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TOURISTIC DESTINATIONS

Posted on November 14, 2019 by Manila Stevens

As we mentioned, the strength of this country is its natural attraction; and Suriname has approximately a dozen natural reserves, something that is greatly surprising to be such a small country. This fact makes Suriname increasingly visited by lovers of natural landscapes, a type of demanding tourist who wants to travel to exotic places full of living nature.

Among some of the most interesting natural destinations we highlight the Natural Reserve of Central Suriname, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. It has an area of about 16 thousand square kilometers full of mountains, plains and a rainforest full of amazing wildlife. Thus, we highlight for example jaguars, giant river otters tapirs, primates and a host of reptiles and birds.

We can also visit the Galibi Nature Reserve. It was created in 1969 and is famous throughout the world for being the place chosen by four species of sea turtles.

On the other hand, the Brownsberg National Park is also interesting, a park located 500 meters above sea level, with an area of almost 9,000 hectares full of a thick Amazon rainforest full of amazing animals and magical places such as the Leoval waterfalls or Ireneval

While it is true that the country’s landscape offer is excellent, it is not necessary to discredit its historical and cultural interest. The truth is that we find cities full of Dutch-style buildings, with prominent temples such as the Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Paul (the largest wooden building in the entire continent).

Among those cities full of architectural treasures are its capital, Paramaribo, as well as other urban centers such as Marienburg, Lelydorp, Meerzorg, Moengo, New Amsterdam or Nieuw Nickerie.

It should be noted that its size is an advantage for the tourist; and it is that the distances between the different tourist points are shortened considerably, thus being able to facilitate the journey from one place to another.

CURRENCY

The national currency of Suriname is known as the Suriname dollar. We can use credit cards in hotels and restaurants without problem. In addition, in the capital it is easy to get money from the ATMs that are scattered around its streets.

LANGUAGE

The official language of this country is Dutch. However, we must know that here, in Suriname, everyone speaks English as a second language. Therefore, if we master this language we will have no problem communicating with them.

It should be noted that they also have other dialects such as Sranan Tongo, the Creole dialect, which is also quite widespread among the population.

GASTRONOMY

Considering the great ethnic variety of this country, it is not surprising that from the gastronomic point of view we find a wide variety. Thus, in large cities we will find Hindu, Creole, Javanese, Chinese, Dutch, Portuguese, Amerindian or Jewish restaurants.

The kitchen in Suriname has touches of ingredients such as roti, nasi goreng, bakmi, pom etc. In addition, it is also common to find roasted meat and fish, as well as vegetables such as eggplants, beans and peppers.

VISA

To travel to this country we will need a valid passport and a visa that we must request at the consulate by writing.

ACCOMMODATION

In the largest cities of the country, such as its capital Paramaribo, we will not have problems when it comes to staying; And the country has a wide range of quality hotels, with hotels for all tastes and budgets.

IS SURINAM AN ISLAND OF THE CARIBBEAN LIKE THE OTHER?

Posted on November 14, 2019 by Manila Stevens

“Suriname is the smallest country in South America. But, in the regional academic literature it is always considered the largest of the Caribbean territories ”(Best, 1967). In general, we tend to include it in the socio-historical group formed by the three Guayanas (Lézy 2000) or even more, in the biogeographic configuration of the Plateau de las Guyana’s ’. “Often, Suriname is also considered part of the insular Caribbean” (Girvan, 2005). This last consideration implies a double geographical paradox. Suriname, French Guiana and Guyana have no direct access to the Caribbean Sea. In addition, like Belize, which is generally included in the Caribbean island space, Suriname is not an island proper, that is, land surrounded by water – according to the simplest definition of an island. However, currently the Caribbean cannot be defined only in the deterministic field of its name Mar. “Research related to this issue tends to increasingly shape the physical limits of insularity, and its relationship with feelings of isolation, attachment and rupture ”(Taglioni, 2003).

According to Best (1967), the Caribbean is defined as part of the great “plantation of the Americas” for its exclusive economic, social, cultural and political heritage linked to the evolution of sugar cane plantations. “Suriname, which challenged the wealth produced in the colonies of Jamaica and Santo Domingo, has always been one of the Pearls of the Lesser Antilles of the sugar necklace in Europe” (Price 2011).

For Gaztambide-Geigel (1996), a Puerto Rican historian, it is due to the sugar heritage that the Caribbean is defined as “Afro Central America” - the area of Central America where slaves imported, where an African-American and / or mulatto population lives . By the way, it is notorious that it is in Suriname (and not in Haiti) – where there has been a Dutch colony of at least 300,000 slaves, the first of the “black nations” of the Americas to implant and take root in the lands granted by settlers since the 18th century (Price, 2001). The history of Suriname in any of its parts is very similar to that of the islands of the Caribbean Basin (Célimène and Cruse, 2012).

