The Surinamese government announced on 19 November 2025 that the cost of a single-entry visa will drop from €60 to just €25 with immediate effect, while a multi-entry, five-trip visa will now cost €40. The decision—described by Paramaribo officials as “an act of friendship towards France”—comes one week before celebrations of Suriname’s 50th anniversary of independence and after months of lobbying by business groups on both sides of the Maroni River.
For residents of French Guiana, the neighbouring French overseas département, the fee cut removes one of the last remaining financial barriers to short-term business, shopping and family visits across the border. Cross-border traffic never fully recovered after COVID-19, when visa prices more than doubled and Suriname required additional health documentation. Travel agents in Cayenne told *France-Guyane* they expect day-trip demand to return to pre-pandemic levels within weeks, and hoteliers in Paramaribo are preparing promotions targeting French leisure visitors.
![Suriname slashes visa fee to €25 for French travellers, reviving cross-border links with French Guiana]()
Beyond tourism, the lower cost is likely to re-energise small-scale trade along the Saint-Laurent and Albina ferry crossings. Logistics firms that shuttle engineering crews to Suriname’s nascent offshore‐oil sector say the announcement will reduce admin costs for rotating staff and simplify last-minute call-outs. Regional chambers of commerce have already scheduled a bilateral business forum in early December to capitalise on the policy shift.
Practical implications for mobility managers include updating internal visa-cost schedules and communicating the change to expatriates posted in Cayenne, Kourou and remote mining sites. Travellers should still allow 48 hours for online processing and be aware that passport validity must exceed six months on the date of entry. The French Foreign Ministry has not changed its travel-advisory level for Suriname but continues to urge caution on night-time road journeys outside Paramaribo.
For residents of French Guiana, the neighbouring French overseas département, the fee cut removes one of the last remaining financial barriers to short-term business, shopping and family visits across the border. Cross-border traffic never fully recovered after COVID-19, when visa prices more than doubled and Suriname required additional health documentation. Travel agents in Cayenne told *France-Guyane* they expect day-trip demand to return to pre-pandemic levels within weeks, and hoteliers in Paramaribo are preparing promotions targeting French leisure visitors.
Beyond tourism, the lower cost is likely to re-energise small-scale trade along the Saint-Laurent and Albina ferry crossings. Logistics firms that shuttle engineering crews to Suriname’s nascent offshore‐oil sector say the announcement will reduce admin costs for rotating staff and simplify last-minute call-outs. Regional chambers of commerce have already scheduled a bilateral business forum in early December to capitalise on the policy shift.
Practical implications for mobility managers include updating internal visa-cost schedules and communicating the change to expatriates posted in Cayenne, Kourou and remote mining sites. Travellers should still allow 48 hours for online processing and be aware that passport validity must exceed six months on the date of entry. The French Foreign Ministry has not changed its travel-advisory level for Suriname but continues to urge caution on night-time road journeys outside Paramaribo.
