Guidance

Guyana: Knowledge Base profile

Published 28 July 2025

Version 2.0

About: Guyana

This document contains useful information about Guyana which will assist His Majesty’s Passport Office staff process passport applications.

Contacts

If you have any questions about the document and your line manager or senior caseworker cannot help you or you think that the document has factual errors then email the Guidance team.

If you notice any formatting errors in this document (broken links, spelling mistakes and so on) or have any comments about the layout or navigability of the document then you can email the Guidance team.

Publication

Below is information on when this version of the document was published:

• version 2.0
• published for Home Office staff on 18 July 2025

Changes from last version of this document

This document has been updated with formatting changes.

Guyana: names

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about names in Guyana.

Change of name

Name changes are allowed in Guyana.

A Guyana citizen can change their name through:

• marriage
• divorce
• an affidavit
• a statutory declaration

Guyana: nationality

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about nationality in Guyana.

Dual nationality is not recognised in Guyana.

Guyana: legitimacy

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about legitimacy in Guyana.

Legitimacy

Guyana do not recognise a difference between legitimate and illegitimate births. All children are born legitimate, whether their parents are married or not.

Guyana: adoption

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about adoption in Guyana.

Adoption is legal in Guyana.

Foreign nationals are allowed to adopt if they are domiciled in Guyana.

Guyana: surrogacy

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about surrogacy in Guyana.

Surrogacy is legal in Guyana.

Guyana: civil partnerships and marriage

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about civil partnerships and marriage in Guyana.

Civil partnerships and same sex marriages are not legal in Guyana.

Guyana: documents

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about documents in Guyana.

Birth certificates

Birth certificates are issued by the General Register Office following the registration of all births in Guyana. All birth records are held in a central register.

The father’s name will only be included on the birth certificate if:

• there is proof the parents are legally married; or,
• the father appears in person with valid identification and signs the birth registration form

The General Register Office is unable to produce a birth certificate for those born through surrogacy.

Marriage certificates

Marriage certificates are issued by the General Register Office following the registration of all marriages in Guyana. All marriage records are held in a central register.

Marriages must be registered by the Marriage Officer who solemnized (performed the ceremony for) the marriage.

Death certificates

Death certificates are issued by the General Register Office.

For a death certificate to be issued, the General Register Office must have:

• the registration form signed by the coroner or attending physician
• an identification document for the deceased person
• an identification document for the person registering the death

Identity documents

Guyana National Identification Cards are issued on a national level in Guyana by the Guyana National Elections Commission (GECOM). These documents are not laminated when they are issued.

A Guyana citizen must prove their citizenship before they are issued a Guyana National Identification Card.