Bonaire is a part of the Netherlands. Together with Aruba and Curaçao it forms a group called the ABC islands of the Leeward Antilles, the southern island chain of the Lesser Antilles. The name Bonaire is thought to have originally come from the Caiquetio word ‘Bonay’. The early Spanish and Dutch modified its spelling to Bojnaj and also Bonaire, which means “Good Air”. It is a romantic place for a Caribbean destination wedding.
The following is a Isle Do’s Bonaire weddings directory. Find all of the wedding business services and products that you need to plan that perfect Bonaire wedding.
Find Vendors in the Bonaire Weddings Directory:
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Accessories
Accommodation
Activities
Bar Services
Bachelorettes
Cakes
Caterers
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Decorators
Dresses
Favors
Fitness
Florists
Formal Wear
Gift Registry
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Hair/Makeup
Honeymoon
Invitations
Jewelers
Music
Photographers
Planners
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Rentals
Resorts
Spas
Services
Transportation
Venues
Videographers
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MARRIAGE REQUIREMENTS
The following rules and guidelines apply to getting married in Bonaire:
You need to allow four to six weeks for all the paper work. One of the couple needs to procure a temporary residency permit from immigration.
To apply for a temporary residency permit the following are required:
- 2 Passport photos of the Bride & Groom (and any witnesses being brought to the island, if applicable)
- Photo copy of first page of passport (Signature & Photo page)
- Date of arrival on Bonaire
- Intended length of stay on Bonaire
For the official marriage petition the following documents are required for both the bride and groom:
• Photo copy of first page of passport (Signature & Photo page)
• Original Birth Certificate, these must be issued by the state or province of birth, feature a raised seal, have the names of both the mother and the father on them, and for citizens of the U.S., Canada, Colombia, Peru, Venezuela, or the United Kingdom, must have an Apostille affixed to them. An Apostille is an internationally recognized validation of a certificate or document, and is only issued by the office of vital statistics located within the state or province capital office (in the U.S. this would be your state’s Secretary of State).
• Declaration of Marital Status by the Civil Registry affixed with an apostle.
• If divorced or widowed, a divorce decree or document of proof is required affixed with an apostle.
All certificates must be originals and have been issued no more than six months prior. The passports used must be valid for at least six months beyond the intended departure date from Bonaire.
If bringing witnesses from home, they should also apply for temporary residency. Otherwise local witnesses could be arranged.
After arrival on Bonaire, it takes four working days to arrange for all the forms to be processed. If you are arriving on a Saturday or Sunday and the following Monday happens to be a holiday, you will have to wait the four working days until you are able to marry and there may be a problem getting the permission arranged on time. It is advisable to check with the agency that handled your papers as to the holiday schedules. The best suggestion is to allow a full week for the papers to go through.
