Guyana

Bank of Guyana home page, rates on 5 October 2026: US dollar 207.98 buying and 210.45 selling, euro 232.67 and 235.65. The bank's weekly foreign exchange market report for 18-24 September 2026: the Bank of Guyana weighted average market rate is 208.5 Guyana dollars per US dollar; commercial banks on average sell cash dollars at 213.30 and non-cash at 216.50; the five largest non-bank cambios buy at 229.80 and sell at 232.60. The Bureau of Statistics, using the Bank of Guyana table, gives a monthly average rate of 200-224 since 2006: 216.44 in January 2025 and 223.73 in June 2026, so the Guyana dollar is slowly weakening. How the central bank officially names the exchange rate regime is not stated on these pages. We did not check the rules for importing goods and cars.

Bureau of Statistics Guyana, key indicators on the home page: the public sector minimum wage for 2025 is 102,346 Guyana dollars (per month, as is usual for the civil service; the period is not labelled on the counter). Converted at the Bank of Guyana selling rate of 210.45 on 5 October 2026 it is about 486 US dollars, our arithmetic. There is no figure for the private sector on the page. Also there: unemployment 6.2% in the fourth quarter of 2025, real GDP growth 19.3% in 2025.

The agreement between the governments of Russia and Guyana on the conditions for waiving visa formalities was signed in New York on 27 September 2015 (it is on the list of the Russian Foreign Ministry Consular Department). Article 1: citizens with valid passports (other than diplomatic and service ones) may enter, leave, transit and stay in the other country without a visa for up to 90 calendar days in each 180-day period from the first entry; staying longer than 90 days, working or doing business requires a visa. On the Guyanese Foreign Ministry page Russia is on the list of countries whose nationals do not require visas, "for a period not exceeding 90 days". For those who do need a visa, visitor visas on arrival are extended no more than twice, by one month each, at 25 dollars per extension; this affects Russians only if they did not arrive under the visa-free regime.

Guyana Citizenship Act (Cap. 14:01), Second Schedule: a foreigner may be naturalised if he has resided in Guyana throughout the 12 months before the application and, during the 7 years before those 12 months, for periods amounting to at least 5 years; is of good character; and intends to reside in Guyana. In special circumstances the Minister may count earlier periods or allow shorter ones. For British protected persons, 5 years of ordinary residence. Constitution, article 45: a person who marries a citizen of Guyana is entitled to be registered as a citizen on application and oath, subject to exceptions on security grounds. Article 46: the President may deprive of citizenship anyone who after 26 May 1966 voluntarily acquired the citizenship of another country (other than by marriage); when naturalising it is worth finding out how this applies to keeping a Russian passport. We did not find the time to permanent residence.

Constitution of Guyana, article 43: every person born in Guyana after the commencement of the Constitution becomes a citizen of Guyana at the date of birth. Exceptions: if the father or mother has the immunity of an envoy of a foreign sovereign power accredited to Guyana and neither parent is a citizen of Guyana; or if the father or mother is an enemy alien and the birth occurs in a place then under occupation by the enemy. Article 44: a child born abroad is a citizen if a parent is a citizen of Guyana otherwise than by virtue of that article. How documents are issued for a child of foreigners in practice, we did not check.

Guyanese Foreign Ministry document on visas on arrival (upload folder 2025-04): for employment, the employer gives the Ministry of Home Affairs in advance the worker's name, address and gender and its own contacts; the company must be registered and compliant with NIS contributions and GRA taxes; after approval the visa and work permit are issued on arrival, the visa is for 3 years, the fee is 140 dollars, and the same for each 3-year renewal. Students get a 3-year visa for 140 dollars on a letter from the institution to the ministry. Business people get a 5-year visa for 140 dollars; details of the company or a sponsor in Guyana and proof of business credentials from the home country are needed. This procedure is described for nationals of countries that need a visa; the document does not say how visa-exempt foreigners obtain a work permit. We did not find a separate status of indefinite residence (an equivalent of permanent residence) on the open Foreign Ministry pages, and the Ministry of Home Affairs site did not open from our network. The path to citizenship is in the neighbouring fact.

UK Foreign Office, Health section: medical facilities are very limited even in Georgetown, and there are hardly any in remote areas; standards of medical practice are low, and for serious or invasive treatment an evacuation should be arranged if possible; insurance covering treatment and repatriation is needed. The UK Foreign Office has a list of medical providers with English-speaking staff. We did not check the prices of clinics and insurance and did not find separate official data on Georgetown hospitals.

U.S. Department of State advisory of 25 August 2026, Level 3 "Reconsider Travel": violent crime is common, especially at night, including murder and armed robbery; local police often lack the resources to respond. UK Foreign Office (updated 30 December 2025): crime levels are significant and police capacity is low; pickpocketing and bag snatching are common, attacks happen in daylight but more often at night, with knives and firearms. Venezuela disputes its border with Guyana, the situation there is tense, and organised crime is increasing; there is also a dispute with Suriname over the New River area. Same-sex sexual activity is formally illegal, although in practice the law is rarely enforced. Guyana is vulnerable to flooding, and the coast is below sea level. Details for Georgetown are in the city facts.