Business associations in Suriname
Every business must be registered with the KKF (Chamber of Commerce and Industry), but joining a business association is voluntary. The largest employers' organisation is the VSB; there are also organisations for manufacturers (ASFA), small and medium-sized businesses (AKMOS), tourism (SHATA), banks and sectors such as poultry. They speak for business on new laws, the minimum wage and dismissal rules, and give members information, networking and training.
On this page (12)
- The KKF is a statutory chamber: it keeps the trade register and charges a registration fee and an annual fee. It is not an interest group you choose to join.
- The VSB is the employers' organisation that represents business in tripartite bodies and at the International Labour Organization (ILO).
- Sector organisations such as ASFA (manufacturers), SHATA (tourism), the Suriname Bankers Association and APSS (poultry) represent one sector.
- The Suriname Business Forum is a statutory platform for dialogue between government, business and unions, not a membership organisation.
- The National Assembly hears business organisations on draft laws. In 2026 this included the Customs Act, the Investment Act and the Accident Insurance Act.
- Choose based on what you need: lobbying for your sector, information on new rules, networking or training.
Overview
| Organisation | For whom | What it does | Membership |
|---|---|---|---|
| KKF (Chamber of Commerce and Industry) | Every business and legal entity | Trade register, extracts, licence front office, trade fairs, CARICOM certificate of origin | Compulsory registration with an annual fee |
| VSB (Suriname Trade and Industry Association) | Companies in all sectors, large and small | Employers' organisation: lobbying, social dialogue, ILO, information and training | Voluntary, apply to the VSB |
| ASFA (Suriname Manufacturers Association) | Producers and manufacturers | Interests of the production sector, less red tape, productivity and exports, training | Voluntary |
| AKMOS | Small and medium-sized enterprises | Voice of SMEs with government and parliament | Voluntary |
| SHATA (Suriname Hospitality and Tourism Association) | Accommodation, tour operators and travel agencies, restaurants, airlines, suppliers | Lobbying, destination marketing, market intelligence, training | KKF registration and active in tourism |
| Suriname Bankers Association (SBV) | Banks | Joint arrangements and notices of the banks, dialogue with government and the Central Bank | Banks only |
| Suriname Business Forum (with the SBC) | Government, business, unions | Public-private dialogue on the business climate, studies, SME programmes | No individual membership |
| Sector associations, for example APSS (poultry) | Companies in one sector | Sector interests, such as import rules and animal diseases | Voluntary |
Contact details of the VSB, ASFA, SHATA and the Bankers Association are in Business resources. Bilateral chambers (Suriname-Guyana, AmCham, Suriname-Netherlands) are in Trade agreements and market access.
KKF: the statutory chamber
The Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kamer van Koophandel en Fabrieken, KKF) is set up by the law governing the composition, organisation, tasks and powers of the Chambers of Commerce and Industry. The KKF keeps the trade register. Under the new Trade Register Act (S.B. 2024 no. 169), which entered into force with the new Civil Code on 1 May 2025, you pay an amount set by state decree at first registration and every year after (article 14). You receive a notice and have one month to pay.
What the KKF does for you:
- Registration, changes and extracts, also online. Start a business
- The front office where you file licence applications under the Businesses and Professions Act. Business licences
- Information for start-ups, trade fairs and brochures, and a mobile office that visits neighbourhoods and districts.
- The certificate of origin for exports to CARICOM, according to the 2019 WTO Trade Policy Review. Check before your first shipment.
The KKF is not a lobby group in the way the VSB or ASFA are, but it is heard on laws that affect business, as in October 2026 on the draft General Customs Act.
VSB: the employers' organisation
The Suriname Trade and Industry Association (Vereniging Surinaams Bedrijfsleven, VSB) has existed since 1950 and is recognised by the ILO as Suriname's most representative employers' organisation. The VSB is a member of the International Organisation of Employers (IOE) and the Caribbean Employers' Confederation.
- For whom. Companies and organisations active in Suriname, large and small, from all sectors: trade, industry, agriculture, timber, mining, oil and gas, transport, tourism, banks, insurers and business services.
- How it works. Members are organised in sector groups, each with a representative on the board. There is also a section for young entrepreneurs and professionals up to 40, VSB Young Management.
- What you get. Information on new laws and rules, a voice in talks with the government, networking events, training and workshops, and referrals when business requests come in from Suriname and abroad.
- Where the VSB sits. In tripartite labour bodies (see below), in Suriname's delegation to the ILO's annual International Labour Conference in Geneva, in the Decent Work Country Programme and, with Guyana's Private Sector Commission, in the Guyana Suriname Private Sector Business Council.
You join with an application form to the VSB; after the decision you receive a confirmation and the next steps. Ask about the fee in advance; it depends on your company. Recent VSB positions, for example on the mandatory sale of export earnings, are in our guide Exporting from Suriname.
