Household goods and car to Suriname: the exemption for used goods and the eight-year rule

The Wet Tarief van Invoerrechten grants full exemption from import duty for household goods consisting of used items, under conditions set by the minister. The car is different: second-hand passenger cars older than eight years may not enter Suriname, unless they have demonstrably been part of a remigrant's household for more than two years, and the import runs through a permit from the IUD service. Registering it in your name costs SRD 30 in fees and SRD 200 handling at the police.

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Written and checked by Auke on 9 October 2026, against the sources at the bottom. Is something no longer right? Report it below and I'll fix it.

Yes, your used household goods can go to Suriname free of import duty. That is in article 29 of the Wet Tarief van Invoerrechten:

household goods get full exemption from import duty, in so far as they consist of used items;
the Minister of Finance sets the provisions and conditions;
he may also make that exemption conditional.

The find at the source is that the car falls under another rule. State Decree 2006 no. 100 prohibits the import of second-hand passenger cars older than eight years and buses older than fifteen. There is one exception, and it is written precisely for the remigrant: someone returning to live in Suriname.

The pitfall is the order. The permit from the Import, Export and Foreign Exchange Control service (IUD) must exist before the car is on the quay. Since 1 February 2023 the ministry no longer grants exemptions for cars that turn out to be too old.

What can come, and what does it cost?

Item	What the source says
Used household goods	full exemption from import duty, art. 29 Wet Tarief van Invoerrechten, under the minister's conditions
Passenger car older than 8 years	import prohibited, State Decree 2006 no. 100
Remigrant exception	a car that has demonstrably been part of the household goods of a remigrant for more than 2 years, where the remigrant has applied for or obtained admission
Collector item	rare or special vehicle older than 35 years (since 21 May 2026, S.B. 2026 no. 39)
Import permit	H-03 from the IUD service for goods on the Negative List; registration with the Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Transfer into your name	SRD 30 in fees, one SRD 2 stamp, SRD 200 handling costs at the Traffic Technical Service
Export from the Netherlands	RDW notification € 12, export plate 14 days, export declaration at Customs
Bpm refund	only on registration in an EU or EEA country, so not for Suriname

How does the exemption for household goods work?

The law says three things:

it concerns household goods;
the items must be used;
the minister sets the conditions.

Which documents Customs wants to see is not in the law itself, but in a Customs work instruction:

proof of registration with the CBB, showing that you've moved your main residence to Suriname;
a clear copy of your passport;
a signed inventory list, with a statement that this is your whole household, or which part is still on its way.

If your admission or registration is still pending, the household goods can come in against a deposit of at least 40 percent of the customs value. You get it back once your papers are in order. With a foreign passport, the work instruction only allows this if you are waiting for a decision on your admission. If you have a PSA document, ask Customs in advance whether the deposit is open to you too. Ask the Import Duties and Excise Service before you pack whether that list still applies. Let your mover file the declaration only once you have that list.

The IUD service issues import permits. With every import it asks for:

the airway bill or bill of lading (the transport document for the freight);
the invoice;
for goods on the Negative List, an H-03 permit.

Since the trade liberalisation of 1999 anyone may import after registering with the Chamber of Commerce and Industry. An inventory with a value per box is therefore no luxury: it is your invoice.

Anyone taking the car deregisters it for export at the RDW. They also file an export declaration with Dutch Customs, because Suriname lies outside the European Union.

Can the car come?

Only if it is young enough, or has been yours long enough. The Ministry of Economic Affairs writes it out in its notice of August 2024. Second-hand passenger cars older than eight years and buses older than fifteen may not be imported. There are two exceptions:

vehicles older than eight years that have demonstrably been part of the household goods of a remigrant for more than two years, where the remigrant has applied for or obtained admission to Suriname;
vehicles older than thirty-five years that are genuine collector's items; until 21 May 2026 that limit was twenty-five years.

The minister said in January 2023 that the manual exemptions of the past were unlawful. He also said that from 1 February there would be none.

First the permit, then the ship. The law requires the importer to have permission in advance, and the ministry itself names the habit of going to the counter only once the car is already on the quay as the problem. For the remigrant that means: proof that the car has been in your name for more than two years, plus your application or decision on admission, submitted to the IUD service with the invoice or export certificate and registration certificate, before shipping. The RDW export certificate, registration certificate part II, is that export certificate.

What the car costs in import duty and VAT is in the tariff. It depends on the value and engine capacity, and Customs calculates it on the declaration. For an ordinary passenger car it quickly adds up to around half the value including insurance and freight; a large or expensive car pays more.

You do not get bpm (the Dutch tax on passenger cars) back from the Netherlands. The Belastingdienst refunds it only on permanent registration in an EU or EEA country.

How do you put the car in your name, and what changes in October?

You do this at the Traffic Technical Service of the police in Geyersvlijt, between 07.30 and 10.00. Bring:

the registration certificate;
a declaration of sale;
a copy of the seller's identity card or driving licence;
your CBB extract;
proof of insurance in your name.

You pay SRD 30 in fees at the Central Payment Service and SRD 200 on collection. For a car you imported yourself the first inspection is added.

The CBB extract thus first requires the registration from registration and numbers in Suriname. And after two weeks driving is only allowed with the driving permit from driving licence in Suriname.

From October 2026 three things change:

the Traffic Safety Institute starts introducing and explaining the compulsory vehicle inspection and insurance;
the fines are being revised;
checks will focus on brakes, lighting, tyres and insurance cover.

Anyone bringing an old car plans the inspection early. The whole route is in the step-by-step plan for Suriname.

In Vertrekklaar this is phase 4 of 5 of the journey, step 4.2: the same steps, but for your situation — in your order, tickable, and with the deadlines watched. See the whole journey to Suriname or go straight to step 4.2 in the open plan.

What this rests on

The facts in this article come from these official pages. Rules change. When in doubt, go by the source, not this article.

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