Bonaire Travel, Hotels & Lodging Guide

Bonaire Entry Requirements


Important Travel Information for USA Citizens!!! - Click here!


I. Residence in the Netherlands Antilles.
Foreigners who wish to reside in the Netherlands Antilles need a residence permit, which has to be applied for at (and is issued by) the Lieutenant Governor of the concerning island territory, at the following addresses:

Lieutenant Governor of the island territory of Curacao,
   Concordiastraat 24, Willemstad, Curacao, N.A.

Lieutenant Governor of the island territory of Bonaire,
   Plaza Reina Wilhelmina 1, Kralendijk, Bonaire, N.A.

Lieutenant Governor of the island territory of St. Maarten,
   Philipsburg, St. Maarten, N.A.

Lieutenant Governor of the island territory of St. Eustatius,
   Oranjestad, St. Eustatius.

Lieutenant Governor of the island territory of Saba,
   The Bottom , Saba, N.A.

To work in the Netherlands Antilles foreigners need a work permit, which has to be arranged by the future employer of the concerning person.


II. Admission of tourists
By  "tourist"  is meant any person who visits the Netherlands Antilles for a period not exceeding three month's for the purpose of recreation, sports, health, family reasons, study, religious purposes or business; and does not take up any gainful occupation during his stay in the Netherlands Antilles.

In general, tourists may enter the Netherlands Antilles, without a written permit and may remain for a period not exceeding fourteen days. However, for tourists who are nationals of the countries mentioned in appendix I, this period is three month's.
Both periods can be extended locally by the same period.

This regulation does not apply to:
- Nationals of the countries listed in appendix II; these persons need a visa to enter the Netherlands Antilles. Visa have to be applied for at least one month in advance at any representation of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the concerning country.

Furthermore, the following conditions apply to a touristic stay in the Netherlands Antilles:

Tourists should be in possession of
  • One of the travel documents mentioned in appendix III;
  • A return or outward ticket on arrival;
  • The necessary documents for returning to the country of origin, or further travel elsewhere.
Tourists must have sufficient means at their disposal to be able to support themselves during their stay in the Netherlands Antilles and must be able to prove this to the appropriate authority upon arrival, if so requested.

Tourist are not allowed to work, to look for, or to accept work without the explicit consent of the Lieutenant Governor of the respective island territory.

APPENDIX I
Nationals of the countries listed below, are allowed a touristic stay in the Netherlands Antilles not exceeding three month's.

Belgium
Bolivia
Burkina Faso
Chile
Colombia
Costa Rica
Czech Rep.
Ecuador
Germany
Hungary
Israel
Jamaica
Kingdom of the Netherlands
 
Korea (South)
Luxemburg
Malawi
Mauritius
Niger
Philippines
Poland
San Marino
Slowakia
Spain
Swaziland
Togo
United Kingdom

APPENDIX II
Nationals of the countries listed below must apply in advance for a visa to enter the Netherlands Antilles.

Albania
Bulgaria
China, except holders of Hong Kong Special
Administrative Region passport
Cuba
Dominican Republic
Haiti
Kampuchea
Libya
North Korea
Rumania

All former Soviet States:
Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belo-Russia, Estland, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kirgizie, Letland, Litouwen, Moldavia, Okrania, Oezbekistan, Rus. Federation, Tadzikstan, Toerkmenistan.

All former Jugoslavian States, except Slovenia:
Bosnia-Hercegovina, Kroatia

Former Jugoslavian Rep.
Macedonia
Vietnam

** For nationals of the countries mentioned above, having their residence and work permission in another country than mentioned above, it is not necessary to apply at least one month in advance. The Dutch Embassy can give it directly by him self.

