the requested documents not written in Dutch, English, or Spanish? Or do you not have a multilingual form? If so, you must have them translated. Is the translator a certified translator in Bonaire? If so, you do not need to have the translation legalized. Is the translator a certified translator abroad? If so, you must also have the translated and legalized original document legalized abroad.

Who can you contact?

Civil Affairs
Adress: Kaya Neerlandia 40
Telephone: (+599) 715 5330
Email: info@bonairegov.com

Opening hours
Monday through Thursday: 8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Friday: Closed

How long does it take?

You have 5 business days after receiving your residence permit to visit the Civil Affairs Department.

What does it cost?

Registration with the Civil Affairs Department is free.

Which laws and rules apply?

What do we do with your personal data?

When you submit a request or report, the Public Entity of Bonaire needs your personal data. The Public Entity of Bonaire handles your data with care.

The BES Personal Data Protection Act specifies how the Public Entity of Bonaire must do this.

The most important rules are:

  • The Public Entity of Bonaire only requests data necessary to process your request or report.
  • They record and process your data securely, confidentially, and with care.
  • Your data will only be used for the application or report, or for something directly related to it.
  • Your data will not be retained longer than necessary for the application or report.
  • Other organizations will only receive your data if required by law.
  • You may ask how your data is being used and what happens to it.
Chat