Sector and industry associations
ASFA: manufacturers
The Suriname Manufacturers Association (Associatie van Surinaamse Fabrikanten, ASFA) was founded on 25 September 1980 and has more than 100 active members. ASFA aims to facilitate and stimulate the production sector: drawing government attention to producers, removing bureaucratic hurdles, helping members with productivity and exports through information, training and workshops, and keeping members informed of legislation that affects production.
Contact according to ASFA's own website: Jagernath Lachmonstraat 201, Paramaribo; phone (+597) 434014 or 439797; info@asfasuriname.org; Monday to Friday 07:00 to 15:00.
AKMOS: small and medium-sized businesses
The Association of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises in Suriname (AKMOS) represents SMEs. In October 2026 AKMOS was one of the organisations the National Assembly's Committee of Rapporteurs heard on the draft General Customs Act. For a small business whose main problems are licences, finance and tax rules, AKMOS may be closer to home than the VSB. SME finance: Business financing.
SHATA: tourism and hospitality
The Suriname Hospitality and Tourism Association calls itself the leading private organisation for tourism development and promotion. Members are accommodation providers, tour and travel companies, restaurants, airlines and business suppliers. SHATA works on five pillars: advocacy and networking, destination marketing together with the government, market intelligence, workforce training, and member services. To join you must be registered with the KKF and active in (or connected to) tourism and hospitality.
Suriname Bankers Association
The association of banks, with De Surinaamsche Bank, Hakrinbank, Finabank, Republic Bank and the Surinaamse Postspaarbank among its members. For businesses it matters mainly through joint decisions of the banks: opening hours, withdrawal limits, the phase-out of cheques and arrangements on electronic payments. Follow its notices. Banking: Opening a business bank account.
Other sectors
Many sectors have their own association. One example is the Associatie Pluimvee Sector Suriname (APSS, poultry), which speaks out on poultry imports and bird flu, among other things. Associations or interest groups also exist for rice, timber, fisheries, gold and professions such as accountants; we could not confirm all of them from an official source and therefore do not name them. Ask the KKF or the VSB which organisation is active in your sector. Sector information: Sectors and opportunities and Starting an agribusiness.
Suriname Business Forum
The Suriname Business Forum (SBF) is a legal entity set up by the Act of 18 October 2006. It is a platform for dialogue and cooperation between government, business and unions in a public-private set-up, aimed at a favourable business climate and growth of the local private sector. Its implementing body is the Suriname Business Development Center (SBC). The SBF turns twenty in 2026.
The SBF is not an association your company joins. As a business owner you mainly deal with it through dialogue sessions, studies and programmes for small businesses, often with donors.
Young entrepreneurs, women and the diaspora
- Young entrepreneurs and professionals (18 to 40) can turn to VSB Young Management, with its own events and development programmes.
- Women entrepreneurs: SITA's export grant programme gives priority to women-owned businesses (see Exporting from Suriname). We could not confirm an active national association of women entrepreneurs from an official source.
- Diaspora: the Diaspora Institute Suriname connects Surinamese abroad with local partners and projects, and since 2018 there has been a Suriname-Netherlands Chamber of Commerce in The Hague. Investing from abroad: Investing in Suriname.
Where business has a seat at the table
Suriname has a long tradition of tripartite consultation: government, employers and unions. The employers' seats are filled by the representative employers' organisations, in practice mainly the VSB. The main bodies for an employer:
| Body | What it does | Composition |
|---|---|---|
| Labour Advisory Board (AAC) | Advises the minister on labour matters. The minister must inform the AAC of draft labour laws and only submits proposals after considering its advice. | Tripartite; according to the ILO four members per party. Term of office five years since 2026 (S.B. 2026 no. 23). |
| National Wage Council (Nationale Loonraad) | Advises on the statutory minimum wage. Minimum wage | Seven members, including two representatives of employers' organisations (S.B. 2020 no. 200) |
| Dismissal Committee (Ontslagcommissie) | Decides on dismissal permits on behalf of the minister. Dismissal and notice | Tripartite, five or seven members |
| Labour Mediation Council (Bemiddelingsraad) | Mediates and arbitrates in collective labour disputes | Seven members, tripartite in practice |
| ILO delegation | International Labour Conference, Decent Work Country Programme | Government, employers and workers |
Employer representatives also sit on the National Board for Occupational Health and the National Commission on the Elimination of Child Labour. If you are a member of an employers' organisation, you can feed in your experience through it before advice is given.
How business has a say on new laws
A law starts at a ministry, goes to the Council of State and is debated in the National Assembly (De Nationale Assemblée, DNA). Business owners can have influence at two points:
- At the ministry. Ministries send drafts for consultation to business organisations or hold stakeholder sessions. The organisations then ask their members for comments, often at short notice.
- At the National Assembly. The Committee of Rapporteurs preparing a bill invites organisations to give their views, orally and in writing. What is said there can end up in the report and in amendments.
Examples from 2026:
- General Customs Act: in October 2026 the Committee of Rapporteurs heard the customs officers' union, the port authority, AKMOS, the VSB, the KKF and a port operator. Business asked for legal certainty, clear procedures and predictable enforcement.
