The Weakest Suriname Passport in Caricom – Docblot Suriname

Suriname has canceled visa-free travel to 5 countries. These are the Netherlands, France, Belgium, Canada and the United States. With the good policy of the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Tourism, TCT is one of the 5 countries that can generate a large number of tourists to Suriname.

Suriname has participated in many tourism exhibitions and we are also in the pavilion in Dubai, but we are still a well-protected secret in the world. Travel agencies do not have Suriname on their list in order to provide the country with citizens looking for exotic holiday accommodation. Travel agencies do not have Suriname posters. Suriname does not appear in travel brochures or in the offers and holiday advertisements of holiday providers such as TUI, Sunweb, Corendon and Vakantiediscounter, which offer hot tropical places for those living in colder countries. The flow of tourists we receive here is mainly a family visit to the native country by Dutch people with Surinamese roots. But the next generation has less bonding with Suriname and going elsewhere for the holidays. People visit the whole world because it has the best connections to all continents from the Netherlands, which is understandable.

Cancellation of visa requirement must have a specific commitment. Cancellation of visa may be aimed at attracting more tourists. But then must be duly stamped by the Suriname TCT Ministry and the Suriname Travel Systems.

Cancellation of the visa can also be aimed at turning the Suriname passport into a strong passport. This means that Surinamese can travel to many countries without a visa by pointing their passport. The BBC Minister has pointed out that he is high on his list of visa-free travel arrangements for Surinamese to the European Union. Surinamese with 550,000 souls, 300,000 relatives live in the Netherlands. Moving from Suriname to the Netherlands is great. Suriname communities are now part of the Dutch-speaking areas of Belgium. Applying for a visa to the Netherlands is the most disgraceful process that citizens have ever had to go through. Citizens must meet with a visa application agency for the Netherlands at least 6 months in advance. Visa costs for Surinamese have increased from Euro 60 to Euro 125 a few years ago. Many citizens in Suriname receive full or partial tickets sponsored by family members. But family members can be embarrassed at the company that handles the visa. Suriname citizens have to deal with a busy schedule. The company has very low capacity and keeps citizens waiting for months. Then there are the requirements that the Netherlands sets for Dutch-speaking citizens of the world. Suriname speaks Dutch, so it has Dutch heritage and culture, but the European country does not enjoy it that way. In short, getting a visa to visit relatives in the Netherlands can be a daunting task.

Now we open the borders on the Suriname side; There will be no visa selection, but people will have to pay the entrance fee at the airport. If Suriname could obtain support for visa-free travel to the EU from the Netherlands, Belgium and France through diplomatic channels, it would not be too difficult for others to agree. When a BBC minister succeeds, it will be a testament to his diplomatic prowess and will certainly count as an achievement of arms. Due to the very successful integration in the Netherlands, the Surinamese have a good reputation compared to other countries. There was no political incitement by people of Suriname descent from Suriname in the Netherlands.

The Suriname Passport is by no means a weak passport. The Henley Passport Index (HPI) is a global ranking of countries based on the country’s normal freedom of travel, which does not use the country’s normal-diplomatic-passport. This site gives a ranking of 199 passports in the world and the number of countries where their holders can travel without a visa. The number of countries that can access a particular passport is the visa-free ‘score’. In collaboration with the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and based on the official data of their global database.

Japan, Singapore, Germany, South Korea, Finland, Italy, Luxembourg, Spain, Austria, Denmark, France, the Netherlands, Sweden, Ireland, Portugal, Belgium, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom are the top 20 countries with strong passports. And the United States. The strongest Caribbean passport is Barbados (No. 23), whose citizens can travel to 160 countries without a visa. St. Kitts and Bahamas in the same order are Nos. 25 and 26. St. Vincent. Antigua, Trinidad, Saint Lucia and Dominica have strong passports, and they all make it into the top 50 with access to over 120-150 countries. Guyana ranks 59th (entry in 87 countries) and Jamaica 61st (85 countries). Suriname is ranked 67th, with access to a paltry 77 countries. Suriname has a very weak passport within Caricom. This is a big red card for the foreign policy pursued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Embassy of Suriname for many years. They did not serve the interests of the Suriname citizen.