Buying a house on Bonaire: 5% at purchase — and after that living there yourself makes the difference
Bonaire is the Caribbean Netherlands, and you notice it at purchase: a Dutch notary, a transfer tax of 5% via the deed, and a tax office that is simply called belastingdienst-cn.nl. After that one question counts: do you live there yourself? The owner-occupied home is exempt from the property tax that second homes and rented-out property do pay every year.
4 min read
Written and checked by Auke on , against the sources at the bottom. Is something no longer right? Report it below and I'll fix it.
Yes, as a Dutch citizen you buy a house on Bonaire the way you would at home. The island is a special municipality of the Netherlands: the notary executes the deed and remits the tax.
Count on 6 to 8% purchase costs:
- 5% transfer tax on an existing home (8% ABB on new-build);
- 1 to 1.5% notary;
- about 0.5% land registry.
The find at belastingdienst-cn.nl lies in the years after. The property tax, the annual tax on a house, has an exemption for the home the owner lives in. A second home or rented-out property effectively pays 0.91% of the value per year.
So the pitfall is not the purchase but the order. "Buy first, move later" costs annual tax that "move first, then buy" doesn't. And buying says nothing about your admission; you arrange that separately.
In your first year you don't buy. You rent, you get to know the island (and the island you), and only then do you decide. Why that order is fixed is in why you don't buy a house in your first year. This article is for the moment you've got that far.
How does the purchase run, and what is under the house?
Bonaire is a special municipality of the Netherlands, and the home purchase runs as you're used to: via the notary. The notary executes the deed, remits the tax and handles the registration.
When searching, pay particular attention to the land. Besides freehold, long lease (erfpacht) is common: you then own the house, but use the land for a fixed period in return for a fee, the ground rent. Ask about the remaining term and the ground rent before you make an offer. Have the notary include the long-lease conditions in the investigation.
And remember that buying is separate from your admission and registration. The admission act applies to Dutch citizens too, and you arrange that journey separately.
What does buying a house on Bonaire cost on top of the price?
The transfer tax in the Caribbean Netherlands is 5% of the value of the immovable property. You as acquirer owe it. The notary makes sure it is declared and remitted with the deed; you don't have to go to a counter for it yourself. Include it together with the notary's costs in your purchase budget. The purchase has no other major levies here.
| Item | Existing home | New-build |
|---|---|---|
| Transfer tax | 5% | — |
| ABB (general expenditure tax) | — | 8% |
| Notary | 1 to 1.5% | 1 to 1.5% |
| Land registry entry | around 0.5% | around 0.5% |
| Together | 6 to 8% | around 10% |
One point that really makes a difference: no transfer tax is due on movable goods, the furnishings sold along with the house. So it pays to name those separately in the negotiation. The cost indication for Bonaire works with the same band.
What do I pay every year after that — and when nothing?
The annual tax on property is called the vastgoedbelasting here. It has one boundary that determines everything for emigrants: the home the owner lives in is exempt. If you live there yourself, you therefore don't pay this tax.
If you keep the house as a second home or rent it out, you effectively pay 0.91% of the value per year. This is how you get there:
- 17.5% on a deemed benefit of 4% is 0.7%;
- Bonaire adds 30% island surcharge on top, an extra levy for the island.
For second homes a basic exemption also applies: on a first part you pay nothing.
Whoever is torn between "buy first, move later" and "move first, then buy" has yet another reason for the second route here.
| Situation | Property tax per year |
|---|---|
| You live there yourself | exempt |
| Second home or rented out | effectively 0.91% of the value (17.5% × 4% deemed benefit × 130% surcharge), with a basic exemption for second homes |
What does the rental year teach you first?
The housing market is the biggest item on Bonaire:
- supply is scarce;
- a home with two or three bedrooms easily costs 2,000 dollars a month;
- the usual deposit is one to two months.
Precisely that scarce supply is the reason not to buy from a photo. Which neighbourhood, what distance to Kralendijk, how the electricity bill from WEB (the island's water and energy company) turns out: you know that after a year, not after a viewing. How living, healthcare and work on the island fit together further, read in healthcare on Bonaire and working and the safety net on Bonaire.
In Vertrekklaar this is phase 5 of 5 of the journey: the same steps, but for your situation — in your order, tickable, and with the deadlines watched. See the whole journey to Bonaire.
What this rests on
The facts in this article come from these official pages. Rules change. When in doubt, go by the source, not this article.
- Belastingdienst Caribisch Nederland — the rate of the transfer tax (5%, remitted via the notary) — belastingdienst-cn.nl
- Belastingdienst Caribisch Nederland — the property tax and the exemption for the owner-occupied home — belastingdienst-cn.nl
- Belastingdienst Caribisch Nederland — the rate of the property tax — belastingdienst-cn.nl
Read on
- BonaireArrival5 min
Your driving licence on Bonaire: recognised as equal, valid five years, and the RDW route that does exist
Your Dutch driving licence is recognised as equal to the Bonaire licence: no exchange is needed, and the six-month rule only applies to licences from outside the Kingdom. Before the expiry date you have two routes: exchange at Civil Affairs for $ 16.76 with a health declaration, or renew with the RDW from abroad for € 36.40 with a Dutch correspondence address. Once it has expired, Civil Affairs no longer exchanges it and only the RDW remains.
Updated 26 September 2026
- BonaireArrival5 min
Children and school on Bonaire: Dutch education, one secondary school and $ 239 child benefit
The schools on Bonaire are part of the Dutch education system, with Papiamentu alongside Dutch and English in the core objectives. Compulsory education runs from 4 to 16 with a qualification duty to 18, secondary education sits in one school, and the child benefit of $ 239 a month only comes if you apply for it. Plus the childcare that costs at most $ 100 a month in 2026.
Updated 26 September 2026
- BonaireArrival5 min
Healthcare on Bonaire: one hospital, and the flights are in the package
On Bonaire you are insured as a resident by operation of law — no premium, no excess. What the island cannot do, the insurance arranges with medical referrals abroad to Curaçao, Colombia or the Netherlands, including tickets and accommodation. The flip side: a dental package that is almost empty from the age of eighteen, physiotherapy of which the first twenty sessions are at your own expense, and a transition gap you have to insure yourself.
Updated 26 September 2026