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Hiring in Bonaire Sint Eustatius and Saba (BES-Islands)

Hiring employees compliantly in Bonaire Sint Eustatius and Saba (BES-Islands) means doing it yourself or using an Employer of Record like Global Expansion. You should be careful using independent contractor agreements in Bonaire Sint Eustatius and Saba (BES-Islands) so that you don’t run afoul of employment laws. To hire an employee compliantly and offer them mandatory benefits and compliant agreements, you can:

(a) Establish your own new legal entity, banking, accounting and payroll service in Bonaire Sint Eustatius and Saba (BES-Islands) or

(b) use an Employer of Record like Global Expansion who can handle all of the details for you.

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Labor Laws in Bonaire Sint Eustatius and Saba (BES-Islands)

Employment laws in Bonaire Sint Eustatius and Saba (BES-Islands) are uniquely suited to the country’s way of life, and crucial to understand if you want to employ local talent in this country. Get the details on Bonaire Sint Eustatius and Saba (BES-Islands) employment laws and Bonaire Sint Eustatius and Saba (BES-Islands) policies here.

Probation Period In Bonaire Sint Eustatius and Saba (BES-Islands)

  • The probation period is for a maximum of two months and has to be agreed upon in writing.

Annual Leave in Bonaire Sint Eustatius and Saba (BES-Islands)

  • Every employee is entitled to a number of vacation days per year equal to at least three times the contracted number of working days per week, with a minimum of fifteen days per year for employees who work six days per week.
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Holidays in Bonaire Sint Eustatius and Saba (BES-Islands)

New Year's Day   1st January
Good Friday 10th April
Easter Sunday 12th April
Easter Monday     13th April
King's Birthday  27th April
Labor Day 1st May
Ascension Day    21st May
Whit Sunday   31st May
Christmas Day 25th December
2nd Day of Christmas 26th December
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Maternity Leave Bonaire Sint Eustatius and Saba (BES-Islands)

  • Female employees are entitled to 16 weeks of paid maternity leave

Sick Leave in Bonaire Sint Eustatius and Saba (BES-Islands)

  • In the event an employee is unable to perform his/her labor due to sickness (that is not intentionally caused by the employee), the employer is obligated to continue payment of (100% of) the employee’s salary during a relative short period of time (unless otherwise stipulated in the labor agreement).

Working Hours in Bonaire Sint Eustatius and Saba (BES-Islands)

  • The normal working hours are 40 hours per week

Overtime in Bonaire Sint Eustatius and Saba (BES-Islands)

  • Overtime is paid at 150% of the normal hourly wage

Termination of Employment in Bonaire Sint Eustatius and Saba (BES-Islands)

  • For dismissing personnel, the mandatory rules and regulations regarding termination of employment agreements have to be taken into account.
  • Generally, there are four ways to terminate an employment agreement:
    • Termination by giving notice, in which event the prior approval from the Minister of Social Affairs and Employment (Minister van Sociale Zaken en Werkgelegenheid) has to be obtained pursuant to the Termination of Employment Agreements Act BES. Without such consent any termination by giving notice will be considered null and void. For completeness sake it is pointed out that the Termination of Employment Agreements Act BES does not apply in all events.
    • Termination by mutual consent. In such event the employer and the employee themselves negotiate the terms and conditions for the termination of the employment agreement.
    • Dissolution of the employment agreement by the Court of First Instance of Bonaire.
    • Immediate termination of the employment agreement, which is only allowed if there is an urgent reason, justifying an immediate termination. Such urgent reason and the immediate termination would immediately have to be informed to the employee.

Notice Period in Bonaire Sint Eustatius and Saba (BES-Islands)

  • The mandatory notice period to be taken into by an employer is:
    • In case of an employment of less than five years: one month;
    • In case the employee has been employed more than five but less than ten years: two months;
    • In case the employment has lasted longer than ten years but less than fifteen years: three months;
    • In case the employment has lasted more than fifteen years: four months.

