Importing goods into Suriname

Anyone registered with the KKF (Chamber of Commerce) may import, and most goods need no licence. You register with Customs in ASYCUDA World, a customs broker files the declaration, and you pay import duty (0% to 50%), statistical fee, consent fee, excise where applicable and VAT on the CIF value.

On this page (15)

• Who may import?
• Step by step: clearing a commercial shipment
• Documents you need
• Customs value and customs exchange rate
• Which duties and taxes do you pay?
• Worked example: what does a shipment cost?
• Goods from CARICOM and other preferences
• Importing cars and other vehicles
• Parcels, online orders and personal imports
• Port, storage and lead times
• Exemptions for businesses
• What often goes wrong with imports
• What if...
• Sources
• Frequently asked questions

Who may import?

Since trade was liberalised in 1999, anyone registered with the KKF may import and export. The legal basis is the Goods Traffic Act (Wet Goederenverkeer) and the Negative List Decree 2003. Goods that are not on the Negative List can be imported freely. So you do not need a separate import licence to become an importer. The KKF puts it the same way: an importer or exporter needs no licence.

The Negative List has three types of goods:

Category	Examples	What to do
Prohibited	Certain pesticides, chemical waste, chemical and biological weapons, used passenger cars older than 8 years	Do not import
Licence required	Among others fireworks, medicines, used tyres	H-03 licence from the IUD, in triplicate, after a positive opinion from the relevant ministry
Certificate required	Meat, animal products, plants, micro-organisms	Certificate or inspection by Agriculture (LVV), the Public Health Bureau (BOG) or Health

Not sure whether your product is on the list? Ask the IUD at EZOTI (phone 402957 according to the US trade guide) before you order. Arranging a licence after the goods have shipped often fails, and your shipment then sits in the port.

Step by step: clearing a commercial shipment

1. Get your company in order. KKF registration, a FIN number through the tax office portal and, if your turnover is above SRD 1,000,000, VAT registration. Start a business
2. Register in ASYCUDA World. This is done once. It can go through your customs broker or the tax portal, with your ID or passport, a KKF extract (uittreksel) and the articles of association.
3. Check licences and certificates before you order. If the product is on the Negative List, apply for the H-03 licence first. For plants, request a phytosanitary import permit from Agriculture (LVV), with a copy of the (pro forma) invoice. For animals and animal products you need a veterinary import permit from the Directorate of Livestock.
4. Choose and authorise a customs broker. Every import needs a broker (douane-expediteur or inklaarder). You authorise the broker in ASYCUDA to file on your behalf.
5. Supply the documents. The broker uploads them digitally (PDF or JPEG). See the checklist below.
6. Declaration and calculation. The declaration contains the description, HS code (tariff code), origin and value. ASYCUDA calculates the duties and taxes itself.
7. Pay. You pay by bank transfer; the Receiver of Import Duties and Excise processes the payment in the system.
8. Selection and inspection. ASYCUDA gives the declaration a colour: red (physical and document check), yellow (document check), blue (post-clearance audit) or green (released straight away). Customs may ask for more documents.
9. Inspections. For plants, notify LVV at least one week before arrival; for animals and animal products, notify the veterinary service at least 72 hours before arrival.
10. Release and collection. Once approved, the shipment is released. You pay the terminal its charges and arrange transport.

Documents you need

• Original commercial invoice from the supplier, with description, quantities, prices and delivery term (Incoterm)
• Packing list with weights and number of packages
• Transport document: Bill of Lading (sea) or Air Waybill (air)
• The Single Document (Enig Document, ED, the customs declaration) and the IT form (registration of the trade transaction), usually completed by your broker
• Certificate of origin and CARICOM invoice, if you want the CARICOM rate for goods from the region
• H-03 licence, only for goods on the Negative List
• Phytosanitary certificate from the country of origin (plants and plant products; frozen vegetables and fruit are exempt)
• Veterinary or health certificate (animals, meat, fish, foods on the Negative List)
• Insurance policy or certificate, if insurance is not on the invoice

Customs value and customs exchange rate

Duties are calculated on the customs value: the value of the goods plus freight and insurance to Suriname. This is the CIF value (Cost, Insurance, Freight). If you buy FOB or EXW, Customs adds the freight and insurance.

If your invoice is in dollars, euros or another currency, Customs converts it at the customs exchange rate (douanekoers). Under article 17 of the Import Duties Tariff Act 1996, this is the Central Bank selling rate on the second working day of the two-week period in which you file. It is not the rate at which you exchange money at a bank or cambio (exchange office). The current list is on Customs exchange rate.

Which duties and taxes do you pay?

