Living in Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba (Caribbean Netherlands) as a French National: Entry, Permit, Climate and Health

The Dutch government describes a Kingdom made up of four countries: Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten and the Netherlands. Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba belong to the country of the Netherlands, in the form of three public bodies that France Diplomatie (the French foreign ministry) describes as municipalities with special status; together they are called the Caribbean Netherlands. Bonaire is the most populous: Statistics Netherlands (CBS) counts more than 27,000 inhabitants in Bonaire, more than 3,000 in Sint Eustatius and more than 2,000 in Saba, i.e. a little over 33,000 people, whose growth comes mainly from arrivals from outside.

For a French national, this framework translates into practical benchmarks. The French Embassy in the Netherlands, in The Hague, represents France; a consulate general exists in Amsterdam. The list of honorary consuls published by the embassy mentions posts in Aruba, Curaçao and Sint Maarten, but none for Bonaire, Saba or Sint Eustatius: for any consular procedure, it is better to confirm the right contact with the embassy before travelling. The currency is the US dollar, which the Dutch central bank puts into circulation on the three islands.

France Diplomatie indicates that a passport is compulsory for the Dutch overseas islands, including Bonaire, Saba and Sint Eustatius, which are not part of the Schengen area. The IND-CN, the immigration service of the three islands, lists nationals of the European Union among the nationalities that can enter directly, without a prior visa. Foreigners benefit from free access for 90 days in 180, without a residence permit; the passport must remain valid throughout the stay, proof of return is requested, and border officers may shorten the period depending on the purpose of travel and means of subsistence.

Since 1 July 2022, Bonaire has charged an entry tax of US$75 per person per visit, due from non-residents arriving by air or by boat. The reduced rate of US$10 applies notably to island children aged 12 and under, residents of the five other islands of the former Netherlands Antilles and cruise passengers; Bonaire residents are exempt. Payment is made online up to seven days before departure; the QR code is valid for one month, and the administration recommends paying only on its own portal. The formalities specific to Saba and Sint Eustatius are not detailed in the pages consulted; they should be checked with the administrations of those islands before travelling.

According to the IND-CN, working on one of the islands or staying more than three months requires a residence permit, which the European Union national applies for after arrival. The temporary permit is generally valid for one year, then extended for five years; after five years of continuous stay in the Caribbean Netherlands, an indefinite-duration permit can be requested. The administration assesses resources against standards set by law, calculated on the gross minimum wage: for salaried employment, income must reach at least that minimum, and for a self-employed worker, monthly income must at least equal it, with a bank statement for a first application. Only complete files are accepted; an incomplete file can extend the wait by five to six months.

From 1 November 2026, applicants themselves provide all the necessary documents: for a work permit, a certificate of no debt and, for an extension, a payroll summary; for family reunification, an income certificate. These documents are requested from the tax administration of the Caribbean Netherlands, at the counter or by email. For a job, the employer must obtain an employment authorisation before hiring a worker from abroad; the details are in the page working in the Caribbean Netherlands.

Once settled, the resident registers with their island’s civil registry service (Burgerzaken), which issues the sédula, the local identity card to carry at all times so that healthcare providers can check affiliation. Registration with ZJCN health insurance follows, with the sédula, the permit and, where applicable, an employer’s certificate. In Bonaire, the Burgerzaken service is open Monday to Thursday from 8 am to 3 pm and closed on Friday.

No official source consulted ranks neighbourhoods or publishes rents by area; benchmarks come from public figures. Bonaire concentrates more than 27,000 of the roughly 33,000 inhabitants and nearly 15,000 of the roughly 17,500 people who work in the Caribbean Netherlands (CBS). Its hospital, the Fundashon Mariadal foundation, is in Kralendijk, and Flamingo airport welcomes more than 400,000 passengers a year. Sint Eustatius has more than 3,000 inhabitants and about 1,800 people in employment; Saba, more than 2,000 inhabitants and about 1,100 people in employment, where Saba Cares, in The Bottom, provides care.

The CBS notes that, on Bonaire, workers born on the island are mainly in administration, health, construction and trade, whereas people from outside are common in construction and hotels and catering; on Saba, about 45% of Sabans by birth work in administration. The most useful criterion for choosing is proximity to care, work and air links: medical evacuations go by air, and the three islands do not have the same facilities. Before signing a lease, plan a visit on site and keep a record of the address, which the population register records.

The CBS publishes the inflation of the three islands every quarter, driven mainly by transport (fuel) and airfares, and also estimates the change in average purchasing power. No official source consulted gives an average rent or a typical monthly budget for a foreign resident.

The pay benchmarks are precise: the hourly minimum wage, specific to each island and indexed each year, is reduced to 90% at 20, 85% at 19, 75% at 18 and 65% at 16 and 17 compared with the amount for those aged 21 and over. Income tax includes a tax-free allowance and two rates, under a scale revised each year; social premiums are detailed in the page working in the Caribbean Netherlands. Also plan for the budget of the personal interim insurance recommended by ZJCN before affiliation.

The official websites of the Dutch administration of the islands are published in Dutch, English and Papiamento, and the immigration, health insurance and tax services also offer their pages in English. The sources consulted do not specify the languages of instruction of the schools.

According to the Rijksdienst Caribisch Nederland, the islands’ schools are part of the Dutch education system; their funding has come directly from the Netherlands since 1 January 2011, and education laws specific to the Caribbean Netherlands have applied since 1 August 2011. The AEFE (the agency for French schools abroad) list of French schools abroad was not consulted here: the AEFE and the French embassy confirm the up-to-date offer. For the family, an expat family insurance with paediatrics complements the local insurance.

The France Diplomatie Netherlands page contains no safety section specific to the Caribbean islands. The alarm number for the Caribbean Netherlands is 911 (Rijksdienst Caribisch Nederland), and Saba Cares specifies that the ambulance is reached on 911.

The KNMI places the hurricane season from June to November, peaking between mid-August and mid-September. Saba and Sint Eustatius are generally the first islands hit by hurricanes born off Africa, and Hurricane Irma of September 2017, a category 5, struck Sint Maarten and caused disruption in Saba and Sint Eustatius. Bonaire, closer to the equator, sees far fewer hurricanes pass: since 1851, only about ten storms have approached the ABC islands (Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao), of which only one, Cesar-Douglas in 1996, crossed them. The KNMI issues additional warnings for the islands if a hurricane threatens, and its network of seismometers monitors the Mount Scenery (Saba) and Quill (Sint Eustatius) volcanoes.

On health, France Diplomatie recommends vaccines against hepatitis A and typhoid fever depending on the conditions of stay, and against hepatitis B for frequent or prolonged stays. The Dutch travel advice centre (LCR) indicates that dengue is present in Bonaire and Saba, with generally few or sporadic cases, and that chikungunya and Zika exist in the region; protection against mosquito bites is taken during the day. The LCR reminds us that a yellow fever vaccination certificate, issued at least ten days before arrival, is required in Bonaire for travellers coming from a country where the disease exists.

ZJCN insures anyone who lives or works lawfully on one of the three islands, for care on those islands, after registration in the population register; tourists are excluded. The insurance does not apply abroad, including in Curaçao, Aruba or Sint Maarten, except for urgent treatment that cannot wait until return. The details are in the page healthcare system in the Caribbean Netherlands and, to see who pays what, in the page healthcare reimbursement in the Caribbean Netherlands.

No social security agreement was identified between France and the Caribbean Netherlands, and the European Health Insurance Card is not valid there. Depending on status, an expat can combine ZJCN insurance, the Caisse des Français de l’Étranger and an expat health insurance with repatriation; Expavy helps compare these options.