Buying land and property in Suriname: land lease, freehold and transfer

Much land in Suriname is state land (domeingrond): land you get on a land lease (grondhuur), not as freehold. Freehold land you buy from an owner, and the transfer always goes through a notary and the public registers of MI-GLIS. You pay 4% transfer tax (stamp duty), and the conversion of leases into freehold has been on hold since 9 August 2025.

State land, land lease, long lease and freehold

All land on which nobody can prove ownership is state land (domeingrond) and belongs to the State. It is issued by the minister in charge of land policy, currently the Ministry of Land and Forest Management (Grond- en Bosbeheer, GBB). What you buy or receive in Suriname is therefore often not ownership but a right to land owned by the State.

Applying for state land on a land lease

A land lease can only be granted to Surinamese citizens who live in Suriname and to legal entities incorporated under Surinamese law and based in Suriname. Others can only get land with the consent of the Council of Ministers. For housing you get at most one allocation per person. The procedure is in the State Land Issue Decree (Decreet Uitgifte Domeingrond):

1. Written application to the minister. With your name, address, marital status, nationality, place of residence and the purpose. A specific application (with a sketch map from a land surveyor) takes priority over a general one without a map.
2. Acknowledgement. Within six months you should get a letter confirming receipt, with the period in which a decision can be expected.
3. Advice and public notice via the district commissioner. The minister asks the district commissioner (districtscommissaris, DC) of the district where the land is for advice. The application is posted at the district commissioner's office and the local administrative post; for 30 days anyone can object.
4. Letter of intent (bereidverklaring). If the minister agrees, you get a registered letter saying your request will be granted provided that, within a set period, you have the land surveyed, hand in the map in four copies and pay the fees, stamp duties and registration costs. Miss that deadline and the application lapses.
5. Decision (beschikking). After payment you receive the decision, which is your lease title.
6. Registration within 4 months. You must offer the decision for registration at the mortgage office (MI-GLIS) within four months. If you do not, the decision lapses by law. Your lease only exists once it is registered.

After issue you must actually start using the land for its purpose within one year (duty to build or cultivate). If you do not, or if you fail to pay the lease fee for three years in a row, the minister can declare your right forfeited. To extend, file a written request no later than six months before the term ends.

Annual lease fee (canon)

Since the Land Lease Fee Decree 2023 these annual amounts apply. You pay per calendar year, collected the same way as taxes. Arrears up to 1 July 2021 were written off.

In July 2026, in Nickerie, President Simons announced new legislation: land only issued for a concrete purpose, unused land returned to the State, transfers and extensions of leases handled through a notary and the State Land Office (Dienst der Domeinen) instead of the minister's signature, and no lapse after forty years where a house stands on the land. These are plans; until a law is passed, the current rules apply.

Land conversion: turning a lease into freehold

Under the Land Conversion Decree 2023 (Besluit Grondconversie) a leaseholder could buy the State's bare ownership and so become full owner. The rules were widened twice:

• November 2023: housing or horticulture, up to 2,500 m², SRD 25 per m². Fixed notary fee: SRD 2,000 to 5,000 depending on the area.
• November 2024 (S.B. 2024 no. 157): up to 2 hectares, including business and industrial land (SRD 50 per m²). Consent of the mortgage holder was no longer required.
• May 2025 (S.B. 2025 no. 74): leaseholders whose right had expired and who had already applied for an extension could also buy the land as freehold.

On 9 August 2025 the Ministry of GBB, on instructions from President Simons, stopped land conversion with immediate effect, because the government said the decree contained too many uncertainties. In June 2026 Minister Soeropawiro told the National Assembly (De Nationale Assemblee) that unfinished applications will be assessed case by case and that refunds of amounts paid are not ruled out. He also announced a revision of the land issue legislation.