Charge	Rate	Charged on
Import duty	0% to 50%, in nine bands under the CARICOM Common External Tariff (CET)	CIF value
Statistical fee (statistiekrecht)	0.5%	CIF value
Consent fee (consentrecht)	1.5%	CIF value
Excise (accijns)	Fixed amount per unit, differs per product	Among others spirits, beer, tobacco and cigarettes, soft drinks and motor fuel
Import VAT	10% standard, 5% water, electricity and cooking gas, 25% luxury goods, 0% for goods in annex 1	Customs value plus import duty, excise and other import charges

Import duty: the bands

Suriname applies the CARICOM Common External Tariff. Roughly: raw materials and capital goods low (0%, or 5% to 10%), semi-finished goods 10%, finished goods 15% to 20%. The high bands of 40% and 50% apply among others to alcoholic drinks, beer, tobacco and cigarettes, live animals, fish, eggs, honey, vegetables, fruit, coffee, cereals, precious and semi-precious stones and some motor vehicles. Poultry went from 20% to 40% in 2017. The exact rate depends on the HS code: ask your broker to look it up before you order.

Excise

Excise (accijns) is an extra charge per unit (litre, piece, kilo) on spirits, beer, tobacco, soft drinks and fuel. The amounts are adjusted by ministerial decree. Ask your broker or Customs for the current amount for your product before you set your selling price.

Import VAT

Under the VAT Act 2022 (article 19), the base is the customs value plus import duty, excise and other import charges. The 25% rate applies among others to passenger cars with an engine above 2,500 cc or a CIF value of USD 40,000 or more, motorcycles above 125 cc, pleasure boats, small aircraft, weapons and fireworks. If you are VAT registered, you deduct import VAT as input tax, provided you keep the import document (article 14). VAT in Suriname

Worked example: what does a shipment cost?

You import 200 tools from the United States. Invoice value USD 5,000, sea freight USD 800, insurance USD 50. Assume the import duty for this HS code is 20% (finished good) and no excise applies. We use the customs rate of 20 October 2026: SRD 37.85 per USD.

CIF value: USD 5,850 x 37.85	SRD 221,422.50
Import duty 20%	SRD 44,284.50
Statistical fee 0.5%	SRD 1,107.11
Consent fee 1.5%	SRD 3,321.34
VAT base (CIF plus charges)	SRD 270,135.45
VAT 10%	SRD 27,013.55
Payable to Customs	SRD 75,726.50

If you are VAT registered, you get the SRD 27,013.55 VAT back through your return. Your cost is then SRD 270,135.45, or SRD 1,350.68 per item. On top of that come the broker's fee, terminal and port charges, any storage and transport to your warehouse. Get quotes for these in advance. With the Import cost calculator you can work out your own shipment, including local costs and cost per item.

Goods from CARICOM and other preferences

Suriname is a member of CARICOM and the CARICOM Single Market and Economy (CSME). Goods of CARICOM origin fall under the free trade regime and pay much lower or no import duty compared with the same goods from outside the region. Examples from the US trade guide: juices and non-alcoholic drinks from CARICOM are duty free, and CARICOM raw materials pay 5% against 10% for the same goods from elsewhere. Under the Raw Materials Decree 1997, manufacturers can also get an exemption for raw materials.

Important: you only get the preference with a certificate of origin and a CARICOM invoice. A product that is merely shipped via Trinidad or Barbados but made elsewhere is not a CARICOM good. Ask your supplier in advance whether they can provide the certificate.

Importing cars and other vehicles

• Age limit. Under the Negative List Decree, last amended by S.B. 2026 no. 39 (in force since 21 May 2026), passenger cars older than 8 years and buses for ten or more people older than 15 years may not be imported.
• Exceptions. A car that has been part of the household goods of a returning migrant (remigrant) for more than two years, where the migrant has applied for or obtained admission to Suriname, and classics older than 35 years (collector's items, since 21 May 2026).
• One-off scheme expired. In November 2025 EZOTI gave a one-off exception for delayed passenger cars of model year 2017 and buses of model year 2010. They had to be shipped by 31 December 2025 and arrive in Suriname by 30 April 2026. That window has closed.
• Duties. Some motor vehicles fall in the high import duty bands. You also pay statistical and consent fees and VAT: 25% for passenger cars above 2,500 cc or with a CIF value of USD 40,000 or more, otherwise 10%.
• Electric and hybrid. Import duty on hybrid and electric vehicles was suspended from 30 June 2025 to 28 February 2026 (S.B. 2025 no. 126). We could not find an extension; ask Customs what applies now.

