Suriname: arrival and transport
How to get to Suriname
Airplane
flights between Suriname and Amsterdam are guaranteed several times a week by Suriname Airways, Martinair or KLM (once a day). There are also weekly flights to Trinidad and Curacao with Caribbean Airlines, Suriname Airway and Insel Air and connections with Meta Air to Georgetown (Guyana) and Belém (Brazil). The most important airport and main entry point to Suriname is the Johan Adolf Pengel International Airport (formerly Zanderij International Airport), which is located about 45 kilometers south of the capital Paramaribo. It can be easily reached from the city via buses and taxis.
Railways
There are no trains in Suriname.
Bus
While there is sufficient bus service in the cities, the rest of the country is rather poorly developed. Because of the few roads, buses only move along the coastal areas and travel to Guyana and French Guyana in this way. Mini-buses run daily between Georgetown (Guyana) and Suriname. A bus also runs within the country between the capital Paramaribo and Albina on the border with French Guyana.
Ship
You can either enter Suriname on a sailing yacht or – as a contrast program so to speak – on one of the container ships that leave from Hamburg or Amsterdam. In addition, small boats and ferries run between Albina (Suriname) and St. Laurent (French Guyana).
Car
You can get from Guyana to Suriname by car. You will have to use the small car ferry that runs between the countries. The road between the border towns of Albina and Nieuw-Nickerie is mostly paved.
Travel in the country
Airplane
In addition to the boat, the airplane is the second good way to travel in the country. There are currently two local airlines that guarantee domestic traffic: Bluewing Airlines and Gumair.
Railways
There are no trains in Suriname.
Bus
While there is sufficient bus service in the cities, the rest of the country is poorly developed. Due to the few roads, buses only move along the coastal areas. By the way, in the country they are simply stopped by hand on the street.
Car
The road network of the capital Paramaribo is mostly paved. This also applies to the main roads in the country’s larger cities and villages. With a few other exceptions, the rest of the roads are just sand tracks. It is possible to rent a car in Suriname, even if a large number of rental companies do not allow you to drive into the forests.
Taxi
Taxi prices should always be negotiated before departure.
Ship and boat
Due to the still exorbitant prices in the country, the boat is the cheapest way of getting around Suriname. Boats can be rented on every bank at reasonable prices. The 1,200 kilometers of navigable waterways in the country are often the only way to reach the villages in the bushland anyway.
Traffic rules
There is left-hand traffic in Suriname.
In order to avoid trouble with the police or even the courts, one should strictly adhere to the traffic rules applicable in the country. The maximum speeds shown can of course be reduced or increased by traffic signs. Regardless of the information given here, it is advisable to obtain detailed information from the ADAC, the AvD or the traffic clubs in the country concerned.
If you want to drive a car in Suriname, you need an international driver’s license. You can apply for this in Germany at the driving license office of the District Office or at the city administration. The international driving license is then valid for three years. However, it is only available to all those who also have an EU driving license that was not issued before 1999.
International license plate
According to Abbreviationfinder, Suriname’s international license plate is:
SME |
Suriname: Embassies and Consulates
Visit Countryaah for a full list of Suriname embassies and consulates in each country around the world.
Representations of Surinam in Germany
Embassy
The embassy in The Hague in the Netherlands is responsible:
Embassy of the Republic of Surinam
Alexander Gogelweg 2
2517 JH ‘s-Gravenhage, Netherlands
Tel: 0031 – 070 – 3 65 08 44
Fax: 0031 – 070 – 3 61 74 45
Honorary Consul General of the Republic of Suriname
Adolf Kolping-Strasse 16
80336 Munich
Tel: 0049 – (0) 89 – 55 33 63
Fax: 0049 – (0) 89 – 59 70 64
Honorary Consul General of the Republic of Suriname
Malkastenstrasse 17
40211 Düsseldorf
Tel: 0049 – (0) 211 – 62 18 934
Fax: 0049 – (0) 211 – 62 18 934
Email: bhagwandin@honorarkonsulatsuriname.de
German representations in Suriname
Embassy
The embassy in Trinidad and Tobago is responsible (see here >>>).
German Honorary Consulate in Surinam
Coster Straat 16
Paramaribo, Surinam
Tel: 00597- 42 10 00
00597- 42 42 80
Fax: 00597 – 42 07 71
Austrian representations in Suriname
Embassy
The embassy in Brazil is responsible (see here >>>). Honorary Consulate Paramaribo (without passport authorization) Burenstraat 33 Paramaribo Tel: 00597 – 47 64 33 Fax: 00597 – 42 28 17 Email: mchehin@ppsnv.com
Representations of Surinam in Austria
Embassies, consulates
Suriname does not have any diplomatic missions in Austria
Swiss representations in Suriname
Embassy
The embassy in Venzuela is responsible (see here >>>).
Representations of Suriname in Switzerland
Embassies, consulates
Suriname does not undercut any diplomatic missions in Switzerland
Suriname: entry and exit regulations
Formalities, visas
Citizens of EU member states (except the Netherlands) and numerous other countries require a visa to enter the country as a tourist. The passport must be valid for at least six months, children need a passport with a photo.
Tourists are only allowed to enter the country if they have a return ticket and sufficient financial means to finance their stay in the country themselves.
Issuing of visas
If you do not enter the country as a tourist or if your stay lasts for a long time, a visa may be required.