Severance Pay in Bonaire Sint Eustatius and Saba (BES-Islands)

  • The mandatory severance pay is as follows: -
    • For the first 10 years of service: 1 week's pay for each year of service;
    • 11th to 20th year of service: 1.25 week's pay for each year of service

Bonaire Sint Eustatius and Saba (BES-Islands) Salary and Wages

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Income Tax in Bonaire Sint Eustatius and Saba (BES-Islands)

  • Residents of the BES-Islands are taxable on their worldwide income.
  • Nonresidents are taxable only on income derived from certain sources in the BES-Islands.
  • Resident individuals who receive income, wherever earned, are subject to income tax in the BES-Islands.
  • The following sources of income are subject to tax in the BES-Islands:
    • Income from movable property (dividend and interest income)
    • Employment income
    • Self-employment and business income
    • Income from periodic allowances
  • Taxable employment income consists of employment income, including directors’ fees, less itemized and standard deductions and allowances, pension premiums and social security contributions, whether paid or withheld.
  • The following are the tax rates in the BES-Island for 2023: -

Taxable income

Rate  (%)

Exceeding (USD)

Not exceeding (USD)

 
0 17,352 0%
17,352 281,921 30.4%
281,921 - 35.4%
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Social Security in Bonaire Sint Eustatius and Saba (BES-Islands)

  • All resident individuals must pay social security contributions.
  • The contributions result in benefits under the following:
    • General Old Age Pension Act (AOV)
    • General Widows, Orphans Act (AWW)
    • Decree for Health Insurance
    • Accident Insurance Act (OV)
    • Cessantia (severance contribution)
    • Health Insurance Act (ZV)
  • For the calculation of the AOV, AWW and Health Insurance employee contributions, the maximum premium base is USD31,635.
  • The OV, Cessantia, ZV and part of the BZV contributions are due only in the case of employment. The following are the rates of the social security contributions.

Contribution

Employer

Employee

AOV

  25%
AWW   1.3%

Health Insurance

11.7%

0.5%

OV

0.3%

 
Cessantia

0.1%

 
ZV

1.3%

 

TOTAL

13.4%

26.8%
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Immigration Bonaire Sint Eustatius and Saba (BES-Islands)

  • Admission to the BES islands may be based on
    • admission by right (toelating van rechtswege),
    • a (temporary) residence permit, or
    • stay as a tourist (‘short stay’). It should be noted that for certain nationalities a visa is required in order to be admitted to the BES islands for a short stay as a tourist.
  • Furthermore, in case of a longer stay, foreign nationals originating from certain countries must first apply for a provisional residence permit (machtiging tot voorlopig verblijf, hereinafter to be referred to as: MVV).
  • In principle, all tourists may reside within the BES islands without having a temporary residence permit (the so-called free period, vrije termijn), for a maximum period of three months within a period of six months
  • Foreign nationals who wish to work on the BES islands require a work permit (tewerkstellingsvergunning), pursuant to the foreign Nationals Employment Act BES (Wet arbeid vreemdelingen BES).
  • The contemplated employer of the foreign national will have to submit the application to obtain such permit.
  • A temporary residence permit is granted for a maximum period of five years and is subject to restrictions pertaining to the purpose of the temporary residence.
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Type of Visa/Permit

Documentation

Validity

Eligibility

Tourist Visa
  • Valid passport
  • Passport photographs
  • Completed application form
3 months  
  • Foreigners intending to visit BES Islands for tourism purposes must obtain a tourist visa
Temporary Residence Permit
  • Valid passport
  • Passport photographs
  • Completed application form
  • Proof of travel itinerary
  • Proof of sufficient funds
5 years
  • Foreigners wanting to stay longer than 3 months for purposes such as business or employment should obtain a temporary residence permit
Work Permit
  • Valid passport
  • Passport photographs
  • Completed application form
  • Proof of travel itinerary 
  • Proof of sufficient funds
  • Academic qualifications
  • CV
  • Employment Contract
N/A
  • Foreigners seeking employment in BES islands must obtain a work permit
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Value Added Tax (VAT) in Bonaire Sint Eustatius and Saba (BES-Islands)

  • The Caribbean Netherlands General expenditure tax (Algemene bestedingsbelasting or ABB) is comparable with a sales tax.
  • Caribbean Netherlands ABB will in general be due on the supply of produced goods by manufacturers, the rendering of services and the importation of goods. The tax base is in principle the remuneration.
  • The sales tax is 8% for the supply of produced goods by manufactures in Bonaire or 6 percent in Saba and Sint Eustatius.