From this common history, the result is a well-known national structure, a paradox marked by miscegenation – cryolization – and pluralism or social separation within relatively hermetic sub-sets in relation to ethnicity; both typify Caribbean societies. As a logical consequence of this miscegenation, Sranan Tongo has emerged as a Creole language. As in the rest of the Caribbean territories, two languages coexist in Suriname, an officer inherited from the settlers and the Creole who mixes various linguistic inheritances; The African. The majority of the students of the University of Suriname who participated in the survey placed their country in the (MAP) of the Caribbean group. However, this perception map clearly shows that we are still on the boundaries of the dividing line of another region, the Amazon.

“We know how difficult it is to use indicators to measure such complex phenomena and related to the consequences of isolation” (Taglioni, 2006) The islands do not escape this problem, and it is true that strong geographical barriers such as (rivers, steep reliefs and climates severe) may influence the isolation and disruption of space more decisively than the sea. In fact, some continental areas of Canada, Brazil, Argentina, the Amazon or the plains of Central Asia are infinitely more isolated than the islands of the Caribbean or the Mediterranean Sea, for example. It probably makes more sense to locate the island’s coastline within a set of elements that contribute to its isolation.

We can also consider insularity in terms of enclave. This idea allows us to replace the linear distance that isolation implies by more adequate notions such as distance-time and distance-cost (which are applied to air travel) to appreciate the human and commercial flow of the islands. In addition, they are important indicators to measure the insularity that is or has been closely linked to accessibility. We can also consider the strong symbolic value of insularity in terms of gender. Term that allows us to say that the world is an archipelago or the planet an island. Even during the first century of our era, the geographer Strabón, referred to the world as an island:

“That the inhabited world is an island, it is the first sensitive experience that leads us to accept it. From anywhere, whatever direction allows us to reach the ends of the world that sustains us, you can reach the sea we call Ocean : where the senses do not allow us to admit it, the reason does “(Strabón cited by Létoubon, 1996, p. 10).

According to Joël Bonnemaison (1997), the world “can be seen not as a single space, but as an archipelago.” During the fifth century B.C., however, Herodotus considered the five ports of Baharia, Dakkkla, Farafra, Kharga and Siwa in the Lebanon desert as an archipelago of blessing … ??

Therefore, Suriname can be considered an island space that would be surrounded not only by sea, but also by large rivers and forests (more than 90% of the territory). Accessibility being possible mainly by air or boat as in the case of an island, to the detriment of road transport. In fact, despite the extension of the country (163, 270 square kilometers), the population is essentially concentrated on the coastline, amounting to almost 90% of the 490,000 inhabitants (ABS, 2005), being the main cities in order of importance; the capital Paramaribo, Neuw Nickerie and Albina. This is the route, the Surinamese are almost islanders, nestled between the Atlantic Ocean that stretches along the 386 km long coastline surrounded by the main rivers of more than 500 km each, Guyana and French Guyana and the immensity of the jungle that separates it from Brazil. The fact that the jungle south of Suriname is not crossed by roads, that the border rivers (Maroni to the east and Courantyne to the west) that run longitudinally, currently have no bridges and that are not very navigable, cause discontinuity and identify it as an insularity

To better understand why Suriname could be included in the Caribbean island space, let’s look at other non-island territories such as Belize or even Guyana, (located outside the Caribbean Sea) that are considered Caribbean. This reminds us that the Caribbean region is not only defined within the narrow and deterministic framework of the Caribbean Sea. For us, the image of * ‘Caribbean’ is located at the intersection between the coastal space of Central America and a cultural matrix related to a common social and historical legacy. The ‘Caribbean’ is the result of geography and history that allow us to focus on the differences and similarities between these spaces and islands south-west of the Indian Ocean or the Pacific island.

REQUIREMENTS FOR VISA APPLICATION

Posted on November 14, 2019 by Manila Stevens

All applicants :

One visa form
A valid passport ( valid at least 6 months)
One photo; for photo instructions click here

One money order with exact amount
A separate money Order of $ 16 for the return mail
An itinerary from an airline

Business applicants need a letter of invitation from the business in Suriname acting as the referent and one document proofing where the applicants business is based and the branch the business operates in.

Minors ( 0-17) must provide an affidavit ( certified) of no objection from the parents of the child if the child is traveling with someone other than the parents.

