Identity card BES
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The Identity card BES (locally also known as sedula) is a uniform identity card for residents in the Caribbean Netherlands introduced upon the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles in 2010.[1] The cards are machine-readable and have the size of a credit card. The front contains the words Identiteitskaart (English: Identity card) followed by the island names Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba (with the name of the island where the card is issued in larger font and bold face). The card also contains the coat of arms of the island of issue.[2]
The legal basis is the Dutch law on BES identity cards (Dutch: Wet identiteitskaarten BES) which is derived from the corresponding law on the Netherlands Antilles (Dutch: Landsverordening Identiteitskaarten).[3]
The card is valid only in the Caribbean Netherlands, not in the European Netherlands.
Physical appearance
The card contains 12 numbered fields on the front with explanation on the back in Dutch, English, and Papiamento:[2]
- Surname
- Given names
- Date of Birth
- Place of Birth
- Sex
- Nationality (for Dutch: NLD, the card is also issued to non-Dutch residents)[4]
- ID number
- Card Number
- Status
- Date of Issue
- Date of Expiry
- Signature
The machine-readable strip starts with I<NLD as does the Dutch identity card.
