THE HAGUE – For everyone on Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba, it should be easy and reliable to conduct business with the government, both at service counters and online. That is why residents of the islands will receive a citizen service number (BSN) in 2025. This is outlined in the bill that was sent to the House of Representatives today at the proposal of Secretary of State Szabó (Digitalization and Kingdom Relations BZK). The implementation of the BSN is thus on schedule.

The introduction of the BSN is a first step toward better government services. In addition to in-person services, residents will increasingly be able to handle government affairs online in the future. This online service must also be secure and reliable. Therefore, it is necessary for everyone to have one reliable personal number and login method for the entire government. The BSN provides the government with certainty regarding a person’s identity and can ultimately be used by all governments in the Caribbean and European Netherlands. Most residents currently have an ID number, which will remain temporarily in use after the BSN is introduced.

The bill also outlines the requirements for using online login methods, such as DigiD for residents and eHerkenning for entrepreneurs. With a BSN, individuals can apply for DigiD to log into the websites of governments and organizations that are connected to DigiD. This can be done immediately with governments and organizations in the European Netherlands. In the future, this will increasingly be possible with governments on Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba. Currently, governments on the islands are working to connect their services to DigiD, which requires system adjustments first. Therefore, governments will gradually connect to DigiD, enabling more government services from the islands to become available online in the future.

The Council of State provided a positive recommendation for the bill. Several topics were then adjusted and re-coordinated with governments in Bonaire, Sint 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 by reducing the likelihood of the number ending up with commercial organizations. The public body will be responsible for assigning the BSN to its residents, just as municipalities do.