Surinamese citizens with a diplomatic or service passport will be able to travel to the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg without a visa from January 1, 2027. This was announced by Minister Melvin Bouva of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Cooperation (BIS) following consultations with his Dutch counterpart, Tom Berendsen.
For the time being, the visa exemption applies only to holders of diplomatic and service passports. Surinamese citizens with a regular passport will remain subject to existing visa rules for travel to the Netherlands and other Schengen countries.
The easing follows diplomatic consultations between Suriname and the Netherlands. During a bilateral meeting on Monday, September 21, 2026, in New York, Bouva and Berendsen discussed, among other matters, visa procedures for Surinamese travellers. The meeting took place on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly.
Suriname is seeking a broader visa exemption for its citizens wishing to travel to the Schengen area. According to Bouva, his Dutch counterpart indicated that Suriname can count on the Netherlands’ support in this regard.
In addition to pursuing full visa exemption, Bouva wants to achieve improvements in the existing visa procedure in the shorter term. These include faster processing of visa applications and the possibility of issuing visas with a longer validity period.
No date is yet known for when holders of regular Surinamese passports will be able to travel to the Schengen area without a visa.
