USD 37.80·EUR 42.10

Doing business with Brazil

Brazil is Suriname's largest neighbour, but trade is small and one-sided: in 2025 Brazil supplied USD 55 million, mainly meat, steel and machinery, and bought almost nothing back. There is no road between the two countries. Both governments want to change that.

Exports from Suriname (2025)
USD 0.02 million
Brazilian figures via UN Comtrade
Imports into Suriname (2025)
USD 54.9 million
Brazilian figures via UN Comtrade
Trade regime
Rice agreement
partial scope deal for rice; Mercosur associate
On this page (12)
In short
  • No free trade; there is a partial scope agreement with tariff concessions for Surinamese rice to northern Brazil.
  • Suriname has been an associate member of Mercosur since 2013; that does not give free market access.
  • President Geerlings-Simons visited Brasília on 28 May 2026; the Anel das Guianas road plan was on the agenda.
  • Flights to Belém (Gol and Surinam Airways); no road link.

Trade in figures

According to Brazilian figures (UN Comtrade), Brazil exported USD 54.9 million to Suriname in 2025: mainly meat (USD 8.4 million), steel articles (USD 7.9 million), machinery (USD 6.2 million) and meat preparations (USD 5.4 million). Brazil bought only USD 0.02 million from Suriname in 2025. In 2024 the figure was USD 1.9 million, almost all rice.

Amounts in US dollars. Because Suriname does not report most of its exports (gold) by country, we use the partner country's figures: its imports from Suriname are Suriname's exports, its exports to Suriname are Suriname's imports. Imports usually include freight and insurance (CIF) and exports do not (FOB), so the two sides always differ somewhat.

Trade agreements and duties

There is no general free trade agreement. According to EZOTI, a Partial Scope Agreement gives tariff concessions for Surinamese rice to northern Brazil. Suriname has been an associate member of Mercosur since 2013; full membership would first require joining ALADI. Brazil and Suriname signed an investment agreement in 2018.

On 28 May 2026 President Lula received President Jennifer Geerlings-Simons in Brasília, in the 50th year of diplomatic relations. According to CNN Brasil, 12 instruments were to be signed to expand the modest trade, with a focus on food security and a better sea link. During the visit SITA also met the Brazilian export agency ApexBrasil.

How rules of origin, certificates and preferential rates work is explained in Trade agreements and market access.

Market access in practice

Brazil applies the Mercosur common external tariff and a complex tax system with federal and state taxes on top of the import duty. Food and farm products need registration with the Brazilian agriculture ministry (MAPA) or the health agency ANVISA. Business is done in Portuguese. The market closest to Suriname is northern Brazil: Belém (Pará) and Macapá (Amapá).

Transport and travel

There is no road link: the border lies in dense forest. Gol and Surinam Airways fly between Paramaribo and Belém. Brazil is working on the Anel das Guianas plan, a road ring from Roraima via Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana to Amapá. According to Brazil's foreign ministry (May 2026), the Guyana section comes first, perhaps within two years; the section through Suriname is not yet concrete. Brazil also wants to improve the sea route to the Caribbean, because produce from northern Brazil is now often traded via Miami.

Flights and sailing schedules change often. Check them with the airline or your forwarder before you plan. Shipping and logistics · Business trip to Suriname

Embassies and consulates

Brazil has had an embassy in Paramaribo since 1976. Suriname has an embassy in Brasília and a consulate general in Belém.

Addresses and opening hours of Suriname's missions are on the official site of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs: embassies.gov.sr.

Chambers, networks and support

We could not confirm a bilateral chamber of commerce. For Brazilian suppliers and buyers, ApexBrasil is the official export agency; on the Surinamese side it is SITA. Many Brazilian entrepreneurs in Suriname work in trade, hospitality and the gold sector.

In Suriname, SITA (export and investment promotion), the KKF and EZOTI can help. Business organisations are listed in Business associations.

Opportunities

  • Rice to northern Brazil under the tariff concessions; ask EZOTI which volumes and certificates apply.
  • Sourcing meat, steel, machinery and building materials from Brazil as an alternative to the US and Europe.
  • Agricultural know-how (tropical crops, livestock) through Brazilian partners and programmes.

These are possibilities that fit the trade between the two countries, not a promise of customers. Test an idea first with conversations, samples and numbers. Market research

Watch out for

  • Brazilian import rules and taxes are complex: work with a Brazilian importer.
  • The Brazilian real is volatile; agree prices in USD.
  • Infrastructure plans take time: for now, plan on air and sea freight.

How to start

  1. Test the market. Look at the figures above to see what is already traded, and talk to at least three buyers or suppliers. Market research
  2. Determine the HS code and the tariff. Look up the import duty in the destination country, and whether you can get a preference. Trade agreements and market access
  3. Meet the requirements. Certificate of origin, phytosanitary or health certificate, label and any registration of your business. Exporting from Suriname
  4. Agree delivery and payment. Choose an Incoterm, a payment method (prepayment, L/C) and the currency. Accepting payments
  5. Work out the total cost. Freight, insurance, duties and margin. Price and markup · Import cost calculator
  6. Start with a trial shipment and keep all documents per shipment. Proforma invoice

Guides that help next

Other countries

Sources

Checked on 26 October 2026. General information, not legal or customs advice. Have tariffs and requirements confirmed per shipment.