The Council of Ministers, on the proposal of State Secretary Van Huffelen (Kingdom Relations and
Digitalisation), has endorsed the bill to introduce the Citizen Service Number (BSN) and digital
government login tools in Bonaire, St. Eustatius, and Saba.
The aim of the law is to strengthen the digital government and society in the Caribbean Netherlands.
State Secretary Van Huffelen: “Having a unique and personal number, such as the Citizen Service
Number, is going to make life easier on Bonaire, St. Eustatius, and Saba”.
The bill regulates that the nearly 29,000 residents of Bonaire, St. Eustatius, and Saba who are
registered in the Population Registry of the Islands (PIVA) are given a BSN. With the BSN, residents
will have a unique personal number with which they can identify themselves to government
organisations.
The bill makes it legally possible for residents and entrepreneurs to gain access to the digital
government login tools in the Netherlands, e.g., DigiD and eHerkenning (English: eRecognition) With
these, residents and entrepreneurs can demonstrate online who they are to arrange matters with
the government. The bill thus lays an important foundation to gradually offer government services in
Bonaire, St. Eustatius, and Saba increasingly digitally and to make them more accessible.
This bill was developed in good cooperation with the governments of Bonaire, St. Eustatius, and
Saba. From the 19 th to the 31 st of July, citizens could react to the bill via an internet consultation. The
bill is now submitted to the Council of State for its advice. The aim is to present the bill to the House
of Representatives mid-2024.
