Do you want to work as a doctor, dentist, pharmacist or midwife on Bonaire, Sint Eustatius or Saba (BES islands)? Then you need a BES exemption. You also need a BES exemption if you are going to work temporarily or occasionally on the BES islands. A BES exemption is issued for a maximum of 4 years. There are different types of requests. Which application you have to submit depends on your situation. View the step-by-step plan on this page for more information.
On the BES islands, the professions of dentist and doctor are called ‘geneeskundige’ and ‘tandheelkundige’.
Requesting or arranging some mandatory documents (evidence) takes time. Only complete applications can be processed. Therefore, first collect the documents, this prevents delays. Which documents are required depends on your diploma and/or situation. See below which situation applies to you. Then check the overview of required documents to see which documents apply to your situation.
You are going to apply for a BES exemption with a (former) BIG registration.
You are going to apply for a BES exemption with a diploma obtained in an EU member state or Switzerland for one of the four professions and your diploma is on the list of approved diplomas.
You are going to apply for a BES exemption with a diploma obtained outside the EU member state or Switzerland.
You have an exemption and you want to apply for an extension
After a positive assessment of your application, you will receive a decision stating that you have been granted the exemption. You will receive this decision by email. An exemption is valid for a maximum of 4 years.
Costs and time
Applying for a BES exemption is free.
If you apply for exemption with a (former) BIG registration or with a designated diploma, the application procedure will take a maximum of 8 weeks. If you apply with a diploma obtained outside the EU member state or Switzerland, the total process (declaration of professional competence + BES exemption) usually takes longer. The duration varies per application and person.
Overview of active BES exemptions
Care providers with a BES exemption can be found on the list of BES exemptions [in Dutch] published by the Rijksdienst Caribisch Nederland. This list is regularly updated.