Hi,

We hope to move to Bonaire next year. I find it hard to find out how much money we need every month for living. We are with 2 adults and 2 children (ages 9 and 10). Who can help me with this information? Thanx

More than you expect...just sayin'

Elzeline, There are plenty of people on this site with great knowledge about your questions. I think in order for anyone to give you specifics .....you'll have to provide a little more information about your plans to live in Bonaire. I assume your trying to determine your fixed living expenses For example: Are you buying a home or renting.....do you need airco? will you need a dishwasher? do you want a garden? Water and electricity are very expensive, or at least they appear that way to me. Bona Fortuna!

Elzeline.welcome to BT. Based upon the info you have provided in your first posting there is absolutely no way ANYONE here can answer your question. I suggest you contact several realtors, figure out your monthly budget and proceed from there.

I always found that there was too much month left at the end of the money...

OK, elzeline, welcome to BT. In all seriousness, a little more information as Everett suggests is needed. From all that I've read and heard, it usually costs more than what folks expect. However, now that the US dollar is the currency on Bonaire, I'm not sure how that's effecting the economy of the island. Good luck!

We are thinking of buying a house. Garden, etc. I will start my own business at the new home in Bonaire. In the Netherlands I am a Pedicure and I would like to do the same at Bonaire. Its very difficult to find out how many Pedicures are on the Isle.

We did find a lot like the cost of water, insurance, cost of using airco, using a car, etc. We are calculating at the moment. How much we need every month. Because I have to get new clients, I am not fully booked in the beginning so we need our savings. When we know a little bit about the amounth of money you have to have, I can calculate how many months we can survive without enough income.

Is it possible to live with 3500 usd at Bonaire or is that nog enough or to much? We don´t go out much at restaurants or pups. The spending will be living and children

There are also questions of 'work permits' in setting up a business, if you haven't already explored this. I seem to remember it can take up to year. This may have changed with the change in government status; best to look into it. Some one here can point you to information online, and sources on island.

(Message edited by glenr on April 24, 2011)

elzeline, hopefully some of the locals can fill help with the number of "pedicures," which I assume you mean manicure and pedicure salon?

This site lists 2:
http://1492.yippie.biz/ga/bonaire/

InfoBonaire lists more:
http://www.infobonaire.com/spa.html

Glen is correct on the permits, etc. I'd check into that as well.

Did you check out the possibility that you may not be able to get a permit...You have a lot of competition from locals and they may object to additional businesses. I would do a bit more homework by contacting a few Realtors. 3 thousand US is a bit low but you can make it depending on your rent..

the pedicure field is quite full and i agree with Micheal that you check with DEZA to see if any more permits are available in this already crowded field and if a permit is possible the length of time it would take for you to get one
which could easily be a year before you are allowed to work.. you can not move to Bonaire for the purpose of employment. Then you really need to contact immigration as to the required steps you must take to move here including a lot of financial information which requires you to have a certain level of income outside of Bonaire among other things. Often the length of time you are permitted to stay on the island in a year period on the island is limited. also be aware you are required to enroll your children in school as part of the immigration process . Be aware also that the teaching language is Papaimentu. Good luck on your research.

On the subject of starting a business.

Assuming that you are not from The Netherlands, it can take up to three years before an application can be accepted.

My Wife & I are from the UK and she had a business plan for a unique business that would have also involved providing a free service to the young & the elderly yet she was still turned down.

Until then, whatever you think that you will need to live, double it & you may be somewhere near. As a migrant, Bonaire can't be done on a budget.

As a non-Dutch migrant, no applications to start a business a a sole trader would be considered until she had been a resident for 3 years.

It can be a nightmare as nobody will give you information until you have gone through the correct application procedures, that can take a year or more.

I assume that she is from The Netherlands :-)

"In the Netherlands I am a Pedicure"

thank you all for the moment (hope to get more information from all of you). I am a medical Pedicure. Specialized int. al. with Diabetes and Rheumatic clients. I remove corns and hard skin with a small knife and work with a machine with 40.000 revolutions per minute. Different then in many countries where pedicures work with a file and nail polish. The way I work is normal in the Netherlands. I also give foot and leg massages, etc.

We are reading for months now and we do understand that the expectation will be a lot of new citizens every new year. Where people live there are problems with feet. People are getting older and getting health problems. Diabetes will get a medical expenses allowance. Even in Bonaire. In the Netherlands you need to go to a Pedicure specialized with diploma´s.

We will come this July to Bonaire for 3 weeks. Visiting The Pelikaan. Is it possible to arrange a few things in advange like permits etc?. We hope to move in July 2012 to Bonaire.

My partner is a Dental Technician and has here in the Netherlands his own business as well.

Hope to get more information from all of you. And many thanks

If you are involved with diabeties treatment you will be welcome. when you are hern passby for contacts

I recently heard that medical pedicures are no longer covered by our health insurance...this could impact potential business. Regular style pedicures (cosmetic) usually cost around $30; while this is a normal price for those who can afford them, it is a high price for regular, working-class and/or retired folks (minimum wage is $4.20/hour). If I'm wrong, and medical ones are paid for by ZKV (RCN), then you'd need to be accepted into the medical community, etc. Either way, becoming familiar with RCN will be valuable: http://www.rijksdienstcn.com/

thank you all. It is a great help. We read a lot, but it is difficult to trace all. We already understood that the licenses be difficult, so that is quite a job.

we think about one year first to rent and then buy. Our ideal is a house along with workspace. Nice for the children to work at home. Hope that is no problem with the permits due to residential address.

It would be very nice to get some additional information related to receiving the monthly payments. I understand that for most this will be private affairs. This information can also send to elzeline@gmail.com to my personal mail, then it's not public information. I would really have helped.

According to RCN dutch nationals are allowed only 6 consecutive months on island in a calendar year. If you want a longer stay you must apply for a resident permit and you are not allowed - usually- to be on island while it is processed which takes some time.