VAT

Bonaire

Group 1083

8%

Saba Group 1083 6%
Sint Eustatius Group 1083 6%
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Mandatory Benefits in Bonaire Sint Eustatius and Saba (BES-Islands)

  • These are mandatory benefits as postulated by law
  • These include probationary period, annual leave, public holidays, sick leave, maternity leave, notice period
  • Statutory benefits also include social security benefits
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Mandatory Benefits overview

  • Probationary period

  • Annual Leave

  • Public Holidays

  • Maternity Leave

  • Sick Leave

  • Notice period

  • Social Security Benefits

Payments And Invoicing

  • Because the wage tax is a pre-levy to the income tax, employers must file wage withholding tax returns quarterly.
  • The wage tax return must be filed by the 15th day of the month following the quarter in which the salaries are paid to employees.
  • However, if certain conditions are met, the employer can request to pay the wage tax per month.
  • For most employees, wage withholding tax is the final tax.
  • The personal income tax returns for the calendar year must be filed within two months after the issuance of the income tax return forms, unless extensions for filing are obtained.
  • Any additional income tax that is payable is normally due within two months after the date of the final assessment.

Payroll Accrual in Bonaire Sint Eustatius and Saba (BES-Islands)

Payroll Accruals Additional Information

 

 

Employment Accruals

Annual Leave Every employee is entitled to a number of vacation days per year equal to at least three times the contracted number of working days per week, with a minimum of fifteen days per year for employees who work six days per week. This equals 4.1% (15/365 days)
Maternity Leave Female employees are entitled to 16 weeks of paid maternity leave This equals 30.7% (16/52 weeks)
Sick Leave In the event an employee is unable to perform his/her labor due to sickness (that is not intentionally caused by the employee), the employer is obligated to continue payment of (100% of) the employee’s salary during a relative short period of time (unless otherwise stipulated in the labor agreement). Subjective
Social Security Employers must contribute 13.4% of annual income    This equals 13.4% of annual income
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Accrued Benefits in Bonaire Sint Eustatius and Saba (BES-Islands)

Christmas Bonus % 0%
Christmas Bonus Over Vacations % 0%
Severance per Year% N/A

Vacations %

Employees are entitled to 15 days of annual leave (4.1% of annual salary)

4.1% 

Notice %

Employees are entitled to 1 months notice period (8.33% of annual salary)

8.33%
Christmas Bonus Over Notifications % 0%
Vacations Plus % 0%

Total percentage of Salary (yearly)

The total employment accruals as a percentage of salary per anum are equal to 12.4%

12.4%

Why use Global Expansion to hire in Bonaire Sint Eustatius and Saba (BES-Islands)

Establishing a branch office or subsidiary in Bonaire Sint Eustatius and Saba (BES-Islands) can be time-consuming, expensive and complex. With such a robust labor market in place, one must pay great attention to detail when structuring employment because Bonaire Sint Eustatius and Saba (BES-Islands) labor laws are complex.

The company also has a responsibility to comply with specific employment practices dictated by Bonaire Sint Eustatius and Saba (BES-Islands) law to maintain its good standing as an equal opportunity employer.

Global Expansion makes it easy for you to expand into Bonaire Sint Eustatius and Saba (BES-Islands). We'll help you hire your candidate of choice, handle HR matters and payroll, and ensure that you comply with local laws without the burden of setting up a foreign branch office or subsidiary. In addition, you'll have complete control and direction over your employees.

We enable you to stay in control of everything. Our Bonaire Sint Eustatius and Saba (BES-Islands) Global Professional Employer Organization (PEO) and Employer of Record (EOR) solution provides you with peace of mind to focus on running your company and the security to enter new markets.

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