VAT in Suriname: registration, rates, returns and input VAT

Suriname has levied VAT (BTW, belasting over de toegevoegde waarde) since 1 January 2023. The standard rate is 10%. Above SRD 1,000,000 of taxable turnover in a calendar year you must register, file a monthly return and pay before the 16th of the following month. In return you can deduct the VAT on your purchases and imports.

Who must register?

You are a business for VAT purposes if you independently carry on a trade or profession in Suriname. The legal form does not matter: sole trader (eenmanszaak), partnership (openbare vennootschap), limited company (NV) or a foundation that runs a business. Whether you must register depends on your taxable turnover: what customers pay you, excluding VAT. Exempt turnover does not count.

If you run several businesses or activities, add up all turnover. Companies that are financially, organisationally and economically linked can ask the Inspector to be treated as one business (fiscal unity). The threshold only applies to businesses resident or established in Suriname.

Voluntary registration can pay off if you mostly sell to other VAT registered businesses or invest heavily: you get back the VAT on your purchases and imports. If you sell mainly to consumers, registration usually makes your prices higher.

Rates, zero rate and exemptions

The annexes (bijlagen) to the VAT Act decide which rate applies. They changed substantially on 5 September 2023 (S.B. 2023 no. 126). Many lists still in circulation, including on older websites, are based on the January 2023 version and are out of date.

What is exempt?

• Health: doctors, dentists, physiotherapists, psychologists and other (para)medical professionals; hospitals and laboratories; medicines and medical aids; ambulance transport; care for the elderly.
• Education by recognised institutions supervised by the Ministry of Education, plus learning materials, school supplies and school uniforms; childcare.
• Local health insurance and life insurance.
• Domestic passenger transport by road and water.
• Financial services: currency exchange, payments and cheques, credit, shares, bonds and derivatives.
• Basic goods: fresh vegetables, fresh chicken, fresh unprocessed fish, eggs, flour, bread and cassava bread, rice, paddy, milk, soy oil, matches, contraceptives, disposable nappies, bath soap and toilet paper.
• Domestic supplies of gold to licensed gold buyers, of fresh fish to licensed fish processors and exporters, and of works of art.
• Animal feed and its raw materials, insecticides, fertiliser, pesticides and seeds.
• Casino gaming, and goods and services of non-profit organisations with a social, cultural, charitable, sports or religious purpose.

The ministerial specification lists for annexes 2 and 3 (among others S.B. 2024 no. 7, S.B. 2024 no. 12 and S.B. 2025 no. 128) show what falls under them per goods code. They are on the tax office legislation page.

VAT on imports

On imports you pay VAT to Customs together with the import duties. This applies to everyone, including small businesses and private persons. VAT is calculated on the customs value (CIF) plus the import duty, excise and other import levies such as the statistical fee (statistiekrecht) and consent fee (consentrecht). So you pay VAT on top of the duties.

If you are VAT registered, you deduct the import VAT you paid in the return for the month you paid it. You need the import document showing that the goods are for your business. Your customs broker must give you, within 15 days after import, a statement showing the VAT paid separately, plus a copy of the import document. Ask for it.

The Minister can grant a VAT exemption on import for raw materials under the Raw Materials Decree 1997 and for other goods that are exempt from import duty (not for goods of CARICOM origin). Work out the full landed cost with the Import cost calculator and the current Customs exchange rate. The procedure is explained in Importing goods.

Input VAT: what can you deduct?

In your return you deduct the VAT other businesses charged you on a correct invoice, the VAT you paid on imports, and the VAT you had to declare yourself under the reverse charge. The condition is that you use the purchases for turnover that is subject to VAT (also at 0% or 5%). There is no deduction for exempt turnover.

Not deductible is the VAT on:

• food, drink and tobacco you provide (business lunches, canteen meals);
• business gifts and other gifts;
• wages in kind and recreation for staff;
• passenger cars and everything related to them (fuel, maintenance, parts). Exception: car dealers, car leasing companies and vehicles with a permitted mass above 3,500 kg.

Mixed use. If you use a purchase for both taxable and exempt turnover, you deduct a share based on your turnover ratio. You use a provisional ratio and correct it in the December return. For buildings the deduction is reviewed for another 9 years, for other assets you depreciate for another 4 years, if the use changes by more than 10%.

