To be active as an entrepreneur on Bonaire, you must be in possession of one or more permits or licenses. These permits or licenses are issued by the local government (Public Entity of Bonaire). For every company it is mandatory to have a business permit to be allowed to start the business. In addition, a number of additional permits may be required depending on the activities you are going to develop. The most common permits in this area are: the environmental permit, the license to sell alcoholic beverages and operate a catering or hospitality establishment, the restaurant license and the street trader’s license. You can find the opening hours of the Public Entity of Bonaire for business permits and licenses here.
The license to establish a business
This license is based on the Act pertaining to the establishment of businesses (for the current legislation, click here). Every company that does business on Bonaire must have a license to establish a business. There are 3 requirements that you must comply with if you wish to qualify for a license:
- You must have sufficient knowledge of the operations you are going to perform;
- You must have sufficient capital for the operations you are going to perform;
- Your operations may not conflict with public interest.
The above requirements in the law rarely lead to problems in practice. The activities that are discussed are the activities that are registered in the Commercial Register.
Apply for a license to establish a business
The Chamber of Commerce Bonaire has made agreements with the Public Entity of Bonaire to apply for the permit. This agreement, effective from April 1, 2021, means that an entrepreneur must submit a recent extract from the Chamber of Commerce less than seven (7) working days old with the application. This agreement can shorten the procedure for obtaining the permit from the Public Entity of Bonaire. Another change that applies as of this date is that it is no longer necessary for Chamber of Commerce to register that a company is in possession of a business license. The reason for this is because the Chamber of Commerce has no obligation under the laws and regulations to keep this data.
Click on the “Vergunningen” button below to submit your application on the website of the Public Entity Bonaire.
Duration for obtaining a business permit
Entrepreneurs who apply for a business permit can obtain it within 6 working days. This is possible because from 1 July it is possible to apply online. If the application is made online, the processing time is much shorter. In this way, the public body Bonaire and the Chamber of Commerce meet the wishes of people who want to start a business.
Other permits or licenses
In addition to the business permit, you may need additional permits to open your business. This depends on the activities you record in the Commercial Register. Click here for an overview of all available business permits and licenses for Bonaire. The business affairs desk can help you with an inventory of the necessary permits.
Starting as an entrepreneur from the European Netherlands and abroad.
The business affairs desk also assists entrepreneurs who want to start doing business from outside Bonaire. It is often difficult for them to understand the steps to be taken to start a business on the island and what it takes to live on Bonaire. In this document you will find which steps must be followed, which documents are necessary and what the expected lead time is for these steps. If this overview still raises questions, you can always contact bis@kvkbonaire.com.