Vessels sailing under the Bonaire country flag are required to have on board this flag as part of flag state requirements that derive from maritime regulations in the International Code of Signals and the International Safety Management (ISM) Code. These codes are published by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) as an ongoing effort to reinforce maritime safety procedures and communications to the international maritime community. Fleet management companies and ship owners are responsible to ensure that each vessel in their respective fleets have the appropriate flag signage onboard to be in compliance. This flag is used to identify the flag state a vessel is sailing under and to communicate with other vessels under the provisions of the International Code of Signals.

The Bonaire flag was adopted in 1981 and is a symbol of the beautiful landscape and climate of the Island of Bonaire, located in the Caribbean Islands. It consists of a large blue triangle in the lower half, and right corner of the flag and a smaller yellow triangle in the upper left corner. They are separated by a white stripe with a black compass and red six-point star. The blue and yellow triangles represent the sea and sun Bonaire is famous for, while the white is the gorgeous sky. The black compass symbolizes the people of Bonaire who have come from the four corners of the world, and the red six-point star is for the six villages of Bonaire -- Antriol, Nikiboko, Nort Saliña, Playa, Rincon and Tera Korá. The red, white and blue colors are also a display of loyalty towards the Kingdom of the Netherlands, for which Bonaire shares much of its history and roots with.