Customer does not pay? You can reclaim the VAT on an unpaid invoice in the return for the month in which that becomes clear. The other way round: if you do not pay a supplier's invoice within a year after it became due, you must repay the VAT you deducted.

What must be on a VAT invoice?

When you supply another business, you must issue a dated invoice with a sequential number, also for an advance payment. You must do so within 15 days after the end of the month in which you delivered. Keep a copy of every invoice.

• Invoice date and a unique, sequential invoice number
• Your FIN number (tax identification number) and your customer's
• Your name and address and your customer's
• Quantity and type of goods, or scope and type of service
• Date of delivery or date the service was completed
• Amount excluding VAT per rate or exemption, and the unit price excluding VAT
• The rate applied and the VAT amount
• For an exemption: a statement that the supply is exempt
• For motor vehicles: make, model, engine capacity and chassis number; for work on a vehicle the licence plate
• For a reverse charge: the words "BTW verlegd" (VAT reverse charged)

For consumers you may issue a sequentially numbered till receipt that also shows the rate. Without a cash register you give consumers an invoice too. Electronic invoices are allowed if your customer accepts them and authenticity and legibility are guaranteed. Prices for consumers must include VAT; quoting prices excluding VAT to private customers is an offence (fine up to SRD 10,000).

Make your invoice with the Invoice generator, a correction with the Credit note, and check a supplier's FIN number in the public tax office VAT register.

Registering and filing through the online portal

1. Gather your documents. An email address not used for another registration, a scan or photo of your KKF (Chamber of Commerce) extract (or contract or licence), for a sole trader a scan of your ID card, passport or driving licence, and details of your annual turnover. An SRD bank account is needed for refunds.
2. Request an account. The E-registration on belastingdienst.sr takes you to the online portal. Your FIN number is your number for all taxes; there is no separate VAT number.
3. File every month. Between the 1st and the 15th of the month you file for the previous month: turnover per rate, exempt turnover, VAT due and your deduction. Also when nothing is due (nil return) or when you get money back. The return is signed electronically.
4. Pay within the same window. Pay to the Receiver's account (see the tax office account numbers page) with the correct payment reference: FIN number, tax code 11 for VAT, type of return, year (three digits, for example 026) and period (01 to 12).
5. Correct mistakes. If you disagree with what you declared and paid yourself, file a reasoned objection (bezwaarschrift) with the Inspector within 60 days after the payment deadline, stating the amount, the period and the reason. The tax office accepts VAT objections by email; put "bezwaarschrift", your trade name and FIN in the subject line.

Put the fixed dates in your calendar with Tax deadlines and keep your purchase and sales invoices per month in the VAT register.

Penalties and interest for late filing

Under the penalty policy decree (S.B. 2025 no. 140) the Inspector imposes fixed penalties. According to HBN Law & Tax they apply to periods from 1 January 2026. Every late month is rounded up: 5 days late counts as one month.

The filing penalty also applies to a late nil return or refund return. If you file no return at all, you get an estimated assessment with both maximum penalties; if you then file the return as an objection, the penalties are reconsidered. The tax office can assess additional VAT up to 5 years back, or 10 years in case of intent or gross negligence. Against an assessment or penalty you object to the Inspector within 60 days; after that you can appeal to the Tax Appeals Board (Raad van Beroep) within 60 days.

VAT refunds

If your deduction in a month is higher than the VAT you owe, for example after a large investment or because you export, you get the difference back. Under the refund decree (S.B. 2025 no. 60) the right arises on the 16th of the month after the period (for a late return, the day after filing). The tax office must pay within one month. The Inspector can suspend this by up to two months, in writing and with reasons. If the tax office pays late, you are entitled to 14% interest a year.

You only get a refund if you are registered, your earlier returns were on time and correct (the tax office looks at the last 12 periods), all VAT has been paid, and your records and invoices are in order. The Inspector can have amounts below SRD 1,000 offset against a later return. Outstanding debts are offset first.