- Investment Act and SITA Act: in August 2026 organised business asked for a fundamental revision, with objective criteria for incentives, decision deadlines and equal treatment of local, foreign and diaspora investors. See Investing in Suriname.
- Draft Works Consultation Act (Ondernemingsraadpleging) and Accident Insurance Act (Ongevallenregeling): in August 2026 the VSB advised revising both technically and legally first.
- Protection of service marks: in July 2026 the National Assembly heard business on extending trademark protection to service providers. See Trademark registration.
Draft laws on tax collection and personal data protection were also on the table in 2026. An overview of laws in preparation and what they mean for your business: New laws and rules.
How to choose
- Decide what you need. Lobbying for your sector, quick information on new rules, meeting customers and partners, or training for your staff?
- See where your sector is already organised. A sector association knows your problems better; a broad organisation such as the VSB sits at more tables. Many companies are members of both.
- Ask about fees and benefits. What does it cost a year, which services are included, do you get discounts on events?
- Attend a meeting first. Many organisations have open events. You see who comes and how active the organisation is.
- Take part. The value is in taking part: respond to consultations, join a sector group, share your experience.
- KKF registration and annual fee in order
- Need decided: lobbying, information, networking or training
- One or two organisations chosen: broad (VSB, AKMOS) and/or sector (ASFA, SHATA, APSS)
- Fees and conditions requested
- Someone in your company who reads newsletters and answers consultations
What if...
- ...I run a sole proprietorship? You can still join; the VSB and AKMOS are open to small businesses. Start with the organisation closest to your sector.
- ...I am a foreign company that wants to start in Suriname? Start at the KKF (registration) and SITA (investment). Bilateral chambers can make introductions: Trade agreements and market access.
- ...a new law affects my business and nobody represents my sector? Send written comments to the ministry or the National Assembly yourself, and find colleagues to act together.
- ...I have a dispute with an employee or union? An employers' organisation can advise, but the procedure runs through the ministry and the Dismissal Committee or the Labour Mediation Council. See Labour law basics.
Sources
- Handelsregisterwet, S.B. 2024 no. 169
- WTO: Trade Policy Review Suriname (2019), certificaten van oorsprong
- KKF: Kamer van Koophandel en Fabrieken
- Suriname Energy, Oil and Gas Summit: profiel VSB
- ILO: Suriname embarks on its 3rd Decent Work Country Programme (2022)
- ILO: The system of labour administration in Suriname, 2nd revised edition (2022)
- Wet Arbeidsadviescollege (S.B. 1984 no. 105, bijgewerkt t/m S.B. 2016 no. 145)
- Wijziging Wet Arbeidsadviescollege, S.B. 2026 no. 23
- Besluit Nationale Loonraad, S.B. 2020 no. 200
- ASFA: over ons en contact
- IDB WiConnect: AKMOS
- SHATA: members and membership
- Surinaamse Bankiersvereniging
- Key News Suriname: APSS over pluimvee-import (June 2023)
- Compete Caribbean: Competitiveness Unit Suriname en het Suriname Business Forum
- GFC Nieuws: bedrijfsleven over ontwerp-Algemene Douanewet (22 October 2026)
- Starnieuws: bedrijfsleven wil aanpassing economische wetsontwerpen (8 August 2026)
- GFC Nieuws: VSB over de Ongevallenregeling (2026)
- Key News Suriname: CvR hoort bedrijfsleven over dienstmerken (July 2026)
- DPI Guyana: Guyana Suriname Private Sector Business Council (March 2022)
Checked on 26 October 2026. General information. Always check conditions and fees with the organisation itself.
Frequently asked questions
Must I join a business association in Suriname?
No. Only registration in the KKF trade register, with an annual fee, is compulsory. Membership of the VSB, ASFA, AKMOS, SHATA or a sector association is voluntary.
What is the difference between the KKF and the VSB?
The KKF is a statutory chamber that keeps the trade register and serves all businesses. The VSB is a voluntary employers' organisation that represents its members, including in tripartite bodies and at the ILO.
Is there an organisation for small businesses?
Yes, AKMOS, the association of small and medium-sized enterprises in Suriname. In October 2026 the National Assembly heard AKMOS on the draft General Customs Act. The VSB is also open to small companies.
How do I join ASFA?
ASFA is the Suriname manufacturers' association, founded on 25 September 1980, with more than 100 active members. Contact info@asfasuriname.org or (+597) 434014 for conditions and fees.
What is the Suriname Business Forum?
A platform for dialogue between government, business and unions on the business climate, set up by the Act of 18 October 2006. The Suriname Business Development Center (SBC) is its implementing body. The SBF turns 20 in 2026.
How can I have a say on a new law?
Through your business association, which passes on calls for comments and is invited by the National Assembly's Committee of Rapporteurs. You can also send written comments to the National Assembly yourself.