Today, the House of Representatives approved the law proposal of State
Secretary Szabó (Digitalisation and Kingdom Relations) enabling the
implementation of the citizen service number (BSN) and facilities of the digital
government on Bonaire, St. Eustatius, and Saba.

State Secretary Szabó: “Everyone in the Netherlands is entitled to good government
services. The implementation of the BSN is an important first step to improve the
digital government services for residents of Bonaire, St. Eustatius, and Saba. Only
with a secure system for the identification of persons and a strong digital
government, can we ensure a future where everyone can easily, reliably, and
securely deal with the government, both at the counters and online.”

Better government services
The law proposal, among other things, allows residents of Bonaire, St. Eustatius, and
Saba to have a BSN and enables local governments to use the BSN and DigiD. With
a BSN, the residents can apply for DigiD and log in to websites of the government.
As a result, residents of Bonaire, St. Eustatius, and Saba can increasingly conduct
their affairs with local governments online in the future. Residents can also
immediately conduct online affairs with governments and organisations in the
European Netherlands that are connected to DigiD. This is useful, for example, for
prospective students who can use a BSN to arrange their affairs for their studies in
the European Netherlands even faster. The BSN is a unique and privacy-friendly
personal number.

Secure and accessible
The BSN and the Digital Government Act (Wdo) are being introduced step by step
within the existing systems and processes on Bonaire, St. Eustatius, and Saba.
Residents first receive a BSN and the numbers are registered in the local civil
registries. In the coming years, more government organisations can switch to the use
of the BSN and DigiD once the systems have been adapted.
Organisations that want to connect to DigiD are subject to the same security
requirements as in the European Netherlands. In the future, there will also be a
mandatory self-assessment for the Executive Councils to annually examine the
security and reliability of the civil registry. It is also important that residents receive
good information about the implementation of the BSN and new online government
services.

Amendments
The House also agreed to the amendments on the BES identity card and the
mandatory use of data submitted with the law proposal by Members of Parliament
White and Kathmann (Groenlinks-PvdA).
The amendment on the mandatory use of data regulates that government
organisations are required to use personal data held by the Public Entity. It also
requires them to report incorrect data to the responsible Executive Council.

The amendment on the BES identity card ensures that, in time, the BSN is included
on the identity card, so that citizens always have the number to hand.

Continuation Senate
The law proposal is now being submitted to the Senate. If the Senate agrees, the
legislative changes become final. Residents of Bonaire, St. Eustatius, and Saba are
expected to receive a BSN in 2025.

RCN.