Learn about barriers to market entry and local requirements, i.e., things to be aware of when entering the market for this country.
Last Published: 10/22/2018

Starting a business or opening a branch office in Suriname requires compliance with various registration and approval guidelines depending on the legal structure of the company.  All businesses must register with the Suriname Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KKF).   
Businesses in 26 sectors must obtain a business license from the Business Licenses Department in the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Tourism.  The waiting time from application to approval is three months.  On average, business licenses are issued approximately 21 days after approval.
The following sectors require business licenses:
1. Construction and painting companies
2. Retail stores
3. Operators of a testing authority
4. Goldsmiths and Silversmiths
5. Millers
6. Butchers
7. Architects
8. Bankers
9. Exchange offices
10. Insurers
11. Hairdressers
12. Engineering companies
13. Airline companies and shipping companies
14. Hotels, motels, and guesthouses
15. Travel agencies
16. Gas stations
17. Spraying companies that use aircraft
18. Entertainment companies
19. Pest control companies
20. Manufacturers of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages
21. Manufacturers of oxygen, acetylene, liquid carbon dioxide, food, cement, soups, edible fats and oils, livestock feed, insecticides, weed treatments and pesticides, and fertilizers
22. Manufacturers repairing steel and plastic vessels
23. Manufacturers of paint, varnish, wheat flour and wheat meal, processed meat, pharmaceuticals, bandages, and articles for domestic use
24. Saw mills
25. Suppliers of fruit, fish, fish products, or other food processing company
26. Customs agents

Prepared by our U.S. Embassies abroad. With its network of 108 offices across the United States and in more than 75 countries, the U.S. Commercial Service of the U.S. Department of Commerce utilizes its global presence and international marketing expertise to help U.S. companies sell their products and services worldwide. Locate the U.S. Commercial Service trade specialist in the U.S. nearest you by visiting http://export.gov/usoffices.