Netherlands visa requirements for Surinamese citizens

VFS Global in Paramaribo, on behalf of the Netherlands Embassy

Residents of Suriname apply for a Schengen visa for the Netherlands at the VFS Global centre in Paramaribo, which also serves residents of French Guiana and Guyana. The same centre accepts Schengen visa applications for the other Schengen countries. Appointments are booked online, directly with VFS and without intermediaries, and each applicant needs their own. You must attend in person, including minors, with the form completed online (carrying its unique code), the checklist for your purpose of travel and your passport; fingerprints are taken from age 12, the visa fee and the VFS service charge are paid there, and you choose whether to collect the passport or have it couriered. You can apply up to six months before travel and at least 15 days before. The fee is 90 euros, 45 for ages 6 to 11 and free under 6, plus the VFS service charge, which is always payable. Processing usually takes 15 days and can take up to 45.

Official application site →

What the visa centre can and can't do →

The Caribbean parts of the Kingdom (Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, Saba, St Eustatius and St Maarten): different entry rules

The Caribbean parts of the Kingdom have their own short-stay visa, and that Caribbean visa is not valid for travel to the European part of the Netherlands or to any other Schengen country. The other way round, a multiple-entry Schengen visa or a residence permit from a Schengen country exempts you from the Caribbean visa, which means a single-entry Schengen visa is not enough for the islands.

Source: netherlandsworldwide.nl/caribbean-visa y /caribbean-visa/short-stay (comprobado 18/09/2026)

Fee

€90

The €90 is the short-stay Schengen visa fee, set by Article 16 of the Visa Code (Regulation (EC) 810/2009) as amended by Delegated Regulation (EU) 2024/1415, in force since 11 June 2024. It is not a fee set by Netherlands: the same amount is paid at any Schengen consulate. Children from the age of 6 and under 12 pay €45, and children under 6 are exempt. Travellers entering without a visa pay no fee at all.

Processing time

Where the trip requires a Schengen visa, the consulate must decide within 15 calendar days of an admissible application being lodged. That period may be extended to a maximum of 45 calendar days in individual cases, particularly where the application needs closer examination; in justified urgent individual cases the decision is taken immediately (Regulation (EC) 810/2009, Art. 23). An application may not be lodged more than six months before the intended trip and, as a rule, no later than 15 calendar days before it; where the consulate requires an appointment, it is normally given within two weeks of being requested (Art. 9).

Required documents

• A valid passport or travel document, issued within the previous ten years and valid for at least three months beyond the date you plan to leave the Schengen area (Regulation (EU) 2016/399, Art. 6(1)(a))
• A valid visa, if your nationality requires one. It is not needed if you hold a valid residence permit or long-stay visa issued by a Schengen State (Art. 6(1)(b))
• Documents justifying the purpose and conditions of the intended stay: an accommodation booking or a declaration of invitation from your host, and a return or onward ticket (Art. 6(1)(c) and Art. 6(3), which points to the non-exhaustive list in Annex I)
• Proof of sufficient means of subsistence for the whole stay and for the return to your country of origin, or of being in a position to acquire such means lawfully. They are assessed according to the duration and purpose of the stay, by reference to average prices for board and lodging in budget accommodation (Art. 6(1)(c) and 6(4)). Cash, traveller's cheques, credit cards and declarations of invitation or of sponsorship all count as proof (Art. 6(4))

Health insurance

Mandatory to apply for the Schengen visa: minimum coverage of €30,000, valid across the whole Schengen area and for the entire length of the stay (Regulation (EC) 810/2009, Art. 15).

Which policies meet the €30,000 requirement →

When travel insurance is mandatory → Travel insurance policies ↓

How long you can stay

Schengen rule: a maximum stay of 90 days within any 180-day period across the whole Schengen area.

Calculate your available Schengen days →

Why isn't your passport being stamped? The EES system →