Taking care of government-related matters should be easy and safe for everyone on Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba (BES islands). Both at service counters and online. Therefore, in 2025, residents of the islands will receive a citizen service number (BSN). This is regulated by the bill sent to the House of Representatives on 18 October 2024 at the proposal of State Secretary Szabó (Digitalisation and Kingdom Relations BZK). With that, the introduction of the BSN is on track.
Improved Government Services
The BSN is a first step towards better government services on the BES islands. In addition to in-person services at the counters, residents will increasingly be able to handle government matters online in the future. That service must also be safe and reliable. Therefore, it is necessary for everyone to have one reliable personal number and login tool for the entire government. The BSN gives the government certainty about the identity of a person. In due course, it can be used at all official authorities in the Caribbean and European Netherlands. Most residents now still have the ID number. That number remains in use temporarily after the introduction of the BSN.
Increasingly Digital
The bill also sets out requirements for the use of online login methods, such as DigiD for residents and eHerkenning (eRecognition) for entrepreneurs. A BSN can be used to apply for a DigiD to log on to the websites of official authorities and organisations connected to DigiD. This is possible immediately with official authorities and organisations in the European Netherlands. In the future, this will also increasingly be possible with official authorities on Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba. Currently, governments on the islands are working on connecting services to DigiD. To do this, the systems must first be changed. Governments are therefore connecting to DigiD step by step so that in the future, more and more government services of the islands become available online.
Opinion Council of State
The Council of State issued a positive opinion on the bill. On several issues, the bill was subsequently adjusted and again properly coordinated with the governments of Bonaire, St. Eustatius, and Saba. An important change is that the inclusion of the BSN on new ID cards (sédula) has been removed from the bill. This better protects the BSN, as the number is less likely to end up with, for example, commercial organizations. The Public Entity becomes responsible for the allocation of the BSN to its residents, in the same way as it is the case for municipalities.
