Suriname
General Information for Suriname
Geo-political:
Capital City: Paramaribo.
Nationality: (noun) Surinamer, (adjective) Surinamese.
Population: 481,267.
Communications:
International Direct Dial Code: 597.
Number of Internal Airports: 5.
Major Languages Spoken: Dutch (official), English (widely spoken), Sranang Tongo (Surinamese, sometimes called
Taki-Taki, is native language of Creoles and much of the younger population and is
lingua franca among others), Caribbean Hindustani (a dialect of Hindi), Javanese.
Economy:
Currency: 1 Suriname Dollar (SRD) of 100 Cents.
Exchange Rates:
(as of November 2016)
USD 1.00 = SRD 7.73
SRD 1.00 = USD 0.13
Exchange rates under licence from
XE.com
Main Industries: Bauxite and gold mining, alumina production, oil, lumbering, food processing and fishing.
Environment:
Territorial Sea: 12 n.m.
Other Maritime Claims: Exclusive Economic Zone: 200 n.m.
Coastline Extent: 386 km.
Climate: Tropical; moderated by trade winds.
Natural Resources: Timber, hydropower, fish, kaolin, shrimp, bauxite, gold, small amounts of nickel,
copper, platinum and iron ore.
Terrain: Mostly rolling hills; narrow coastal plain with swamps.
OVERVIEW:
The UN’s International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea has ruled on the maritime border
dispute between Suriname and Guyana. However, Suriname still claims an area of land
(the New River Triangle) in southeast Guyana. Take care when travelling to this area.
CHARTS:
Publications:
Notice to Mariners issued by the Maritieme Autoriteit Suriname (MAS), and available
for viewing online at https://mas.sr
MAS is the only competent authority (Article 3 Act MAS) issuing official shipping
information in Suriname. The authority is not liable for damage and/or loss that may
result from incomplete/incorrect information supplied by third parties. For official
information please contact the Department of Marketing & Communication.
Contact: Daphne le Couvreur, Head of Marketing & Communications. [email protected]
PRE-ARRIVAL INFORMATION:
All vessels more than 50 g.t. arriving at the ports of Paramaribo and Nieuw Nickerie
are required to submit a completed Notice of Arrival to MAS at least 48 hours before
arrival. Additionally, a Maritime Declaration of Health and Crew List shall be submitted.
Forms are available on the MAS website
mas.sr/notice_of_arrival/ and all forms should be submitted via the online portal.
MEDICAL:
Medical facilities are severely limited in Suriname. Make sure you have adequate health
insurance and accessible funds to cover the cost of any medical treatment abroad and
repatriation.
Not all medical facilities accept payment from insurance companies. You may need to
pay in advance and claim the cost back from your insurance company.
There is a risk of yellow fever transmission throughout Suriname. Under International
Health Regulations, a yellow fever vaccination certificate is required for travellers
aged 1 year or over arriving from countries with risk of yellow fever transmission
and for travellers having transited for more than 12 hours through an airport of a
country with risk of yellow fever transmission.
Recommended other vaccines for Suriname include hepatitis A, tetanus, typhoid, chikungunya,
dengue, hepatitis B and rabies. Zika virus and schistosomaisis are also health risks
in Suriname.
PIRACY:
There have been reports of attacks against fishing boats in and around the waters
of Suriname.
HOLIDAYS:
New Year's Day; Revolution Day (25 February); Holi Phagwa*; Good Friday; Easter Monday;
Labour Day (1 May); Freedom Day (1 July); Id-Ul-Fitr*; Independence Day (25 November);
Christmas Day and Boxing Day.
* These holidays depend on the moon.
WEATHER/TIDES:
Natural Disasters:
Suriname is prone to flooding, particularly in the north and centre of the country,
during the rainy season in May to August.
CONSULS:
Austria, Barbados, Canada, Chile, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany,
Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Korea, Rep of, Mexico, Morocco, Netherlands, Nicaragua,
Norway, Philippines, Poland, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Trinidad
and Tobago, Turkiye, UK and Uruguay.
BANKS:
Credit cards are not widely accepted outside the major hotels. In Paramaribo some
of the ATMs will accept international credit and debit cards and dispense Surinamese
Dollars. If you are bringing currency with you, bring US Dollars or Euros; some currencies,
such as Pound Sterling, cannot be exchanged.
CUSTOMS:
Douane Suriname. T: +597 402778. F: +597 403164.
[email protected]
www.douanesuriname.com/
SHORE LEAVE:
Burglary, armed robbery and violent crime occur in Paramaribo and surrounding areas.
Pick-pocketing and robbery are increasingly common in the major business and shopping
districts in the capital. You should avoid wearing expensive jewellery or displaying
large amounts of money in public. Keep valuables like your passport, tickets, driving
licence and travellers’ cheques secure and keep photocopies of these documents in
a separate place.
Avoid remote and secluded areas, quiet streets and quiet parks. Avoid the Palm Garden
(Palmentium) area in Paramaribo at night. Apart from the entertainment centre around
the Torarica Hotel, you should avoid walking at night anywhere in the city.
Travel in the interior of the country is generally trouble-free, although there have
been reports of tourists being robbed. Use a well-established tour company if you
intend to travel to these parts of Suriname.
REPATRIATION:
Travellers to Suriname will be required to obtain either an e-Visa or pay an Entry
Fee; however, the following passport holders are exempt of these requirements:
- holders of a passport from the Vatican City
- holders of passports from CARICOM countries
- holders of a diplomatic and service passports
- holders of UN laissez-passer
- holders of a PSA document or PSA card
- those with a valid e-VISA
- residents of Suriname.
An e-Visa is required for nationals of the following countries: Afghanistan, Angola,
Bangladesh, Cameroon, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Eritrea, Ghana, India, Kenya,
Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Somalia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Syria, Tunisia, Venezuela,
Zambia.
Individuals holding passports from these nations are obligated to obtain a visa prior
to their travel to Suriname; however, they will not be required to pay an Entry Fee.
All other nationals will be required to pay an Entry Fee. An Entry Fee is available
for a single visit or for multiple visits (Multiple Entry Fee) and costs USD50/EUR50
and USD75/EUR75 respectively.
Persons who are in transit (by air) and do not leave the airport, are not required
to have a visa or pay an Entry Fee.
Persons in transit (by air) who wish to leave the airport must have a transit visa
and do not pay the Entry Fee.
VFS Global is the only official and authorised partner for the Government of the Republic
of Suriname to offer a Suriname e-Visa or to facilitate payment of an Entry Fee. Note,
VFS Global charge a service fee in addition to the cost of a visa or Entry Fee.
All travellers to and from Suriname are required to complete an
Immigration and Customs Form (ICF) up to seven days before arrival and departure.
AUTHORITY:
Head Office:
Maritieme Autoriteit Suriname (MAS), Maritime Operations, Cornelis Jongbawstraat 2,
PO Box 888, Paramaribo, Suriname.
T: +597 476733.
F: +597 472940. [email protected] mas.sr
Contact: Michel Amafo LLM, Director/Harbour Master. Bryan Ristie, Manager, Maritime Administration.
[email protected]
