How to start a business in Suriname

You choose a legal form, get the trade name approved, register at the KKF (Chamber of Commerce) within one week of starting, apply for a licence if your activity is on the list, register with the tax office (Belastingdienst) and open a business account. A sole trader without a licence can do this in a few days; with an NV or a licence, count on a few weeks.

Step by step

1. Choose your legal form. Sole trader, partnership, NV or another form. This decides your liability, your costs and whether you need a notary. See the table below.
2. Get your trade name approved. Through the E-Services or at the KKF counter. Cost SRD 300; the approval is valid for a maximum of 3 months.
3. Set up the legal entity (NV, foundation, association or cooperative only). At a notary, or with a government standard model deed (modelakte) whose signatures are legalised at the KKF.
4. Arrange your premises. A lease or proof of ownership and, where needed, a building permit and advice from the fire service.
5. Apply for a licence if your activity requires one. This goes through the KKF One Stop Window or E-Services. See Business licences.
6. Register at the KKF within one week of starting your activities. You get a registration number and can order an extract (uittreksel).
7. Register with the tax office through the online portal and get your FIN. Also register for VAT if your turnover goes above SRD 1,000,000 a year, and as an employer before you pay the first wage.
8. Open a business account with your KKF extract, ID, articles of association and (if needed) licence. See Opening a business bank account.
9. Set up your bookkeeping: invoices showing your KKF number, a cash book and a VAT register. See Bookkeeping and invoices.

Choose a legal form

What changed with the new Civil Code (1 May 2025)

• Book 2 now governs all legal entities: association, cooperative, mutual insurance society, foundation and NV. The old Commercial Code (1936) and Foundations Act (1968) have been replaced. A BV (private limited company) was deliberately not introduced.
• The shareholder-managed NV (art. 2:239 ff.) has no separate board. Every shareholder is a director and every shareholders' meeting is also a board meeting. It is meant for family businesses and one-person companies.
• No more presidential approval. For incorporation it was abolished in 2016 (S.B. 2016 no. 103), and under Book 2 also for amending the articles. Older texts, including some government and KKF pages, still mention approval by the President (verklaring van geen bezwaar), publication in the Official Gazette and a minimum issued capital. Shares can be issued without nominal value; for shares with a nominal value at least that value must be paid up.
• Standard model deed. Besides a notarial deed, an NV (since 2016) and under Book 2 also a foundation, association or cooperative may be set up with a model deed set by the minister. The signatures are legalised in duplicate at the KKF. If you want different articles, or later want to change them, you need a notary. A legal article from April 2026 reported that new model deeds under Book 2 had not yet been adopted at that time. Ask the KKF whether a model deed is available for your legal form.
• Bearer shares were abolished in 2016. Anyone still holding an old bearer certificate can claim a registered share until 1 May 2027; after that those shares lapse.
• The VOF is now called openbare vennootschap (Book 7, title 13). It may or may not be a legal entity. The CV is a special form of it.
• The KKF can dissolve dormant legal entities (art. 2:25 ff.). Keep your registration up to date.

Choosing and approving your trade name

Before you register, the KKF checks whether your trade name is available. You submit it through the KKF E-Services (Name approval, naamsgoedkeuring) or at the counter. List a few alternative names straight away. Someone else may file it for you if your details are on the form and that person shows ID.

• Name approval fee: SRD 300.
• Valid for a maximum of 3 months from the date of the letter. Register within that time or start again.
• Also check whether someone else has registered the name as a trademark. A trade name is not a trademark. See Trademark registration.
• Check that the domain name and social media handles are free before you have a logo designed.

Registering at the KKF

The trade register (Handelsregister) is kept by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kamer van Koophandel en Fabrieken, KKF). The new Trade Register Act (S.B. 2024 no. 169) and Trade Register Decree (S.B. 2025 no. 46) have applied since 1 May 2025. Every business must register, small ones too; the new law deliberately makes no exception.

Deadline

You file the first registration within one week of starting your activities (art. 8). Changes, such as a new address, a new director or closing down, must also be reported within one week. If you sell the business, it counts as closed and the new owner registers it again.

What to bring

• Valid original ID: ID card, driving licence or passport; foreigners a passport. Minimum age 18.
• A recent colour passport photo, or the KKF takes one.
• Residents: proof of registration in the population register, no older than six months. Non-residents: official proof of address from the home country.
• Recent proof of your current home address.
• For a licensed activity: the original licence. For a trade that requires qualifications: diploma or certificate.
• Transport business: registration certificate, driving licence, inspection certificate, insurance certificate and, if relevant, a purchase agreement.
• General or limited partnership: the original partnership agreement.
• NV, foundation, association, cooperative: the original deed of incorporation and articles; for a cooperative also a signed member list.
• The registration fee. Any outstanding annual contribution must be paid first.