Visa Department of the Honorary Consulate of the Republic of Suriname
De Cuserstraat 11
NL-1081 CK Amsterdam
Tel: 0031-20 6426137
Fax: 0031-20 6465311
www.surinfo.org/
Import and export of foreign currency
- Local currencyThe import and export of 100, – SRD in cash is permitted.
- Foreign currenciesThere are no restrictions on import and export. However, a sum over USD 10,000 must be declared upon import. Sums up to this amount may also be carried out on departure.
Import and export of goods The import and export of explosives is strictly prohibited. In addition, the import and export of plants and animals protected under the Washington Species Protection Act is prohibited. Violation can result in severe penalties. Import of drugs and pornographic material is prohibited. Bringing weapons and ammunition for sports or other purposes requires special authorization from the authorities prior to travel. Only fruit from the Netherlands may be imported for personal consumption. Meat products, plants, coffee, cocoa, pineapples and coconuts are not allowed to be imported.
Entry with pets
When importing pets to Suriname, the following regulations apply. An official veterinary health certificate is required for each animal, which must not be older than two weeks at the time of entry. Dogs and cats must be vaccinated against rabies. The rabies vaccination must not be more than 30 days ago when you entered the country.
In addition, the veterinary office in Paramaribo must be informed of the importation of the animals
Suriname: Travel Medicine, Vaccinations and Warnings
Infectious diseases
In Suriname, the following infectious diseases, which are not or less common in Germany or Central and Northern Europe, are to be expected:
- Malaria, there is a risk of infection nationwide – with the exception of the coastal regions. About 80 – 85% of the infections occur with the very dangerous malaria tropica, the rest with malaria tertiana.
- Schistosomiasis
- Chagas disease, especially when staying in wooden or adobe buildings
- Cholera, but usually only for risk travelers who come with contaminated water or infected food contact, as for example backpackers
- Dengue fever, incidence nationwide
- Intestinal infections caused by contaminated food or water, including amoebas, lamblia, salmonella, shigella, worm infestation and all kinds of viruses and bacteria
- Filariasis, nationwide occurrence
- Yellow fever, national occurrence
- Hepatitis A and B
- Leishmaniasis Disease
- tetanus
- Rabies, but only for travelers who come into contact with infected animals
- Typhoid, but only for travelers who come into contact with contaminated water or infected food
Recommended vaccinations
when traveling to Suriname, the following vaccinations recommended:
- Diphtheria, a vaccination against diphtheria, should always exist in your home country.
- Yellow fever (absolutely !!)
- Hepatitis A and B, vaccination against hepatitis B, is only required for those travelers who may come into contact with human blood
- Tetanus, a vaccination against tetanus, should always exist in the home country.
- Rabies, but only in high-risk travelers who can come into contact with the vector animals
- Typhoid, but only in travelers who may come into contact with polluted water or contaminated food
Malaria prophylaxis
When traveling in the country, it is strongly advised to undergo malaria prophylaxis. If the side effects seem questionable to you, you should at least have a “stand-by product” with you.
Compulsory vaccination
As already mentioned above, there is a compulsory vaccination against yellow fever for all people who are older than one year and who come from a yellow fever infection area designated by the WHO. Since Suriname is itself a yellow fever infection area, a vaccination against yellow fever is urgent! advisable.
Who pays for vaccinations in Germany?
Most people in Germany are vaccinated against a number of infectious diseases at an early age. However, the vaccination protection only lasts up to 10 years, in some cases even shorter. Therefore, before traveling abroad, you should carefully consider against which infectious diseases a vaccination is necessary or useful in the country concerned and whether the vaccination protection, if applicable, was not too long ago.
Most statutory health insurances have been reimbursing the costs for the following vaccinations since June 2007.
There is even no 10 € practice fee – but the insured usually have to pay the statutory co-payment, which is 10% of the vaccine price – that is at least 5 € and a maximum of 10 €. Under these conditions, the following vaccinations are free of charge:
- cholera
- diphtheria
- Early summer meningoencephalitis (TBE)
- Yellow fever
- Hepatitis A and B
- Meningococcal meningitis
- Pneumococci
- Polyo (polio)
- Tetanus (tetanus)
- rabies
- typhus
Some health insurance companies also reimburse the cost of malaria prophylaxis.
As a rule, private health insurance companies (inquire beforehand) also cover the costs mentioned.
Current warnings
Foreign Office of the Federal Republic of Germany
Citizens’ Service
Phone: 0049 – (0) 30 – 5000 – 2000
Fax: 0049 – (0) 30 – 5000 – 51000
www.auswaertiges-amt.de
Suriname: Currency, Shopping, and Exchange Rate
The national currency of Suriname is the S urinam Dollar (SRD).
A currency reform in 2004 introduced the Surinam Dollars. It corresponds to 1/1000 of the old Surinamese guilder (Sf). The old banknotes remained in circulation due to the lack of new banknotes. The small coins kept their (low) face value in cents.
The following new bills are valid and in circulation in the country:
- 1 SRD
- 2 SRD
- 5 SRD
- 10 SRD
- 20 SRD
- 50 SRD
- 100 SRD
Exchange rate
You can find a currency converter here:
www3.forium.de
Bank opening hours
- Monday to Friday: 7:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Shop
Shop opening times
Monday to Friday: 9 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. – 4 p.m.
Saturday: 9 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Cheap or country-specific goods, souvenirs
The traditional goods such as baskets, ceramics, jewelry and straw hats are popular with tourists. It is advisable to keep all receipts for customs. In the duty freeshops, you can present your return ticket to negotiate additional discounts.