House of Representatives approves BSN and Digital Government law proposal for Bonaire, St. Eustatius, and Saba.
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.