2.5 km from the centre
National Archives of Suriname: where your family is written down
The National Archives of Suriname in Paramaribo holds the emancipation registers of 1863, the immigration registers of Hindustani indentured labourers from 1873 and Javanese from 1890, and civil registration, the core sources for Surinamese genealogy.
Check this Opening hours and entry prices in Suriname change without notice. Call or message ahead if you are coming specifically for this.
For many Surinamese-Dutch visitors this is the building where the family history either begins or ends. The emancipation registers of 1 July 1863 contain the names of roughly 33,000 enslaved people, with the surname they were then given, their former name, their age and the plantation they worked on.
The immigration registers do the same for indentured labourers: name, home village in British India or Java, ship, date of arrival and the plantation they were sent to.
Some of this is searchable online, but far from all of it, and the indexing is uneven. Anyone searching seriously ends up having to come in person.
Frequently asked questions
Can you research ancestors at the National Archives of Suriname?
Yes. The archive holds the 1863 emancipation registers, the immigration registers of Hindustani indentured labourers from 1873 and Javanese from 1890, civil registration and plantation administration. Research is by appointment and you need photo ID.
What is in the 1863 emancipation registers?
At abolition on 1 July 1863 roughly 33,000 enslaved people were registered with the surname they were then given, their earlier name, their age and the plantation where they worked. For Afro-Surinamese families this is often the oldest document naming an ancestor.