Surinam, a small South American country bordering Brazil and French Guiana, is an attractive tourist destination. However, to enter Surinam, you must first apply for a tourist card and/or visa, depending on your nationality. And recently, more precisely since October 18, 2019, these applications can now be made online.
A 72-hour lead time and rising prices
Following the example of many countries (such as New Zealand, for which the application for an official NZeTA can be made online), the application for Surinam can be made online at suriname.vfsevisa.com.
This dematerialization of visa and tourist card applications is not without consequences. For example, for an online tourist card, valid for 3 months, single entry, for a stay of up to 90 days will cost you USD 40. Added to the price of the visa, the processing fee is 14 USD, or around 12€. Please note that once you have made your request and paid, you will not be able to request a refund.
To apply for a tourist card, your passport must be valid for at least 6 months, and you'll need to upload your airline tickets as proof of your stay. These new rules are likely to change the habits of travelers accustomed to the old procedure.
Beware, too, of bogus websites: since the introduction of this new procedure, fake scam sites have been legion, and at excessive prices! In Saint-Laurent du Maroni, on the border with Surinam, it is still possible to apply for a document directly from the Saint-Laurent consulate until the end of December.
A single address for the online procedure: suriname.vfsevisa.com
Last year, during the busiest periods, almost 90 people a day visited the consulate in French Guiana to obtain a visa or tourist card. The flow will now be easier to manage for the Surinamese authorities. Nationals of 51 other countries are also concerned.
To obtain an e-visa, three steps are required: application, payment and download. To apply for an e-tourist card, applicants must fill in the following information on the site: passport details, professional information, details of their means of transport, information about their accommodation during their stay, and then upload a copy of their passport cover, the given page of the passport, their passport photo, proof of accommodation and return tickets.
Once approved, the electronic tourist card must be printed. The Surinamese government recommends keeping a copy of the .pdf file in the smartphone) and presented on arrival in the country with a passport valid for at least 6 months from the date of arrival and containing at least one blank page.
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