Note: Business and Tourist applicants with a passport other than an USA passport or a country on the visa agreement list of Suriname, need to submit their form first and wait 2-3 weeks before submitting their documentation and money-order.
For a list of countries Suriname has a Visa Waiver Agreement with click here

HOW TO APPLY FOR A VISA?

- Step one: Complete and submit online visa form
  You will receive an email from our visa department if we received your application.
- Step two: buy money-order with exact amount of $16 for the return mail
- Step three: check if passport is valid.( 6 months)
- Step four: mail all requirements to the Consulate.

Note: at this stage, do not call the Consulate General. Provide us with a valid email address (mandatory) and you will receive an email with information about your completed form, arrival of your documents and when your visa has been mailed.

Drop Off: applicants can also visit the Consulate for a visa. You can fill out your online application at our office and provide us with your money-order , photo and valid passport. Business applicants and minors need also to submit the required documentation.

HOW DO YOU PAY FOR A VISA?

We accept: money – orders or cashiers checks in exact amount.
We do not accept: personal checks , unwritten money- orders, money- orders not in the name of the applicant and cash.
Note: There are no refunds once your application and money order is submitted.

HOW TO FILL OUT THE MONEY ORDER OR CASHIERS CHECK.

The full name of the applicant must be written in readable neat and clear letters.
The Consular Service you are paying for.
The address of the applicant
For examples click here

SPECIAL CATEGORY VISA: PERMIT FOR TEMPORARY STAY ( M.K.V.)

Foreigners who have the intention to stay in Suriname longer than 3 months can apply for a visa for temporary stay the so called M.K.V
During the process to obtain the M.K.V. visa applicant can not travel to Suriname on a regular tourist visa or a tourist card.
If traveled by business or tourist visa to Suriname one cannot apply for the permit for temporary stay.
Applications can be submitted at the Consulate or send by mail.

REQUIREMENTS: PERMIT FOR TEMPORARY STAY.

- - - Complete and submit online MKV form.
    - - Two recent passport photos of good quality and contrast/ per person.
        
        Copy of all written pages in the passport (Stamps, Visas, etc..).
        
        An original copy of birth certificate with apostil legalization
        
        An original certificate of good conduct with (apostil/ Legalization).
        
        Evidence of exportable benefits and or incomes, bank accounts, pensions, etc.
        
        In case of Internship: copy of training agreement, the original be submitted in Suriname
        
        In case of Volunteer: a confirmation letter or contract from organization
        
        In case of Business: a copy of the employment agreement, employer statement (original should be submitted in Suriname).
        
        Money order or Cashiers check.
        
        Proof of Residence (if applicable)
        
        Proof of Marital Status:
        
        If married/ divorced/single/ widow;
        
        Copy of marriage license/divorce certificate/ proof of widowhood (with apostil legalization)
        
        If cohabitating (partner relationship); proof of cohabitation in the country of origin, e.g: Cooperation Agreement, proof of enrollment.
        
        Authorization by parents and a copy of the marriage certificate:
        –If the minor child is traveling alone;
        –If the minor child is traveling with one parent who jointly exercises parental authority (with Apostil legalization)
        
        In case of Guardianship/ Adoptive Child: a copy of the judicial decision (with apostil/Legalization)
        
        If the applicant does not have sufficient financial resources for their stay in Suriname, a copy of the original Guarantor Statement must be submitted in Suriname.
        
        Proof of medical coverage: a letter from your insurance company stating that you are covered, for the stay period.
        
        A recent Certificate of Health
      Other Details:
      The passport should not be less than six months valid upon arrival in Suriname. The person who has submitted an application, does not qualify for a tourist card, tourist or business visa during the period in which his/her application is pending.
      
      2) PASSPORTS
      
      Passports are very important documents. It is given by a country to their nationals to travel abroad. Since Suriname is part of the Caricom, the Central Civil Authority (C.B.B.) in Paramaribo issues Caricom Passports. Since the costs to make a passport are very high it is mandatory to treat it with the highest concern and keep it always in a safe place. If on vacation keep it at all times with you or put it away in a safe.
      
      Do not: leave it in the car in parking lots , in the lobby of the hotel, do not wash it in the washing machine, don’t give it to your children to play with, do not leave it on the seat of a taxi or bus. Don’t use nail polish near it. An extra fee will be charged in case of stolen or damaged passports. An extra fee will be charged if you do not submit the passport in time for renewal.
      
      You can submit your passport for renewal 6-8 months prior to the expiration date.
      