Foreign documents may not be older than six months and must be translated into Dutch or English by a sworn translator. If someone else registers for you, give that person a legalised power of attorney.

Online or at the counter

Through the KKF E-Services you apply for name approval, register a sole trader business online, order digital extracts and file licence applications. You create an account, upload documents and pay with KKF Credit (bank transfer), Mope or Uni5Pay. Other legal forms register at the counter or through the notary. The KKF is open Monday to Friday, 08:00 to 16:00. The head office is at Gravenberchstraat 33 in Paramaribo (phone 530311); there are branches in Paramaribo North, Wanica (Kwatta and Vier Kinderenweg), Commewijne and Nickerie.

What is an uittreksel?

An uittreksel (extract) is an official copy of your details in the trade register: name, address, activities, owner or directors and who may sign. Banks, the tax office, government tenders and suppliers ask for it, usually no older than six months. The register is public: anyone can order an extract of any business using its name or file number. An extract costs SRD 300. An English extract is ordered by phone or at the counter and takes at least a week.

Annual contribution

Every year after the year of registration you pay a contribution to the KKF. The amount is set by or under state decree (art. 14). The KKF sends you a notice and you pay within one month. Non-payment is collected like a tax debt. Ask the KKF for the current amount for your legal form; we did not find it published on the KKF website.

Licence: only if your activity is on the list

Under the Businesses and Professions Act (Wet Bedrijven en Beroepen, S.B. 2017 no. 40), doing business is free in principle. A licence is only needed for activities on the list, such as hotels and guesthouses, travel agencies, petrol stations, butchers, hair salons, food manufacturers and shops selling for example cars, medicines or meat. Places that serve food and drinks need a licence from the district commissioner. Banks, exchange offices and money transfer businesses fall under the Central Bank. Ordinary importing and exporting is free after KKF registration, except for goods on the Negative List.

You file the application through the KKF (One Stop Window or E-Services); the ministry decides. At the One Stop Window you pay SRD 550 including the licence fee. The law gives the ministry a maximum of about 35 days. Read all about the list, the documents and sector licences in Business licences.

Mind the order: the KKF asks for the original licence when you register a licensed activity, while the licence application asks for a KKF extract. The KKF One Stop Window handles both in the right order; ask there how it works for your legal form. Do not start the licensed activity until the licence is granted.

Tax office: FIN, wage tax and VAT

After KKF registration you register with the tax office (Belastingdienst). For VAT, wage tax, corporate income tax and personal income tax/AOV this goes through the online portal. There you get a FIN (Fiscaal Identificatienummer, tax identification number) or link your existing FIN. If you were already liable for income tax before 2025 or wage tax before 2024, you register at the registration counter instead.

• Employer (inhoudingsplichtige). If you pay wages you are a withholding agent (art. 6 Wage Tax Act). Register before the first payroll. Each employer gets one FIN; you cannot put another company's employees under your FIN, not even within a group. You file wage tax and AOV monthly in the portal; since December 2025 the annual payroll summary (verzamelloonstaat) can also be filed online. See Hiring staff.
• VAT. Registration is mandatory once your taxable turnover goes above SRD 1,000,000 per calendar year. The standard rate is 10%; you file and pay monthly. See VAT in Suriname.
• Income tax. A sole trader pays income tax through the owner; an NV, foundation or cooperative pays 36% on profit. See Business taxes and Income tax and returns.
• Import and export. Commercial importers and exporters need a FIN. See Importing goods.

Business bank account

With your KKF extract, ID, articles (for a legal entity), a UBO (ultimate beneficial owner) declaration and, if needed, your licence you open a business account. Banks must ask about the source of your starting capital and expected turnover; prepare for that. In 2026 the Ministry of Economic Affairs (EZOTI) signed a memorandum of understanding with Trustbank Amanah on 30 April 2026: businesses that receive a licence through the ministry can open a business account there within 48 hours. Existing businesses without an account can report to the ministry for a referral. Full details: Opening a business bank account.

Hiring staff: premiums and rules

• Wage tax and AOV. You withhold wage tax and the 4% AOV premium and pay them monthly. The portal accepts returns from the 26th up to and including the 10th. Calculate it with Net salary calculator.
• Pension (APF) and basic health insurance. Employees fall under the General Pension Act and everyone must have basic health insurance. What you pay as an employer is in Employer costs.
• Minimum wage: SRD 61.25 an hour since 1 July 2026. See Minimum wage.
• Contract and labour law. Since 1 May 2025 the employment contract has been in Book 7 of the new Civil Code. See Labour law basics and Dismissal and notice.
• Foreign employees usually need a work permit: Work and residence permits.

Your premises: lease, building, fire service and hygiene

• Lease. Put the lease in writing and have the owner confirm that you may run your business there. For a licence the KKF asks for the owner's approval or the lease, with legalised signatures, and a mortgage register extract of the property (from MI-GLIS, the land registry). Buying land or a building: Buying land and property.
• Building permit. If you build or renovate, apply to the Ministry of Public Works (Building Act 1956). You pay SRD 50 in fees per application plus a permit charge. For a one-storey business building that is 0.20% of a fixed building value of SRD 15,000 per m², so SRD 30 per m²: SRD 3,000 for 100 m². A home up to 70 m² costs SRD 250. Delivery of the permit package costs SRD 100.
• Fire service. For shops, warehouses, hotels, guesthouses, schools, day care centres, halls and storage of flammable materials, the Prevention Department of the Suriname Fire Service gives advice first, within 30 days. The permit follows only after you have carried out its requirements. A licensed shop must keep a powder extinguisher of at least 7 kg within reach.
• Food and drink. If you make or sell food, you need a health certificate from your GP, stamped by the Public Health Bureau (BOG). Meat requires veterinary permits and hygiene rules. A place that serves food or drinks needs a licence from the district commissioner.
• Nuisance and environment. If your business may cause nuisance (noise, smell, smoke), you may need a Nuisance Act permit (Hinderwetvergunning) from the district commissioner. Larger projects can require an environmental impact assessment at the National Environmental Authority (NMA). See Business licences.

Foreign company or foreign entrepreneur

Only a resident can register a sole trader business. As a foreigner you usually start with an NV or a branch of your foreign company. A licence can be applied for by a resident, a citizen of another CARICOM country or a legal entity.

For a branch the KKF asks for:

• A recent original extract or certificate of registration from the parent company's country, showing name, address and directors.
• The parent company's deed of incorporation and articles.
• An original letter appointing the manager in Suriname, with a legalised signature of the parent company's authorised representative.
• A legalised colour copy of the passport of the person who signed the appointment letter.
• Sworn translations into Dutch or English, no older than six months.

More on investing, residence and work permits: Investing in Suriname.

Costs and timeline

In practice: a sole trader without a licence is registered within a week. An NV with a notary and a licence takes more like four to eight weeks. According to the ministry, entrepreneurs used to wait up to seven months for a licence; it says the process must now stay within the legal term of one month. Plan with a margin.

Checklist

• Legal form chosen; for an NV or foundation, notary or model deed arranged
• Trade name approved (SRD 300, valid 3 months)
• Lease or proof of ownership, with the owner's consent
• Checked whether your activity needs a licence; if so, applied through the KKF
• Building permit and fire service advice if you build or open a shop, restaurant or storage
• KKF registration within a week of starting; extract ordered
• FIN through the tax office portal; registered as employer and for VAT where needed
• Business account opened
• KKF number on invoices, quotes and letterheads
• Bookkeeping set up: invoices, cash book, VAT register, payslips
• Calendar with all tax deadlines: Tax deadlines

Your first year: what is due when

Add all tax dates to your calendar at once with Tax deadlines.

Mistakes starters make

• Registering late. The deadline is one week after starting, not "once things are going". The fine can reach SRD 50,000.
• Starting before the licence. A licensed business operating without a licence risks an administrative fine, a penalty payment and closure.
• A licence in someone else's name. The licence is personal. Letting someone else run the business on your licence, or "renting" a licence, is prohibited without consent from the ministry's director.
• Moving without changing the licence. A location-bound licence lapses when you move. Apply for the change 30 days in advance.
• Relying on old information. Texts about presidential approval, minimum capital for an NV or a "VOF" are out of date.
• No KKF number on invoices. It is mandatory, and customers and government check it.
• Mixing private and business money. Without a separate account your books are hard to check and credit is harder to get.
• Paying staff without registering as an employer. Register first; fixing it afterwards takes longer.
• Shipping goods without an import licence. For goods on the Negative List you must have the licence before shipment.

What if...

Addresses and phone numbers of all offices: Government offices and contacts · Business resources

Sources

• Handelsregisterwet, S.B. 2024 no. 169
• Handelsregisterbesluit, S.B. 2025 no. 46
• Burgerlijk Wetboek Boek 2 met toelichting, S.B. 2024 no. 164
• K. Frielink, Het nieuwe rechtspersonenrecht in Suriname (MvO, april 2026)
• KKF E-Services: benodigdheden inschrijving en vergunningplichtige bedrijven
• KKF: veelgestelde vragen (tarieven, openingstijden)
• KKF: One Stop Window en rechtsvormen
• Wet Bedrijven en Beroepen, S.B. 2017 no. 40
• Belastingdienst: registreren bij de Belastingdienst
• Belastingdienst: BTW algemeen
• Besluit Vergunningsrecht (bouwvergunning), S.B. 2023 no. 92
• Beschikking Brandveiligheid, S.B. 2007 no. 118
• Suriname Herald: EZ verkort vergunningstraject naar één maand (9 May 2026)
• RVO: zo start u een bedrijf in Suriname

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