Buying freehold: from offer to transfer

1. Negotiate and agree conditions. Price, currency, what is included, who pays which costs, and a condition that lets you cancel if financing fails.
2. Choose your own notary. Every deed selling, dividing or transferring real estate, or creating or transferring a right in it, must be notarial or it is void. The notary checks the title, drafts the deeds and registers them.
3. Research the title. Have a recent mortgage register extract and the parcel map requested from MI-GLIS. See below.
4. Have it valued. Banks require a valuation by an approved valuer.
5. Sign the purchase agreement. At the notary, or first privately and then recorded by the notary. Pay any deposit into the notary's client account.
6. Arrange your mortgage. The mortgage deed is signed together with the transfer deed.
7. Signing and payment. You sign the transfer deed; the money goes through the notary, who also pays the stamp duty.
8. Registration. The notary registers the deed in the public registers of MI-GLIS. Only then are you the owner.

If the title is a land lease rather than freehold, the transfer also needs the minister's consent. That can take a long time. Purchase-plus-power-of-attorney arrangements that try to get ahead of that consent give you no certainty.

Research at MI-GLIS: land registry and mortgage office

The Management Institute for Land Registration and Land Information System (MI-GLIS) runs the public registers (the former mortgage office, hypotheekkantoor) and the cadastral data. It has offices in Paramaribo and, since December 2024, in Nickerie. Ask for:

• Mortgage register extract (hypothecair uittreksel): who holds the right, which title (freehold, lease, long lease) and whether there are mortgages or seizures on it. Hakrinbank, for example, asks for an extract no more than a month old.
• Parcel map with parcel ID: the map with the parcel identification under the Land Registration and Land Information System Act. Compare the measurements with what you see on site.
• For a lease: the lease decision (term, purpose, conditions) and proof the lease fee has been paid.
• Statement of no real estate (verklaring van geen onroerend goed): useful when you must show you do not own land yet, for example for a land application.

MI-GLIS fees are not published online. Ask at the counter or let the notary do the research and pass on the cost.

Surveying

A land surveyor measures the land, marks the boundaries and draws the survey map. For a land application this is required before you get your decision. When buying, a survey is sensible if the boundaries on site are unclear or do not match the parcel map. In old subdivisions people have built on someone else's plot without knowing it. Correcting that through an exchange or sale carries a reduced stamp duty of 0.5% on the value of the land alone. Ask two or three surveyors for a quote; fees are not set by law.

Costs and timeline

For a normal purchase, expect a few weeks to a few months, depending on the parcel map, the bank and the notary. For a lease, add the minister's consent. A land application often takes years. Convert dollar or euro amounts with the Exchange rates today.

Mortgages: what banks ask for

As an example, Hakrinbank's terms (October 2026). Compare with other banks yourself.

• Buying a plot or existing home: up to 90% of the price, so at least 10% of your own money. Building or renovating: in principle up to 100% of the building cost. Notary costs can be included.
• Term up to 20 years; the loan must be repaid by age 60. Monthly payments up to about 35% of net income.
• Non-residents: up to 65% of the purchase price or 75% of the building cost.
• Security: a mortgage on the property and an assignment of salary or receivables.

7% mortgage. For a first own home there is a low-interest facility under the General Regulation on 7% mortgages. At Hakrinbank: up to SRD 2,000,000, combined gross income up to SRD 75,000, home of 40 to 150 m², term up to 30 years (plot: 5 years). The title must be freehold, long lease or land lease in your own name.

SRD or USD? If you borrow in dollars or euros while you earn SRD, you carry exchange-rate risk. Ask the bank which currency it will lend you and check your monthly payment with the Loan calculator.

Tax. Mortgage interest on your own home is deductible for income tax up to a debt of SRD 871,500 (backdated to 1 January 2025). See Income tax and returns.

Getting a building permit

Building without written permission from the Director of Building and Urban Works of the Ministry of Public Works (Openbare Werken, OW) is prohibited. You apply at the One Stop Window of the Building and Housing Inspection department (Bouw- en Woningtoezicht, BWT), Mr. J. Lachmonstraat 167, Paramaribo. Since August 2024 only recognised drafting offices registered with OW can file applications.

