Retirement, Independent Means and Long-Term Winter Visitors

IND-CN recognizes official residence purposes for:

  • pensioners;
  • persons of independent means; and
  • long-term winter visitors.

These are the real categories behind many “Bonaire retirement visa” searches.

Current 2026 income standard

The current means page ties all three categories to the island's minimum wage rather than a timeless fixed dollar amount.

The standard is 120% of the gross monthly minimum wage:

| Island | 2026 minimum wage | 120% residence benchmark | | --- | ---: | ---: | | Bonaire | $1,852.93 | $2,223.52/month | | Sint Eustatius | $1,839.07 | $2,206.88/month | | Saba | $1,847.73 | $2,217.28/month |

For a married couple using the long-term winter-visitor purpose, IND says the standard is twice the applicable amount.

Winter visitor: maximum six months per year

A long-term winter visitor is someone who wants to stay in the public entities for a maximum of six months per year.

That is not equivalent to year-round residence.

Evidence

The official form materials ask pensioners/people of independent means for evidence such as:

  • proof of independent, sustainable and sufficient financial resources;
  • pension-fund declaration for pensioners;
  • banking/financial evidence for independent means;
  • ownership deed or lease for accommodation; and
  • legalized good-conduct evidence.

Some older application forms still print historical fixed figures such as $1,680/month or $20,160/year. Because IND's current means page now explicitly ties the standard to the minimum wage and the minimum wage is indexed annually, this guide uses the current percentage formula and 2026 wage values, not the stale printed figures.

2026 fees

Official 2026 IND-CN fees are:

  • pensioner MVV / first permit: $326;
  • pensioner extension: $326;
  • independent means or winter visitor MVV / first permit: $922;
  • independent-means extension: $391.

Work

A pensioner or independent-means residence purpose should not be assumed to grant local employment or self-employment rights. If the person plans to run a business, use the self-employment route; if taking a local job, review paid employment.

Permanent residence

The general permanent-residence framework begins with five years of lawful continuous fixed-term residence, but purpose-specific temporary restrictions can matter. Confirm whether the specific residence history qualifies before treating retirement/winter residence as permanent-residence accumulation.

Return to the Caribbean Netherlands immigration hub, browse visa types, explore the Caribbean region, review our methodology, and read the legal disclaimer.

Official and supporting sources

Related routes in Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba