U.S. Embassy in Suriname

EMERGENCY SERVICES for U.S. citizens only

• Regular hours phone: (597) 556-700
• After 4 PM or on holidays or weekends phone: (597) 710-1112

In an emergency (death, arrest, victims of violent crime) involving an American citizen living or traveling in Suriname and French Guiana, you can reach us 24 hours a day/7 days a week.

More Emergency Contact Information

The Department of State assists U.S. citizens imprisoned overseas and works to ensure their fair and humane treatment.

Local Attorneys

The Department of State helps the family and friends of U.S. citizens who die abroad. We inform the U.S. citizen’s next-of-kin of the death and we provide information on arrangements for local burial or the return of remains to the United States and on disposition of estates and personal effects. We also issue a Consular Report of Death Abroad, an official record of death.

Assistance After Death of a U.S. Citizen

The Department of State’s Office of Children’s Issues works to resolve and prevent cases of international parental child abduction and to help children and families involved in abduction cases. For more information, see our international parental child abduction page on travel.state.gov.

Help for Child Abduction Cases

The Department of State helps U.S. citizens who are victims of crime overseas. We connect crime victims with police and other services and provide information and resources to assist with physical, emotional, and/or financial injuries from crime.

Help for U.S. Citizen Victims of Crime

Are you a U.S. citizen who needs a passport?

Visit Our Passports Page for Details

The United States is a party to the Hague Adoption Convention, an international treaty which seeks to ensure that intercountry adoptions are made in the best interests of the child and that safeguards are in place for their protection. All adoptions in another country must take place according to both U.S. and local laws for the adopted child to be eligible to immigrate to the United States. You should work with a U.S. adoption service provider specifically authorized to facilitate intercountry adoption. You can find more information about authorized adoption service providers and the intercountry adoption process at travel.state.gov and are invited to direct questions to Adoption@state.gov.

Intercountry Adoption From A to Z (PDF)

If you have a child outside the United States the child may have acquired U.S. citizenship at birth if the requirements under the Immigration and Nationality Act have been met as of the time of your child’s birth. To determine whether your child acquired U.S. citizenship at birth and to document that, you can apply for a Consular Report of Birth Abroad (CRBA) for your child. You may also choose to just apply for a U.S. passport for your child, although one benefit of a CRBA is that, unlike the U.S. passport, it does not expire and may be used as proof of acquisition of U.S. citizenship at birth. A full validity, unexpired U.S. passport is also proof of U.S. citizenship.

CRBA Information

Transmission of U.S. citizenship depends on:

• At least one parent having the nationality of the United States at the time of the child’s birth;
• The existence of a blood relationship between the child and U.S. citizen parent(s);
• Documentary evidence demonstrating the U.S. citizen parent(s)’ presence in the United States prior to the child’s birth, as specified in the Transmission Requirements Table below.

Transmitting Citizenship Information

U.S. embassy and consulate personnel cannot perform marriages. Depending on the local law, civil or religious officials generally perform marriages. If your marriage overseas was performed in accordance with local law, it is valid in the country where it took place. Whether your marriage is recognized elsewhere depends on the laws of that place.

If you get married abroad and need to know if your marriage will be recognized in the United States and what documentation may be needed, contact the office of the Attorney General of your state of residence in the United States.

Learn About Marriage in Suriname