• Scale drawings: site plan, floor plan, foundation and drainage, section, elevations, roof plan, details. For complex buildings also concrete or steel calculations.
• Parcel map and proof of title: mortgage register extract, purchase agreement or land decision.
• Photos of the plot; for businesses a KKF (Chamber of Commerce) extract or articles of association.
• No architect is needed for a home up to 100 m² floor area. Commercial buildings, shops, offices and more than four linked homes must be designed and filed by a recognised architecture or engineering firm.

Costs. An SRD 50 fee per application plus the permit charge under the Permit Charge Decree 2023: SRD 250 for a new home up to 70 m²; above that 0.25% of the fixed building value per m² (for brick low-rise the building value is SRD 12,000 per m², so SRD 30 per m²). Commercial buildings: 0.20% of the building value per m² per floor.

Timeline. OW decides within two months of a complete application. If you do not start building within six months and do not ask for an extension, the permit lapses; an extension costs 10% of the charge. You can appeal a refusal to the minister within two weeks. Call BWT (464101) or the switchboard (490666) for the status.

Property tax: huurwaardebelasting

Suriname has the Rental Value Tax Act 1995 (Wet Huurwaardebelasting). The tax is 6% of a building's rental value, with a minimum of SRD 20 a year. For a building you use yourself, the rental value is 1% of the market value after deducting SRD 50,000. For a rented building it is the annual rent (at least 1% of the market value). The owner pays, or on state land the leaseholder. Buildings used for agriculture, factories, workshops, education and worship are exempt. The tax office sets the rental value and sends an assessment; you can object within 60 days. Ask the Direct Taxes Inspectorate how this is applied to your property.

Buying as a foreigner or from the diaspora

• Freehold can be bought by foreigners. You identify yourself to the notary with a valid passport and an extract from your country of origin.
• State land on a lease is for Surinamese citizens living in Suriname and Surinamese legal entities based in Suriname. Others need consent from the Council of Ministers, and a foreigner who leaves Suriname to live elsewhere loses the right. In practice a non-citizen can only hold a lease through a Surinamese NV (company) or foundation; expect a long procedure.
• Surinamese citizens living abroad who hold state land must be represented in Suriname (an elected domicile).
• PSA status (Person of Surinamese Origin) exempts you from a work permit, among other things, but does not make you a citizen. See Work and residence permits.
• A notary can prepare the purchase while you are abroad, using a power of attorney. Ask the notary which bank route and any foreign exchange formalities apply to your payment.
• Buying a home does not automatically give you a residence permit; you apply for that separately. If you invest in a business, also read Investing in Suriname.

Inheritance and undivided estates (boedels)

Many plots sit in an undivided estate (onverdeelde boedel): the owner died, the heirs are jointly entitled and nobody put the land in their own name. You can only buy such a plot if all heirs cooperate. The notary must trace every one of them and get their consent.

• Lease after death: if there are several heirs, they must name one of them to take over the lease within 18 months, with a notarial certificate of inheritance sent to the mortgage registrar. If they do not, the lease lapses by law (except in case of force majeure).
• Heirs abroad: loss of the right because of nationality or residence is suspended for one year after the estate opens. Use that time.
• New Civil Code: since 1 May 2025 the Civil Code (Burgerlijk Wetboek) has rules for long-undivided estates containing real estate (article 3:200a onwards). A person who has used the land for at least ten years and lives lawfully in Suriname can ask the cantonal court to award them the plot. Have a lawyer or notary check whether this applies to you.
• Dividing: a deed of division is subject to stamp duty to the extent someone receives more than their share. Between relatives up to the second degree the rate is 0.5%.

