Jakarta (Indonesia Window) - The government of Suriname has officially issued free visas for Indonesian citizens to visit the country located in the north-eastern coast of South America, according to a statement from the Indonesian Embassy in Paramaribo received by Indonesia Window here on Tuesday.

Starting September 1, 2020, a free visa policy is officially valid and granted to Indonesian citizens holding diplomatic passports, official passports and regular passports.

Indonesian citizens holding diplomatic passports, official passports and ordinary passports with a minimum validity of six months, can enter, exit, transit or stay without any visa in Suriname for a period of no more than 30 days.

The same policy is also applied to Suriname citizens who visit Indonesia.

The free visa agreement which was signed by the Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs and her Surinamese counterpart in May 2019 finally took effect after the two parties completed internal procedures.

The Indonesia-Suriname free visa agreement provides visa-free facilities for citizens of both countries holding diplomatic passports, official passports and ordinary passports in one agreement.

The free visa policy gives an opportunity to strengthen the people-to-people contact between citizens and increase cooperation in the economic sector of the two countries.

Suriname, which has a population of about 575,000 people with Javanese people belonging to the third largest ethnic group, has a great potential for tourist visits to Indonesia.

Even though both countries are geographically far away with less connectivity, the visa-free service between Indonesia and Suriname is expected to be a way for the two countries to enhance bilateral relations in the economic, cultural and other fields of cooperation.

Reporting by Indonesia Window