Parcels, online orders and personal imports

A parcel from a web shop or via a courier is also an import. The courier or its broker clears it and charges you duty, VAT and a handling fee. We could not find an officially published duty-free threshold (de minimis) for small shipments. So expect small parcels to be taxed too, and ask Customs (402626) or your courier in advance what you will pay.

Household goods of returning migrants can be exempt from import duty (article 29 Import Duties Tariff Act). Check the conditions with Customs before shipping: a mistake in the packing list or the order of documents can cost you the exemption.

Temporary imports: Suriname is not part of the ATA carnet system. For trade fairs, demonstrations or work, you can import goods temporarily against a deposit equal to the normal duties (cash, bank cheque or bank guarantee). You get it back when the goods are re-exported.

Port, storage and lead times

Most sea containers arrive through the Dr. Jules Sedney Harbour in Paramaribo, called Nieuwe Haven until 2016 and managed by Havenbeheer Suriname (the port authority). DP World runs a container terminal there with reefer plugs and a container freight station for stuffing and stripping, plus the La Vigilantia terminal for project and general cargo. Customs also has posts in Albina and Nieuw-Nickerie.

• Terminal charges and storage. The terminal charges handling fees and, after a number of free days, storage per day. Ask the terminal or your broker for current rates and free days. Every day of delay in your documents costs money.
• Lead time. A green-lane declaration with complete documents can be quick. Red (physical inspection) or missing certificates cost days. A veterinary import permit takes 3 to 15 working days, so apply before shipping.
• Paying for imports. Since the foreign exchange measures of 2021, importers pay their suppliers through a Surinamese bank. Discuss with your bank how to obtain foreign currency; see also Exchange rates today.

Exemptions for businesses

Partial exemptions exist, for example for business assets (always temporary arrangements; according to HBN Law & Tax a 50% exemption from import duty applied until 27 June 2026, and 75% for the production sector), for manufacturers' raw materials (Raw Materials Decree 1997) and temporary suspensions by decree for specific goods. Since 2022 the government has reduced or suspended some of these exemptions. You always apply for an exemption in advance; claiming it back afterwards usually does not work. Ask Customs or the Ministry of Finance and Planning what applies now. Investing in Suriname

What often goes wrong with imports

• Ordering without checking the HS code. The difference between 10% and 40% import duty makes or breaks your margin.
• Under-declaring the value. Customs can correct the value and make you pay the difference, and a false declaration can be an offence. You can also expect more inspections on later shipments.
• No certificate of origin. Without it you pay the full rate on CARICOM goods.
• Forgetting the licence or phytosanitary permit. The shipment then sits in the port, and plants or meat may be destroyed.
• Using the bank rate. Customs uses the customs rate of the filing period, not the rate on the day you paid.
• Forgetting local costs. Broker, terminal, storage and transport can weigh heavily on a small shipment. Include them in your price: Price and markup.
• Buying a car without checking the model year. A car that is just too old cannot come in, and you are left with a car you must ship back.

What if...

• ...my declaration is rejected? It contains an error or documents are missing. The broker corrects the declaration under Customs supervision.
• ...I disagree with the value or the rate? Ask Customs for an explanation in writing and have your broker file an objection. Keep your evidence: invoice, proof of payment, product specifications.
• ...I import for the government or the oil and gas sector? An exemption may be in your contract or the law. See Become an oil and gas supplier and Tenders.
• ...I also want to export? See Exporting from Suriname.

Contact details of Customs, the receiving office and the customs posts are on Government offices and contacts. General questions: Customs phone 402626.

Sources

• EZOTI: wijziging Besluit Negatieve Lijst (S.B. 2026 no. 39)
• Belastingdienst: algemene procedure in-, uit- en doorvoer (2026)
• Belastingdienst: Douane Suriname (FIN, ASYCUDA)
• EZOTI: Suriname Import-Export Gids (2024)
• Besluit Negatieve Lijst 2003
• RVO: exportregels en producteisen Suriname (gecontroleerd 30 september 2026)
• trade.gov: Suriname trade barriers (tarieven, statistiek- en consentrecht)
• trade.gov: Suriname import requirements and documentation
• EITI Suriname: statistiekrecht 0,5% en consentrecht 1,5% van de CIF-waarde
• Wet BTW 2022, S.B. 2022 no. 121
• Wet BTW bijlage 3: tarief 25%
• EZOTI: import van voertuigen (17 November 2025)
• S.B. 2025 no. 126: schorsing invoerrecht elektrische en hybride voertuigen
• LVV: importvoorwaarden planten, procedures en keuringen
• Financiën en Planning: beleidsnota reductie vrijstellingen bij invoer (2022)
• DP World Paramaribo
• US State Department: 2024 Investment Climate Statement Suriname

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