Bonaire

At a glance

Capital

Kralendijk
Currency

United States Dollar ($, USD)
Official Languages

Dutch (official language)
Population Size

22,573 (2022)
VAT

Tax on Goods and Services: 8%

About

Bonaire, a Caribbean island, is a special municipality of the Netherlands. While Dutch is the official language, more residents speak Papiamento as their first language. The island consists of just two towns: Kralendijk, the capital, and Rincon. Bonaire is committed to nature conservation, with pristine coral reefs, flamingo sanctuaries, and a marine park that is popular with divers. Tourism, particularly ecotourism, is a vital industry.

Public Holidays

Salary & Compensation

Working Hours

Employees can work 11 hours a day, up to 55 hours a week.

Minimum Wage

Bonaire: USD 6.03 per hour
St. Eustatius: USD 7.30 per hour
Saba: USD 7.19 per hour

Employee Tax

Annual income	Tax rate
Up to USD 282,957	30.4%
More than USD 282,957	35.4% + USD 86,019
General old age pension act	25%
General widows, orphans act	1.3%
Health insurance	0.5%

Bonuses

There are no statutory bonus schemes in Bonaire.

Contracts

Types of Leave

Annual Leave

Minimum of 15 days’ paid holiday per year, or three times the contracted number of weekly working days.

Sick Leave

Employees are entitled to at least 80% of their daily wage. Employers can claim this back from the state.

Parental Leave

Maternity leave: 16 weeks' paid leave.
Paternity leave: none.

Termination

Termination Process

Employers in Bonaire can terminate a contract provided they give notice in line with legal requirements.

Other grounds for termination include:

Termination by mutual consent
Court dissolution of the employment agreement
Immediate terminate with a valid urgent reason.

Employees can also give notice of termination in line with their length of service.

Severance Pay

Employees are entitled to one week's severance pay per year of service up to 10 years. 1.25 week's pay per year is due from 11th to 20th years of service.

Insurances

Under a Mauve Group Employer of Record solution, clients and workers can reap the benefits of Mauve’s Global Master Insurance Programme – a market-leading unified corporate insurance programme that connects all Mauve entities to its two preferred providers.

The insurance provides coverage in overseas locations through a combination of the master policy and its linked local policies, where required by law in certain jurisdictions. The policies include:

Employer’s Liability and Public Liability - £10,000,000 combined limit.
Professional Indemnity - £5,000,000 limit.
Worker’s Compensation – Limit is dependent on location of work.

For specific information about statutory and recommended insurances in your chosen country, get in touch with Mauve.

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