For all of the Caribbean entities with constitutional links with the Netherlands, seeDutch Caribbean. For the municipality sometimes informally known as Caribbean Netherlands, seeBonaire.
The constituent countries of the Dutch kingdom are autonomous (self-governing) while the special municipalities (Caribbean Netherlands) are legally part of the constituent country of The Netherlands. The Kingdom of the Netherlands consists of the constituent countries of Aruba, Curaçao, Sint Maarten and The Netherlands (which includes Bonaire, Saba, St. Eustatius).
The term "Dutch Caribbean" may refer to the three special municipalities (e.g. for stamps), but may also refer to all of the Caribbean islands within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The Caribbean Netherlands, not to be confused with the comprehensive Dutch Caribbean, has a population of 31,980 as of 2025.[15] Their total area is 328 square kilometres (127 sq mi).
In 2012, the islands of the Caribbean Netherlands voted for the first time, due to being special municipalities of the Netherlands, in the2012 Dutch general election.[16]
The special municipalities (Dutch:bijzondere gemeenten) carry many of the functions normally performed byDutch municipalities. The executive power rests with the Governing Council headed by an Island governor. The main democratic body is theisland council. Dutch citizens of these three islands are entitled to vote in Dutch national elections and (as all Dutch nationals) in European elections.
Officially the islands are classed in Dutch law as beingopenbare lichamen (literally translated as "public bodies") and notgemeenten (municipalities). Unlike normal municipalities, they do not form part of aDutch province[17] and the powers normally exercised by provincial councils within municipalities are divided between the island governments themselves and the central government by means of theNational Office for the Caribbean Netherlands. For this reason, they are called "special" municipalities.
Many Dutch laws have a special Caribbean Netherlands version.[18][19] For example,social security is not on the same level as it is in the European Netherlands.[20]
TheNational Office for the Caribbean Netherlands (Dutch:Rijksdienst Caribisch Nederland) is responsible for taxation, policing, immigration, transport infrastructure, health, education, and social security in the islands and provides these services on behalf of the Government of the Netherlands.[22] This agency was established as the Regional Service Center in 2008 and became the National Office for the Caribbean Netherlands on 1 September 2010.[23][24] The current director is Jan Helmond.[25] TheRepresentative for the public bodies of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba represents the Government of the Netherlands on the islands and also performs tasks similar to aKing's Commissioner.[citation needed] The current representative is Gilbert Isabella.[26]
The islands do not form part of theEuropean Union and instead constitute "overseas countries and territories" (OCT status) of the Union, to whichspecial provisions apply.[nb 2] TheLisbon Treaty introduced a procedure where theEuropean Council may change the status of an overseas territory of Denmark, France, or the Netherlands regarding the application of the EU treaties to that territory.[nb 3] In June 2008, the Dutch government published a survey of the legal and economic impacts by a switched status from OCT tooutermost region (OMR).[27][28] The position of the islands was reviewed after a five-year transitional period, which began with thedissolution of the Netherlands Antilles in October 2010.[29] The review was conducted as part of the planned review of the Dutch "Act for thepublic bodies Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba" (Dutch:"Wet openbare lichamen Bonaire, Sint Eustatius en Saba (WolBES)"), where the islands have been granted the option to become an OMR – and thus a direct part of the European Union.[30] In October 2015, the review concluded the present legal structures for governance and integration with European Netherlands was not working well within the framework of WolBES, but no recommendations were made in regards of whether a switch from OCT to OMR status would help improve this situation.[31][32][33][34]
The Kingdom of the Netherlands has overarching responsibility for foreign relations, defence and Dutch nationality law in the Caribbean parts of the Kingdom.[35] Units of theNetherlands Armed Forces deployed in the Caribbean include:
Additionally, theDutch Caribbean Coast Guard is funded by the four countries of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The Coast Guard is managed by the Ministry of Defence and is directed by the commander of the Royal Netherlands Navy in the Caribbean.[38]
Saba andSint Eustatius are part of theSSS islands within theLeeward Islands. They are located east ofPuerto Rico and theVirgin Islands. The locals (French, Spanish,Dutch and the locally spoken English) consider them part of the Windward Islands, although, in the international English language, theWindward Islands refer to other islands farther south. These two islands are of volcanic origin and hilly, leaving little ground suitable foragriculture. The highest point isMount Scenery, 870 m (2,850 ft), onSaba. This is the highest point in the country and in the entire Kingdom of the Netherlands.
Map showing Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba
Relative distance betweenmainland Netherlands in Europe and the Caribbean Netherlands
The Caribbean BES islands are subdivisions of the country of the Netherlands and are therefore referred to as the "Caribbean Netherlands."
The islands of the Caribbean Netherlands enjoy atropicalclimate with warm weather all year round. The Leeward Antilles are warmer and drier than the Windward islands. In summer, the Windward Islands can be subject tohurricanes.
Forest cover is around 6% of the total land area of the Caribbean Netherlands, equivalent to 1,910 hectares (ha) of forest in 2020, which was unchanged from 1990. In 2020, naturally regenerating forest covered 1,910 hectares (ha) and planted forest covered 0 hectares (ha). Of the naturally regenerating forest 0% was reported to beprimary forest (consisting of native tree species with no clearly visible indications of human activity) and around 17% of the forest area was found within protected areas.[39][40]
^ab"The Security Strategy for the Kingdom of the Netherlands"(PDF). Government of the Netherlands. 3 April 2023. Retrieved17 November 2023.Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba are special municipalities. They are referred to as the Caribbean Netherlands.
^"Nature Policy Plan The Caribbean Netherlands"(PDF).Ministry of Economic Affairs of the Netherlands. 3 February 2014. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on 20 November 2018. Retrieved20 November 2018.... while the other islands, Bonaire, St. Eustatius, and Saba, are Dutch overseas public bodies and as such are part of the country of the Netherlands. Collectively these three islands are known as the Caribbean Netherlands ...
^"31.954, Wet openbare lichamen Bonaire, Sint Eustatius en Saba" (in Dutch). Eerste kamer der Staten-Generaal.Archived from the original on 25 November 2010. Retrieved15 October 2010.De openbare lichamen vallen rechtstreeks onder het Rijk omdat zij geen deel uitmaken van een provincie. (The public bodies (...), because they are not part of a Province).
†Physiographically, thesecontinental islands are not part of the volcanic Windward Islands arc, although sometimes grouped with them culturally and politically.
#Bermuda is an isolatedNorth Atlanticoceanic island, physiographically not part of the Lucayan Archipelago, Antilles, Caribbean Sea nor North American continental nor South American continental islands. It is grouped with theNorthern American region, but occasionally also with the Caribbean region culturally.
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