Investigating Reseller Visitor Entry Tax sites.
Since July 1st, 2022, the Visitor Entry Tax has replaced the “room tax” and rental “car tax” with a one-time fee of $75 that must be paid before arrival on the island. Reseller Visitor Entry Tax sites are in no way affiliated or related to the government of Bonaire (OLB) or Tourism Corporation Bonaire (TCB). Tourists who want to visit Bonaire often unnecessarily spend more on the tourist tax (Visitor Entry Tax). The only correct website for your payment of the tourist tax is https://tourismtax.bonairegov.com.
The official Visitor Entry Tax website can also be reached on InfoBonaire’s Getting to Bonaire page as well as https://bonaireinternationalairport.com. The resellers often charge extra for paying Bonaire’s Visitor Entry Tax for the tourist. OLB and TCB are not liable for the personal information that the traveler provides to those websites, such as credit card details and other sensitive information.
No criminal offense
OLB has been in contact with the Cyber Police of KCPN about this since December 2022. They indicate that they do not see a criminal offense in the reseller sites and therefore see no reason for further investigation at the moment: “Resellers collect the tourist tax as a service. Their site clearly states that they are a private company offering this as a service. They also mention that $75 in tourist tax will be paid to Bonaire out of the higher amount paid. It is the visitor’s responsibility to inform themself about the correct rate properly and is not forced to pay more.
Guus van Eerde, head of the Finance Department, said: “We receive $75 from the visitor who has paid a higher amount through the reseller site on our bank account. The visitor then receives a valid QR code to visit the island without any problems.” The advice of the police is to fully concentrate on communication and informing visitors about the correct amount and the correct site.
Miles Mercera, director of TCB, indicates that they are also fully engaged in this issue but that the sector’s help is also desired. Recently, a large budget has been used to get to the top of the search results, which is continuously monitored.
Urgent call
The OLB and TCB urgently appeal to all local businesses to emphasize the official site https://tourismtax.bonairegov.com in the confirmation to their customers and guests so that they do not unnecessarily pay too much in the tourist tax of Bonaire (the Visitor Entry Tax). After all, they are in direct contact with the visitor.
Be cautious
While OLB mentioned that people using the reseller websites receive their QR codes and can enter Bonaire, I know people who accidentally used the reseller website and did NOT get their QR code. Please be cautious and use the correct website listed above to avoid paying more than $75. As mentioned in the previous December 2022 article, InfoBonaire is not affiliated with any Reseller websites.
For more information or questions, send an email to: taxsupport@bonairevisitortax.com
(Source: Bonaire Insider, OLB, TCB)
