Since July 1st, 2022, the Visitor Entry Tax has replaced the “room tax” and rental “car tax” with a one-time fee of 75 dollars that must be paid before arrival on the island. There are sites of resellers, which are in no way affiliated or related to the government of Bonaire (OLB) or Tourism Corporation Bonaire (TCB). That way tourists who want to visit Bonaire often unnecessarily spend more money on the tourist tax (Visitor Entry Tax). The only correct website for your payment of the tourist tax is https://tourismtax.bonairegov.com.
This can also be reached via a link on the official website of Bonaire: www.bonaireIsland.com or on the website of one of the other stakeholders, such as https://bonaireinternationalairport.com. The resellers often charge tens of dollars extra for paying Bonaire’s Visitor Entry Tax for the tourist. OLB and TCB are therefore not liable for the personal information that the traveler provides to those websites (e.g. credit card details and other sensitive information).
No criminal offense
OLB has been in contact with the Cyber Police of KCPN about this since December 2022. They indicate that they do not see a criminal offense in the sites of resellers and therefore see no reason for further investigation at the moment: “Resellers collect the tourist tax as a service. Their site clearly states that they are a private company and they offer this as a service. They also mention that of the higher amount paid, 75 dollars in tourist tax will be paid to Bonaire. It is the visitor’s own responsibility to inform himself properly about the correct rates, he is not forced to pay more.
Guus van Eerde, head of the Finance Department, also said earlier: “We receive 75 dollars from the visitor who has paid a higher amount through this site on our bank account and the visitor in turn receives a valid QR code with which he can visit the island without any problems.” The advice of the police is to fully concentrate on communication and informing visitors about the correct amount and the correct site. Miles Mercera, director of TCB, indicates that they are also fully engaged in this, but that the help of the sector is also desired. Recently, a large budget has been used to get to the top of the search results and this is continuously monitored.
Urgent call
The OLB and TCB make an urgent appeal to the airlines, hotels, car rental companies and diving schools to emphasize the official site https://tourismtax.bonairegov.com in the confirmation to their customers and guests, so that they do not unnecessarily pay too much in the tourist tax of Bonaire (the Visitor Entry Tax). After all, they are in direct contact with the visitor.
For more information or questions, send an email to: taxsupport@bonairevisitortax.com