      WHAT KIND OF PASSPORTS CAN YOU APPLY FOR?
      - Renewal of Passport: expired, lost or damaged.
      - Emergency Passport
      - Business passport
      PASSPORTS REQUIREMENTS
      
      All applicants must have:
      - An application form. Click to download ( Online version coming soon)
      - Two (2) Photo’s . For photo instructions click here
      - A copy of the old passport from cover to cover, the old passport must also be submitted.
      - Birth certificate ( if born in Suriname).
      - Copy of green card if not in possession please submit a letter that notifies of non- possession.
      - A money- order in exact amount
      - A separate money Order of $ 16 for the return mail
      OTHER PASSPORT REQUIREMENTS
      
      If married a certified marriage license. Note: if you are married and want your maiden name (and not the name of your husband) appear in the passport you should submit a written request along with your application.
      - If divorced a certified certificate of divorce
      - If one is deceased a certified deceased certificate
      - If adopted, certified adoption documentation
      - Lost or stolen passport : a certified police report with signature of police officer
      - Damaged passport : a certified letter with explanation how the passport got damaged.
      - Surinamese by naturalization a copy of legal government publication ( so called STAATSBLAD).
      - A copy of Family Book ( so called FAMILIE BOEKJE)
      - Minors (0-17) must submit their own application form. If they can’t write the parents should sign.
      - Surinamese who are married or divorced in the USA have to supply a certified copy with Apostille stams of their marriage or divorce certificate
      - If you were not born in Suriname, please send us a certified copy with Apostille stam of your birth certificate.
      - Please sign in the middle off the square!!!!!
      HOW CAN I APPLY FOR A PASSPORT?
      - STEP ONE: read the information careful. Download the form and fill it out complete.
      - STEP TWO: carefully gather all documentation .
      - STEP THREE: buy a money order with exact amount, get photo’s ( see photo requirements), buy prepaid envelope.
      - STEP FOUR: mail your documentation to the Consulate.
        E-mail address: consularservices@scgmia.com
      HOW DO YOU PAY FOR A PASSPORT?
      - We do accept : money – orders or cashiers checks in exact amount
      - We do not accept: personal checks, unwritten money- orders, money- orders not in the name of the applicant and cash.
      Note: There are no refunds once your application and money order is submitted.
      
      If you were born, married, divorced, or have made any other legal change in your status in Suriname, please provide a regular copy of the change.
      If you were born, married, divorced, or have made any other legal change in your status in any other country except Suriname, please provide a certified copy of the certificate with Apostille stamp.
      
      HOW TO FILL OUT THE MONEY ORDER OR CASHIERS CHECK.
      - The full name of the applicant must be written in readable neat and clear letters.
      - The Consular Service you are paying for.
      - The address of the applicant
      - For examples click here.
      WHO IS ELIGIBLE FOR AN EMERGENCY PASSPORT?
      
      By law an emergency passport is only issued in the following cases;
      - Terminal illness of a close family member such as a father, mother , child, sister or brother. A certified physician should submit a paper stating the status of the patient. It is necessary to have a telephone number of the physician so we can verify the case.
      - Death of a close family member as mentioned above. Proper documentation : Death Certificate issued by the Central Civil Authority (CBB) must be submitted
      - When someone is expedited out of the USA. In case of Lost or stolen passport.
      Permission to issue an emergency passport is the discretion of The Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This can take a few days.

THE CONSUL- GENERAL

Posted on November 14, 2019 by Manila Stevens

Ms. Marsha Renfurm was appointed Consul General of the Republic of Suriname in Miami on
October 19, 2015.

Prior to her appointment Ms. Renfurm has served as the Deputy Head to the Suriname Embassy in Trinidad & Tobago. As Deputy Head she assisted the Ambassador in all matters regarding Suriname and her constituents on the island. She had build up excellent relationships with various representatives of other countries.

Before joining the Foreign Service the Consul General was appointed policy advisor to the Ministry of Planning, Land Management and Forest Policy from 2007 till 2010. She was also a radio & TV hostess in Suriname and holds a degree in marketing. Ms. Renfurm is politically active.

Her main focus as Consul General is exploiting the investment possibilities in Suriname, through Trade, Promotion, Tourism, and broadening the contact with Diaspora.

Her personal interests are exploring/visiting new places & cultures, writing poetry, jogging and cross fitness. The Consul General, Ms. Marsha Renfurm, was born and raised in Suriname.

Both of her parents are Surinamese. Ms. Marsha Renfurm has one child.

ABOUT THE CONSULATE

Posted on November 14, 2019 by Manila Stevens

The Consulate is pivotal in serving the Diaspora and Nationals of other States with Consular Services of which issuing Visa and Passports are most important. The Consulate is also an instrument in the foreign policy of Suriname in establishing trade, cultural and educational relations that will be instrumental in the development of Suriname’s economy. We are a small but proud Nation. Diversity is our Strength and our Power. Welcome to Suriname.