What Are The Public Holidays in Bonaire in 2026?

List of Public Holidays in Bonaire (2026)

Bonaire follows the public holiday calendar of the Caribbean Netherlands, which combines Dutch national observances with local island celebrations. Use the table below to plan staffing, leave, and payroll for your team in 2026.

Do Employers Have to Provide Paid Leave on Public Holidays?

Yes, in practice employers in Bonaire are generally expected to treat official public holidays as paid days off for employees who would normally be scheduled to work on those days, based on Dutch-derived labor standards and local collective agreements. There is no separate, highly detailed public holiday statute just for Bonaire, so your obligations will usually be set out in the employment contract, company policy, or any applicable collective labor agreement, all of which must respect minimum protections under Caribbean Netherlands labor law.

Full-time employees typically receive their normal pay for public holidays on which they are not required to work. Part-time employees are usually entitled to paid time off or equivalent compensation when a public holiday falls on a day they would ordinarily work, often calculated on a pro rata basis. If your business operates on public holidays and employees are required to work, it is common and prudent to provide a premium rate or a paid day off in lieu, even where not explicitly mandated in legislation, to stay aligned with Dutch practice and market expectations.

When a public holiday falls on a weekend, there is no automatic statutory rule that it must be moved to a weekday, but many employers follow contractual or policy-based rules to observe the holiday on the closest working day. You should clearly document in your internal policies how weekend holidays are handled and apply that consistently across your workforce.

Legal Penalties for Not Providing Paid Holiday Leave

Non-compliance with minimum labor standards in Bonaire can lead to enforcement action by the Dutch labor inspectorate responsible for the Caribbean Netherlands. While there is no separate penalty schedule published solely for public holidays, failure to honor agreed or required paid holidays can be treated as a breach of employment law or contract, exposing your company to back-pay claims, administrative fines, and potential damages in civil proceedings.

Inspectors can review payroll records, work schedules, and contracts to verify that public holidays are correctly recorded and compensated. If they find systematic underpayment or denial of holiday entitlements, they may order corrective payments and impose fines, particularly where vulnerable workers are affected. Common employer mistakes include treating public holidays as normal working days without premium pay or time off in lieu, failing to compensate part-time staff fairly, and applying different rules to similar employees without objective justification.

Because the Caribbean Netherlands framework is closely linked to Dutch labor norms, courts and regulators tend to interpret ambiguities in favor of employee protection. When in doubt, taking the more employee-friendly approach to holiday pay and observance is usually the safest route.

How Do Holidays Affect Overtime Thresholds?

Public holidays in Bonaire do not change the basic weekly working time limits, but they can affect how you calculate overtime and premium pay. If an employee works on a public holiday, those hours are typically treated as exceptional and may attract a higher rate of pay under the employment contract or collective agreement, often on top of any standard overtime rules.

In many Dutch-influenced arrangements, hours worked on a public holiday either count as overtime regardless of weekly totals or are paid at a premium rate such as 150% or 200% of the normal hourly wage, or compensated with additional time off in lieu. Where an employee’s weekly hours exceed the normal contractual or statutory maximum because of work on a public holiday, the excess hours should be treated as overtime for pay and rest-period purposes.

Because specific percentages and thresholds are usually set by contract or collective agreement rather than a single statute for Bonaire, you should review your local contracts carefully and ensure your payroll system can distinguish between regular hours, overtime, and public holiday hours. When local guidance is unclear, aligning with standard Dutch overtime and holiday premium practices is generally the most conservative and compliant approach.

Stay 100% Compliant with Leave Regulations Using Playroll

Managing public holidays and leave rules in Bonaire doesn’t have to be complex. Playroll keeps you 100% compliant by automatically tracking local holidays, observed days, and pay requirements –  so your team is paid correctly and on time, every time.

Whether you’re hiring your first employee or scaling a growing team, Playroll lets you employ talent without setting up a local entity. We handle compliant contracts, benefits, and payroll in one platform, so you can reduce compliance risk and focus on growing your business while we take care of the heavy-lifting in the background. Book a chat with our team to get started.