The Identity card BES (locally also known as ''sedula'') is a uniform identity card for residents in the

Caribbean Netherlands ) , image_map = BES islands location map.svg , map_caption = Location of the Caribbean Netherlands (green and circled). From left to right: Bonaire, Saba, and Sint Eustatius , elevation_max_m = 887 , elevation_max_footnotes = , demographic ...

introduced upon the

dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles The Netherlands Antilles was an autonomous Caribbean country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It was dissolved on 10 October 2010. After dissolution, the "BES islands" of the Dutch Caribbean— Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba—bec ...

in 2010. The cards are machine-readable and have the size of a credit card. The front contains the words Identiteitskaart ( en, Identity card) followed by the island names ''

Bonaire Bonaire (; , ; pap, Boneiru, , almost pronounced ) is a Dutch island in the Leeward Antilles in the Caribbean Sea. Its capital is the port of Kralendijk, on the west ( leeward) coast of the island. Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao form the ABC ...

'', ''

Sint Eustatius Sint Eustatius (, ), also known locally as Statia (), is an island in the Caribbean. It is a special municipality (officially "public body") of the Netherlands. The island lies in the northern Leeward Islands portion of the West Indies, sout ...

'' and '' Saba'' (with the name of the island where the card is issued in larger font and bold face). The card also contains the

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its ...

of the island of issue.

Legal basis

The legal basis is the Dutch ''law on BES identity cards'' ( nl, Wet identiteitskaarten BES) which is derived from the corresponding law on the

Netherlands Antilles nl, In vrijheid verenigd"Unified by freedom" , national_anthem = , common_languages = Dutch English Papiamento , demonym = Netherlands Antillean , capital = Willemstad , year_start = 1954 , year_end = 2010 , date_start = 15 December , ...

( nl, Landsverordening Identiteitskaarten). The card is only valid in the

, not in the

European Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

Physical appearance

The card contains 12 numbered fields on the front with explanation on the back in Dutch, English, and

Papiamento Papiamento () or Papiamentu (; nl, Papiaments) is a Portuguese-based creole language spoken in the Dutch Caribbean. It is the most widely spoken language on the Caribbean ABC islands (Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao), with official status in Arub ...

: # Surname # Given names # Date of Birth # Place of Birth # Sex # Nationality (for Dutch: NLD, the card is also issued to non-Dutch residents) # ID number # Card Number # Status # Date of Issue # Date of Expiry # Signature The machine-readable strip starts with I

Relation to other identity cards

The identity card of the

issued in

was machine-readable upon transition, whereas cards issued on

and Saba were older and less secure. The last of those cards expired by 1 July 2011. Furthermore, the possibility will be investigated to replace the card by the Dutch identity card.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Identity Card Bes Caribbean special municipalities of the Netherlands Netherlands (BES)

Legal basis

Physical appearance

See also

References