KRALENDIJK – Bonaire, St. Eustatius, and Saba will officially receive their own Zip Codes. The Ministry of Housing and Spatial Planning (VRO) and PostNL have amended the existing agreement to enable this. The introduction of Zip Codes marks the first step toward a standardized system for address and building registration on the three islands.
There has long been a need for a reliable address registration system with Zip Codes in the Caribbean Netherlands. Such a system is expected to improve not only postal delivery but also the efficiency of government digital services. Research has shown that a simplified version of the Dutch Basic Registration of Addresses and Buildings (BAG) would be best suited for the islands.
Following a public consultation in 2024, authorities decided to adopt the same format used in the European Netherlands: four digits followed by two letters. PostNL has already reserved a series of postcodes for use on the islands.
Preparation
The introduction of the system still requires significant preparation. Work on the design of the address register will begin in 2025 and is expected to take around two years to develop and implement. As a result, the Zip Codes are projected to go into effect by the end of 2026.
