Your guide to living and working in Suriname. Suriname visas, citizenship and more.

Suriname Long Stay Visa (MKV)

If you wish to stay longer than 90 days, you need to apply for an MKV Visa.  You need to apply for this from outside of Suriname and at least 3 months before you intend on landing in Suriname.  Further information can be found here.

Suriname Short Term Tourist visa

To find out if you need a tourist visa to visit Suriname, please use this tool ->>

Suriname Citizenship

Suriname citizenship and nationality have existed since independence in 1975. The articles that apply are GB 1975 no. 171 as last amended by SB 2002 no. 22.

Suriname applies the principle of Jus Sanguinis (law of Blood). This means that you inherit your citizenship from your parents, regardless of where you are born.

Citizenship by Descent

If one or both of your parents were citizens of Suriname when you were born, you are probably also a citizen. The law was changed in 2014 to treat male and female parents equally under the law.

If your father is the Surinam citizen and your parents are not married, there is another step. You father must be legally recognised as your parent before you can apply for citizenship.

Citizenship by Birth

If you were born in Suriname and lived in Suriname at the time of independence of the country in 1975, then you are probably a citizen.

There is one group eligible for birthright citizenship today. To be eligible, a child has to meet two conditions:

1. They are born in Suriname.
2. They are not eligible for any other citizenships. For example, both parents are from Chile and so do not pass on citizenship or the parents of the child cannot be identified. This means that without Suriname citizenship the child would become stateless.

Citizenship by Adoption

Any minor child adopted by Surimanese parents is a Suriname citizen.

Citizenship by Marriage

If your spouse is a citizen of Suriname, you can apply for citizenship if:

• You have been married for two years, and living in Suriname for that period.
• You lived in Suriname for five years before the marriage.
• You have had  children together (either before or after the wedding.)

Please note that your status of spouse needs to be legally recognised in Suriname, which does not yet recognise same-sex unions.

Citizenship by Naturalization

If you have been resident in Suriname for 5 years you can apply to become a naturalised citizen.

Dual Citizenship

Note that dual nationality is not allowed in Suriname.

Suriname Passport

All Suriname citizens are eligible for a Suriname passport. This is a relatively powerful passport, with visa-free access to 23 countries and visa-on-arrival access to an additional 38.