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Getting a certificate of life in Suriname

Are you a Dutch national living in Suriname and need to have a pre-printed certificate of life signed and stamped? Or do you need a certificate of life for another purpose? Read the step-by-step guide below to find out what you can do in your situation.

Attention: If you have been asked by the Social Insurance Bank (SVB) to provide proof of life, you can submit your proof of life via the SVB app. Read how to do this on page about proof of life for AOW pension.

Step 1: Gather the documents that you need

You will need the following documents in order to have a certificate of life drawn up or signed and stamped:

  • A valid Dutch passport or Dutch identity card.
  • Proof of address. This can be proof of registration with your municipality, for example. If this is not available in your country, you can instead provide a bank statement, a telephone or utility bill from the past month bearing your name and address, or a rental contract bearing your name and address.
  • Official proof of your civil status issued by a government body in the Netherlands or elsewhere. This can be your marriage certificate, your divorce certificate or your spouse's death certificate, for example. It cannot be a self-declaration or a document drawn up by a notary.
Attention: You may need to have foreign documents translated and legalised.

Step 2: Make an appointment

Find out where and how to make an appointment:

You can have your pre-printed certificate of life signed and stamped or drawn up by the embassy in Paramaribo.

You can visit the embassy or the SVB office at the embassy on the following days and times (you do not need to make an appointment):

  • Embassy in Paramaribo: Tuesday and Thursday between 09:00 and 11:00
     
  • SVB office at the embassy in Paramaribo: Monday and Wednesday between 08:00 and 11:00

First check which days the embassy and the SVB office in Paramaribo are closed.

You can have your certificate signed and stamped at the Central Population Affairs Office (CBB). Provided that you are registered as a foreign citizen in the neighboorhood where you live.

You do not need to make an appointment. Check when you can come by at the office in your neighboorhood on the website of the CBB.

Step 3: Check whether you need to pay

You don't always need to pay for a certificate of life. Select where you want to have the certificate signed and stamped or drawn up to find out what applies in your situation:

  • You can have a pre-printed certificate of life signed and stamped for free at the embassy. 
  • Having the embassy draw up a certificate of life costs €30.

Check with your local municipality to see if they will sign and stamp the declaration and how much you will have to pay.

See the overview of consular fees in Suriname for information on how you can pay.

Step 4: Receive the certificate

Select your situation to find out how long it will take before you receive the certificate and in what language you will receive the certificate.

  • The embassy will sign and stamp the certificate and will send it straight to the SVB in the Netherlands.
  • If you want to have the CBB sign and stamp the certificate, ask them how long it will take.

Having a certificate of life drawn up by the embassy takes between 2 and 3 working days. During your appointment you will hear when you can pick up the document.

What language will the certificate be in?

You will receive a multilingual standard form in Dutch, English, French and German. 
If you need the certificate in another language, you will need to have it translated by a sworn translator. Ask the organisation requesting the certificate whether you need to have the certificate and/or the translation legalised.

Also useful

What is a consular certificate?

Contact

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.