Registering a trademark in Suriname: procedure, costs and protection

You register a trademark in Suriname with the Intellectual Property Office (Bureau voor Intellectuele Eigendom, BIE) of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Entrepreneurship and Technological Innovation (EZOTI), through a national application. Suriname is not part of the Madrid system. Since 9 October 2026 service marks can be registered too, and existing owners can add service classes until 9 July 2027.

What is new: service marks since 9 October 2026

Until recently Suriname only protected marks for goods (Nice classes 1 to 34). A restaurant, bank, hotel, transport company or consultancy could not register its name as a mark for its services. The National Assembly (De Nationale Assemblee) approved an amendment to the trademark rules in July 2026, which took effect on 9 October 2026. What changes:

• Service marks can be registered under the same regime as goods marks. Grounds for refusal and invalidity now also apply to services.
• Transition window: anyone with a registered mark or pending application on 9 October 2026 can, once, add service classes until 9 July 2027. The original filing or registration date is kept. You must prove use of the mark in Suriname for those services, for example with invoices, order confirmations or contracts, and pay the applicable fees.
• The fee for each class above the third also applies to service classes. There will be a separate fee for changing your trademark agent.
• Electronic filings have technical requirements for the image of the mark (size, resolution, file format). Registered marks are published on the BIE website.

An existing registration under the old rules stays valid; you do not need to register again. Only if you also want to cover services must you act before 9 July 2027.

The rules and the BIE

Suriname has no modern trademark act. The basis is still the Royal Decree of 29 August 1912 on factory and trade marks (the Industrial Property Regulation 1912), amended in 1984 (decree C-81), 2001 and 2026. One consequence of that old system: according to trademark specialists, the right to a mark arises from first use; registration counts as evidence of it. So register and keep proof that you use the mark.

The Intellectual Property Office (BIE) is part of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Entrepreneurship and Technological Innovation (EZOTI). At present the BIE only registers trademarks and gives general information about intellectual property. Since December 2024 the BIE uses TMclass and the EUIPO harmonised database of terms to describe goods and services.

Intellectual Property Office (BIE)
Address	Fred Derbystraat 81, 1st floor right, Paramaribo
Phone	+597 420006
Online	bie.gov.sr (applications, fees, classes, publication list and contact form)
Opening hours	Monday to Thursday 09:00 to 14:00, Friday 09:00 to 13:30

What you can register

• Word mark: a name, word, letters or numbers.
• Figurative mark or logo, in colour if you like, and shape marks (3D), as long as the sign is distinctive and can be shown graphically.
• Not, according to the latest available country information: sound marks, smell marks and collective marks.

You choose classes under the Nice Classification. One application may cover several classes. Describe your goods and services with terms from TMclass; that avoids questions from the BIE. A mark that is descriptive (for example “Best Rice” for rice) or confusingly similar to an earlier mark can be refused.

Registering a mark step by step

1. Search first. Check whether an identical or similar mark exists. Ask the BIE or an agent to search the register, and also look in the KKF trade register and at .sr domain names.
2. Choose the classes. Use the Nice Classification and TMclass. Include only classes you actually use or will use.
3. Create an account at bie.gov.sr and file the application online. On paper, use form UD-BIP-202 (request for registration), or UD-BIP-203 if you claim priority from a foreign application, and read the instructions UD-BIP-201 first.
4. Power of attorney. If someone represents you, use form UD-BIP-211 (power of attorney).
5. File and pay. File the application and pay the fee per mark into an account of the Ministry of EZOTI / BIE (account numbers are on bie.gov.sr under Tarieven en betalen) or through the Centrale Betaaldienst. A digital stamp duty applies on top. Keep your proof of filing: your filing date counts.
6. Examination. The BIE checks formalities, distinctiveness and earlier marks. Office actions are rare.
7. Publication and registration. The mark is published in the Official Advertiser (Advertentieblad van de Republiek Suriname) and registered; you receive a registration certificate. There is no opposition procedure before registration. Anyone who claims to own the mark can ask for invalidation within 9 months of publication.

Documents

• Completed application form (UD-BIP-202 or 203).
• The name of the mark and, for a logo, an image meeting the BIE requirements.
• List of goods and services per Nice class.
• Applicant's name and address; for a company a KKF extract.
• Power of attorney if an agent files. For foreign applicants: an original notarised power of attorney in Dutch and English, one per application.
• When claiming priority: a certified English copy of the earlier application from the foreign trademark office.

Costs and timeline

The fees are in article 23 of the Industrial Property Regulation 1912, last set by S.B. 2018 no. 105. The BIE publishes them on bie.gov.sr:

Action	SRD
First registration of a mark, up to 3 classes	500
Per class above the third (also on renewal)	50
Renewal, up to 3 classes	500
Transfer of a mark	250
Cancellation, change of name or address, limiting the list of goods	200
Certified copy / uncertified copy	200 / 65

On top comes a digital stamp duty of SRD 1.50 per document subject to it (the request and the certificate, plus the power of attorney if an agent files). Pay per mark. Since the October 2026 amendment the fees can be changed by state decree, so check the BIE fee page just before you file. An agent charges its own fee on top.

Processing is slow: new applications take 3 to 4 years on average; transfers and other changes often take longer. Your filing date still counts from the day you file, so file as early as possible.

Term, renewal and changes

• A registration lasts 10 years and can be renewed for 10 years at a time, with form UD-BIP-204 (or UD-BIP-205 if you also limit the list of goods).
• Renew before the expiry date. After that you have a 6-month grace period. Once that has passed, restoration is not possible and you must file a new application with a new date.
• If your name or address changes, or you sell the mark, file the right form: change of name (UD-BIP-207), change of address (UD-BIP-208) or transfer (UD-BIP-209), with the notarial documents that prove it.
• Use your mark. According to trademark agents, a mark can become vulnerable after 3 years of non-use.

Protecting a mark as a foreign company

Suriname is not a member of the Madrid Agreement or Protocol. An international registration through WIPO does not cover Suriname. You file a national application through a local agent, with an original notarised power of attorney in Dutch and English. Suriname is a member of the Paris Convention: if you file within that convention's priority period, you can claim the date of your first foreign application. A home registration is not required. If you already sell in Suriname through a distributor, register the mark in your own company's name, not the distributor's.

Trade name, domain name and trademark: the difference

	What it protects	Where
Trade name	The name your business trades under. Under the Trade Name Act 1931 nobody may use a name confusingly similar to one another business already uses lawfully. The cantonal court can order a name change.	Registration in the KKF trade register. The trade register rules contain no check for similar names, so registering does not automatically protect your name.
Trademark	The sign on your goods and services, throughout Suriname, for the chosen classes.	BIE.
.sr domain name	Your web address. Anyone may apply, including from abroad (with an address in Suriname). Term 1 to 5 years, renewed automatically.	Telesur manages .sr; applications go through Datasur. Premium names cost USD 100 to 300 a year.

If someone registered your brand as a .sr domain without a legitimate interest and in bad faith, you can challenge it through the dispute procedure (arbitration) in the .sr terms. A registered trademark makes your position much stronger. Starting a business and registering your name: see Start a business.

Copyright, patents and designs

• Copyright: governed by the Copyright Act 1913 (last amended in 2015). Suriname is a member of the Berne Convention, so copyright in texts, photos, software, music and designs arises without registration. Keep evidence of when you created something (original files, dates). According to the US State Department, the 2015 amendments are not enforced.
• Patents: old legislation exists, but the BIE is not accepting patent applications until further notice. Protecting an invention in Suriname is not possible now; inventors file in their export markets. Keep an invention confidential until it is protected elsewhere.
• Designs: Suriname has been party to the Geneva Act of the Hague Agreement on international design registration since 10 September 2020, but there is no national design law. Ask a specialist what an international registration is worth in Suriname.
• Not protected: utility models, geographical indications, chip layouts and trade secrets have no specific legal regime. Protect secrets with contracts (confidentiality clauses).

Enforcement and counterfeits

Enforcement of intellectual property in Suriname is weak: infringements are rarely prosecuted and the government keeps no figures on seized counterfeit goods. Do not count on the authorities to police your mark. What you can do yourself:

1. Collect evidence. Photos, receipts, adverts, dated screenshots.
2. Send a cease-and-desist letter. Through a lawyer, referring to your BIE registration.
3. Go to court. Summary proceedings (kort geding) at the cantonal court for an injunction, with a penalty for non-compliance if needed. For a trade name the cantonal court can order a name change.
4. Consider a police report. Criminal law has provisions against misuse of names and marks. Ask your lawyer whether reporting it to the police makes sense.
5. Customs. We found no published procedure to record a mark with customs. If counterfeits come in through imports, contact customs and a lawyer. See also Importing goods.

Common mistakes

• Thinking a KKF registration protects your brand. It only covers your trade name.
• Waiting until you are big. With 3 to 4 years of processing, every month counts. File as soon as your name is settled.
• Service businesses doing nothing. Restaurants, shops with their own brand, salons and consultancies can now apply for a service mark. If you already have a goods mark, add service classes before 9 July 2027.
• Letting the distributor register. Then the distributor owns your brand in Suriname.
• Forgetting renewal. After the 6-month grace period your mark is gone. Put the expiry date in your calendar.
• A list of goods that is too broad or vague. Use TMclass terms and only classes you really use.

More on licences and institutions: Business licences · Business resources · Government offices and contacts

Sources

• Ministerie van EZOTI: Bureau Intellectuele Eigendom (BIE), formulieren en contact
• Spoor & Fisher: Suriname introduces registration and protection for service marks (21 October 2026)
• Caribbean IP: Suriname trademark law reform, service marks
• Ogier: Trade marks prosecution factsheet Dutch Caribbean and Suriname (October 2026)
• Country Index: Suriname trademark survey
• WIPO Lex: Suriname, IP legislation and treaties
• WIPO Lex: Koninklijk Besluit no. 57 van 29 augustus 1912 (merken)
• WIPO Lex: Handelsnaamwet 1931
• WIPO Hague Notification No. 142: Suriname, Akte van Genève
• HSM IP: Suriname patent guide
• US State Department: 2026 Investment Climate Statement Suriname (intellectual property)
• Guide to Doing Business: Suriname, intellectual property rights
• Handelsregisterbesluit (S.B. 2025 no. 46)
• Datasur: terms and conditions .sr domain names
• Datasur: Premium Domain Policy (2026)
• IANA: delegation record for .sr

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