PassportSouth Africa

Trip checklist: Suriname

For South African passport holders. Last checked 5 October 2026.

Visa requirement

South Africans need to apply online for an e-visa before travel to Suriname.

Permitted stay

You can stay up to 90 days per visit, and you can apply to extend.

Before you go

  • Purpose of visit

    Tourism, business, transit, short stay.

  • Passport validity

    FCDO: at least 6 months from arrival.

  • How to apply

    Apply online at suriname.vfsevisa.com, the official partner linked from gov.sr. Pay online. The FAQ says visas can be issued within 72 hours of payment. e-Visa fee amounts were not visible on the pages fetched (the fees page blocked automated access). For comparison, the entry fee for visa-exempt nationals is about US$50-54. Look-alike 'Suriname e-visa' domains exist; use only suriname.vfsevisa.com.

  • Where South Africans apply

    Online only via suriname.vfsevisa.com. No Suriname mission in South Africa found.

  • Vaccinations, including yellow fever on return to South Africa

    Suriname REQUIRES a yellow fever certificate from travellers over 1 year arriving from risk countries (WHO; FCDO). WHO recommends vaccination for travel in Suriname. South Africa's own rule on return: South Africa requires a valid yellow fever certificate from all travellers over 1 year of age, South African citizens included, arriving from a yellow-fever-risk country or after more than 12 hours' airport transit in one; Suriname is on South Africa's risk list. Without it you can be refused entry or quarantined for up to 6 days. The certificate is valid for life and only counts 10 days after vaccination.

  • Arrival forms

    FCDO: all travellers to and from Suriname must complete an online Immigration and Customs Form (ICF) within 3 days of travel.

  • Transit

    The e-visa covers transit. Whether airside transit needs a visa is not published.

  • Confirm with the embassy

    Rules change. Check the official source before you book.

Where to apply

Research sources

  1. 1. VFS Global: official e-visa partner of the Government of Suriname (linked from gov.sr) (Official, suriname.vfsevisa.com) https://suriname.vfsevisa.com/suriname/online/home/index
  2. 2. Government of Suriname portal (links to suriname.vfsevisa.com as the e-visa service) (Official, gov.sr) https://www.gov.sr/
  3. 3. UK FCDO (Other government, gov.uk) https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/suriname/entry-requirements
  4. 4. DIRCO (South African High Commission, Canberra) (Other government, dirco.gov.za) https://dirco.gov.za/canberra/yellow-fever/
  5. 5. South African National Department of Health (Other government, health.gov.za) https://www.health.gov.za/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/DOH-Yellow-Fever-Pamphlet-1.pdf
  6. 6. World Health Organization, International Travel and Health country list (Other government, cdn.who.int) https://cdn.who.int/media/docs/default-source/documents/emergencies/travel-advice/yellow-fever-country-list-ith-travel.pdf
  7. 7. Wikipedia: Visa policy of Suriname (Reference, en.wikipedia.org) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visa_policy_of_Suriname
  8. 8. Wikipedia (Reference, en.wikipedia.org) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visa_requirements_for_South_African_citizens
  9. 9. VFS Global Suriname eVisa FAQ (Commercial, suriname.vfsevisa.com) https://suriname.vfsevisa.com/suriname/online/home/faq
  10. 10. The GSA (SA visa service), Suriname guide ('Visas are required for SA passport holders') (Commercial, thegsa.co.za) https://www.thegsa.co.za/visa-and-country-info/2758-venezuela-country-guide

From doineedavisa.co.za/suriname. Always confirm with the embassy before you travel.