Scams and common mistakes

• Paying outside the notary. Paying the seller in cash or by transfer before the deed is registered is the biggest mistake. Pay only through the notary's client account.
• A lease sold as freehold. Someone sells “land” that is state land, or a lease that has already expired or been forfeited. The extract shows the real title.
• Only a purchase agreement and a power of attorney. With a lease, the seller remains the holder until the minister consents and the deed is registered. If the seller dies or sells again, your position is weak.
• A plot issued or sold twice. Check the extract again just before signing.
• No building permit. OW can order demolition or repair at your cost, and your bank will not finance.
• “I can get you a conversion or land title.” Middlemen who promise a decision for a fee cannot deliver. Applications go straight to the ministry.

Renting a commercial property or home

The Residential Rent Act 2020 (Huurwet Woonruimte) applies only to homes. Among other things: a landlord ends an open-ended lease with at least six months' notice, a tenant with three months; notice is given in writing by registered letter or bailiff's writ; rent may not be raised within a year of agreeing it, and for an unchanged home only by inflation as published by the statistics office (ABS); rent is set in SRD, except for a non-resident or a tenant with a fixed income in foreign currency. In a rent dispute you can ask the Rent Committee (Huurcommissie) for advice; the cantonal court has the final say.

For a commercial property that act does not apply. Your lease contract and the general lease rules of the Civil Code apply instead. So put everything in writing:

• Rent, currency and indexation; deposit and when you get it back.
• Term, renewal option and notice period for both sides.
• Permitted use (shop, office, storage, food service) and whether the landlord allows permits. Check with OW that the building suits your use.
• Who pays maintenance, alterations, EBS (electricity) and SWM (water), and who bears the rental value tax.
• Whether you may sublet or transfer the lease if you sell your business.
• A recent mortgage register extract: is the landlord really the owner or leaseholder?

See also Business licences and Start a business.

Buyer checklist

• Recent mortgage register extract (title, owner, mortgages, seizures).
• Parcel map with parcel ID; boundaries checked on site.
• For a lease: decision, end date, purpose, fee paid, minister's consent for the transfer.
• For an estate: certificate of inheritance and cooperation of all heirs.
• Valuation report and financing approval.
• Notary's quote; stamp duty (4% or 0.5%) budgeted.
• Building permit for existing buildings, or a plan for a new application.
• All payments through the notary's client account.

Addresses of government offices are in Government offices and contacts.

Sources

• Decreet Uitgifte Domeingrond (S.B. 1982 no. 11)
• Besluit Grondhuurvergoeding 2023 (S.B. 2023 no. 50)
• Besluit Grondconversie 2023 (S.B. 2023 no. 159)
• Wijziging Besluit Grondconversie (S.B. 2024 no. 157)
• Wijziging Besluit Grondconversie (S.B. 2025 no. 74)
• Suriname Herald: Grondconversie per direct stopgezet (9 August 2025)
• Starnieuws: lopende grondconversieaanvragen worden opnieuw beoordeeld (June 2026)
• Starnieuws: President wil grond alleen nog uitgeven voor concreet doel (12 July 2026)
• Wijziging Zegelwet, zegelrecht 4% (S.B. 2022 no. 119)
• S.B. 2025 no. 130, hypotheekrenteaftrek tot SRD 871.500
• Wet Huurwaardebelasting 1995 (Belastingdienst)
• Ministerie van Openbare Werken: Normenboek bouwvergunningen (2022)
• Besluit Vergunningsrecht (S.B. 2023 no. 92)
• Openbare Werken: registratie tekenbureaus (July 2024)
• Huurwet Woonruimte 2020 (S.B. 2020 no. 53)
• Hakrinbank: hypothecaire lening en 7% hypothecaire lening
• Guide for Immigrants (gov.sr, 2025)
• NJB 2025: Het Nieuw Surinaams Burgerlijk Wetboek
• Key News: het nieuw BW en onverdeelde plantagegrond
• Key News: MI-GLIS opent kantoor in Nickerie (December 2024)
• Guide to Doing Business: Suriname, ownership
• US State Department: 2026 Investment Climate Statement Suriname

Checked on 21 October 2026. General information, not legal advice. Consult a notary.