Getting Married on Bonaire

The wedding and the honeymoon all in one!

Dreaming about a wedding on the beach? Or getting married underwater? Or a traditional wedding in the beautiful Passagrahan building (courthouse)?

Well, you’ve come to the right place. Bonaire offers the ultimate setting for the most romantic day of your lives.

Official documentation which is necessary.

You need to allow a minimum of eight weeks before the wedding date so that all your paperwork can be properly processed.  You will require the following documents for both the bride and the groom for the official marriage petition.

• Certified copies of your passports
• A copy of each of the birth certificates
• Declaration of the bride’s and grooms current civil status, not older than six months
• If divorced or widowed, divorce decree  or death certificate is required, not older than six months

Depending upon your country of birth, it is possible that an Apostille (legalization of documents) will be required as well.  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). Declarations of civil status and divorce or widow decrees must also be affixed with an Apostille.

It is quite possible that the Office of Civil Registry may require additional paperwork.  It is advised to get in contact with the Burgerzaken (Office of Civil Registry) well in advance of your intended wedding date. Send an email to burgerzaken@bonairegov.com or telephone +599 717-2211.