Services from and to other countries

If you, as a Surinamese business, buy a service or goods from a foreign company without an establishment in Suriname, the VAT is reverse charged to you: you declare the VAT yourself in your return. If you use the service for taxable turnover, you deduct the same amount in the same return, so the net cost is nil. Think of consulting, software licences, advertising, telecom and other electronic services: these are taxed where the customer is established.

The other way round, services such as consulting, advertising and data processing for a foreign business customer fall outside Surinamese VAT. Outsourcing work you do in Suriname for a foreign customer is zero-rated. Services relating to Surinamese real estate, transport, events and restaurant services are taxed where they take place. Foreign providers of electronic services to Surinamese consumers fall under Surinamese VAT above SRD 500,000 turnover a year. How they should register has not been worked out in practice; ask the VAT Inspectorate.

Worked examples

1. A mini-market with taxable and exempt sales

In March the shop sells SRD 600,000 of taxable items (soft drinks, canned food, cleaning products) and SRD 200,000 of exempt basics (rice, bread, eggs, fresh vegetables). Amounts exclude VAT.

2. An IT service provider

Turnover well above SRD 1 million a year. In May the company invoices SRD 120,000 excluding VAT to local customers and SRD 50,000 to a company in the Netherlands. It pays a cloud subscription from a US provider worth SRD 8,000.

3. An importer of building materials

A wholesaler imports tiles with a customs value of SRD 700,000. Assume an import duty of 20% (the real rate depends on the HS code) and leave the other levies aside.

Watch your cash flow: you pay the SRD 84,000 at Customs first, and the deduction only follows in the return for the month of payment. Check your own figures with the VAT calculator.

Records and retention

Your records must show all purchases and sales, imports and exports, invoices and till receipts issued and received, payments, and the VAT you deducted. Keep them in Dutch and keep everything for 10 years. On written request the Minister can allow bookkeeping in another language and currency. The Inspector may audit your records and visit your premises on working days between 06:00 and 18:00 (or during your business hours). For a practical set-up, see Bookkeeping and invoices.

Where VAT goes wrong

• Using old rate lists. Rice, bread and eggs are exempt, not zero-rated. Fuel is 10%, not 5%. Residential rent is no longer zero-rated.
• Deducting VAT on cars, lunches and gifts. Not allowed, except for dealers, leasing companies and heavy vehicles.
• Not filing when nothing is due. A nil return must also be on time; since 2026 a late one costs at least SRD 2,500.
• Invoices without the customer's FIN number. Your customer cannot deduct the VAT, and the Inspector checks your invoices before paying a refund.
• Noticing the threshold too late. Track your turnover monthly. You must register as soon as you pass SRD 1,000,000, and you owe VAT on the part above it, even if you did not charge it to customers.
• Not reclaiming import VAT because the import document is missing. Get the statement from your broker.

Help and contact

Ask VAT questions at the VAT Inspectorate (Inspectie Omzetbelasting), Van Sommelsdijckstraat 27, Paramaribo, phone 1960 extension 345. The tax office head office (Kerkplein 12) is on 1960 extension 231 or 232. Office hours: Monday to Thursday 07:30 to 14:00, Friday 07:30 to 13:00, closed at weekends. All addresses are on Government offices and contacts. For an objection, a refund that stalls or a fiscal unity, a tax adviser or accountant is worth hiring. For an overview of every tax your business deals with, see Business taxes.

Sources

• Wet BTW 2022 (S.B. 2022 no. 121)
• Wijziging Wet BTW, 30 december 2022 (S.B. 2022 no. 148)
• Wijziging Wet BTW, 5 september 2023: nieuwe bijlagen 1, 2 en 4 (S.B. 2023 no. 126)
• Beschikking boetebeleid verzuimboeten (S.B. 2025 no. 140)
• Beschikking interest bij late betaling, 6% (S.B. 2023 no. 32)
• Beschikking teruggaaf BTW (S.B. 2025 no. 60)
• Belastingdienst: BTW-wetgeving en specificatielijsten
• Belastingdienst: BTW algemeen
• Belastingdienst: BTW registreren
• Belastingdienst: aangifte en betaling
• HBN Law & Tax: boetebeleid BTW vanaf 2026 (22 January 2026)
• HBN Law & Tax: end of the year tax alerts 2024 (brandstof naar 10%)
• btw.sr: het BTW-tarief

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