APPENDIX III
Next to passports valid for the Netherlands Antilles, the following travel \ documents are accepted:
  1. for nationals of BELGIUM, LUXEMBOURG, NETHERLANDS (European ID), SAN MARINO; national identity card or a valid passport.
  2. for nationals of GERMANY: national identity card (personalausweiss, kinderausweiss
  3. for nationals of the USA: "Voter's Registration Card"
    for Native citizens of the USA: affidavit of birth certificate. for Alien residents of the USA*: alien registration Card (Form 1-151), U.S. for citizens of the USA born outside the U.S.: naturalization certificate of American citizenship.
  4. for subjects of the UNITED KINGDOM: British visitors passport.
  5. For subjects alien resident of VENEZUELA, and travellers in Venezuela visiting the Netherlands Antilles as tourists, a valid national identity card.
  6. For tourists from TRINIDAD, TOBAGO, BRAZIL AND MEXICO; a valid national identity card.
  7. CANADIAN IMMIGRATION of Identification Certificate (C.I.I.C.) or Canadian "Certificate of Identity" issued to alien residents of Canada still holding their passport"** .
    Certificate of Naturalization or (miniature) Certificate of "Proof of Canadian Citizenship" issued to nationals of Canada by naturalization.
    Certificate of Proof of Canadian Citizenship or Certificate of Birth or Baptism (miniatures also acceptable) issued to nationals of Canada by birth.
  8. (Also if not travelling on duty); Laissez-passer issued by the UNITED NATIONS or a certificate issued by a specialised U.N. Agency.
  9. For SAILORS (travelling on duty), being nationals of Belgium, Germany (Fed.Rep. of Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Pakistan, Portugal, Spain: a valid seaman's book provided that a declaration of the shipping company can be produced that this shipping company guarantees to take full financial responsibility in case the merchant seaman's departure is delayed.
  10. for CREW MEMBERS OF AIRCRAFTS: their pilot license, if it is provided with:
    1. a declaration that the holder may at all times return to the country of issue upon showing the license.
    2. a photograph of the holder
    3. date and place of birth of the holder: or a valid crew member certificate pursuant the model established in annex 9 to the Convention on International Civil Aviation.
    * if not a national of one of the countries listed in appendix II
    ** idem

Information provided by:
HET KABINET VAN DE GEVOLMACHTIGDE MINISTER
VAN DE NEDERLANDSE ANTILLEN
Badhuisweg 173 - 175 2597 JP 's - Gravenhage
telefoon: +31 (0)70 - 30 66 111 fax : +31 (0)70 - 30 66 110
Correspondentieadres:
Postbus 90706 - 2509 LS 's - Gravenhage


 
New Requirements for Travelers Between
the United States and the Western Hemisphere


The Departments of Homeland Security and State formally submitted the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative proposal for public comment. The Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative will require all U.S. citizens, citizens of the British Overseas Territory of Bermuda, and citizens of Canada and Mexico to have a passport or other accepted secure document that establishes the bearer’s identity and nationality to enter or re-enter the United States by January 1, 2008. The Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 mandated that the Secretary of Homeland Security, in consultation with the Secretary of State, develop and implement a plan to require U.S. citizens and foreign nationals to present a passport, or other secure document when entering the United States.

In the proposed implementation plan, the Initiative will be rolled out in phases, providing as much advance notice as possible to the affected public to enable them to meet the terms of the new guidelines.

The proposed timeline will be as follows:

December 31, 2006 – Requirement applied to all air and sea travel to or from Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Bermuda.

December 31, 2007 – Requirement extended to all land border crossings as well as air and sea travel.

In April 2005, the Departments of State (State) and Homeland Security (DHS) announced a proposed plan to be implemented in three phases beginning on December 31, 2005 for the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative. After further review and considering the delay in publishing the public notice in the Federal Register, State and DHS recognized that implementing the December 31, 2005, phase would be problematic for travelers. This new timeline will simplify the implementation and provide a longer leadtime for travelers to come into compliance with the requirements.

As previously noted, the passport will be the document of choice for travel within the Western Hemisphere or re-entry. However, another document that we anticipate will be acceptable under the travel initiative is the Border Crossing Card, (BCC – or "laser visa"). Currently, the BCC serves in lieu of a passport and a visa for citizens of Mexico traveling to the U.S. from contiguous territory. Other documents that we are considering for acceptance under this initiative are the Customs and Border Protection Secure Electronic Network for Travelers Rapid Inspection (SENTRI), NEXUS and Free and Secure Trade (FAST) program cards.

No currently existing documents other than the BCC, SENTRI, NEXUS or FAST cards are under active consideration as substitutes for the passport. However, DHS and State are reviewing new technological developments regarding options for secure travel documents. Acceptable documents must establish the citizenship and identity of the bearer, and include significant security features. Ultimately, all documents used for travel to the U.S. are expected to include biometrics that can be used to authenticate the document and verify identity.

To provide vital information to the general public, the Departments of Homeland Security and State are issuing an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) on the plan to the public and requesting input and/or comment on the suggested documents and possible alternative documents that can meet the statutory requirements. A more formal rulemaking will be issued later this year following review of those comments to implement the first phase of the initiative. This rulemaking will take into account comments received from the ANPRM as well as soliciting further comments on the rulemaking itself.

For further information please visit web site travel.state.gov





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