World Watch/Suriname/Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity · Suriname

Cybersecurity regulation in Suriname (2026)

ProposedNo comprehensive cybersecurity statute in force. Substantive cybercrime offences sit in the Criminal Code (Wetboek van Strafrecht) 2015; a Privacy/Personal Data Protection Bill is pending in the National Assembly and a national cybersecurity strategy is anticipated under the CARICOM action plan. Lead body: Centrale Inlichtingen- en Veiligheidsdienst (CIVD).Country index 45 · D

Suriname shaded by its cybersecurity status

Suriname has no comprehensive (NIS2-style) cybersecurity law or general breach-notification regime in force as of 2026. It has criminalised cyber-offences via its 2015 Criminal Code (which mirrors the substantive offences of the Budapest Convention, though Suriname is not a Party and its Criminal Procedure Code lacks the corresponding procedural powers), and a Personal Data Protection Bill plus a national cybersecurity strategy are in development but not yet enacted/adopted. Obligations on private entities (incident reporting, mandatory breach notification, critical-infrastructure security duties) are therefore largely absent today.

Key points

No comprehensive cyber law

There is no NIS2-style horizontal cybersecurity law or statutory critical-infrastructure protection regime in force; a more comprehensive national cybersecurity strategy is expected but has not been adopted.

Cybercrime offences in Criminal Code 2015

Suriname's 2015 Criminal Code (Wetboek van Strafrecht) implements the substantive offences of the Budapest Convention (illegal access, interception, data/system interference, etc.), but the Criminal Procedure Code does not yet provide matching procedural/investigative powers.

Not a Party to the Budapest Convention

Despite substantive alignment, Suriname has not ratified or acceded to the Council of Europe Convention on Cybercrime (ETS 185).

Data protection / breach notification — proposed, not enacted

Suriname has no general personal-data-protection law in force; a Privacy and Personal Data Protection Bill remains under consideration in the National Assembly with no enactment timeline, so there is no horizontal statutory data-breach-notification duty yet.

Institutional set-up

The Central Intelligence and Security Agency (CIVD) is responsible for cybersecurity, and a Cyber Crime Unit is being established within the national police; telecoms/ISP oversight sits with the Ministry of Transport, Communication and Tourism.

Regional and strategy context

Suriname participates in the CARICOM Cyber Security and Cybercrime Action Plan (CCSCAP) and has a National Digital Strategy 2023-2030, but these are policy/coordination frameworks rather than binding cybersecurity obligations.

Suriname - other topics

Last verified 5/24/2026 · Orientation, not legal advice - verify against the primary sources linked above. Explore the full world map →