Guyana’s NYC consulate processes thousands of visas as global interest surges

The Guyana Consulate in New York has processed more than 7,000 Guyanese visas and passports so far this year, reflecting growing global interest in Guyana and increased demand for consular services among the diaspora, according to Guyana’s Consul General to New York, Ambassador Michael Brotherson.
Speaking during a recent programme, Ambassador Brotherson said the figures build on strong performance last year, when the mission processed approximately 10,000 passports.
He explained that the consulate continues to see a steady flow of visa applications from foreign nationals, describing this as a clear indication of Guyana’s growing appeal on the international stage, with visa services, now occupying a significant portion of the consulate’s daily operations.
“So far for this year, last year we did 10,000, as I mentioned on a previous program, so far for this year we’ve processed over 7,000 of the new machine-readable passports, so passports, visas of course. Last year, sorry, the last time I spoke I think I mentioned we had over 30-odd countries, nationals from 30-odd countries opposed our mission to have visas to go to Guyana. Again, I believe it’s a reflection of the attraction of our country, our nation at this point in time. We’ve seen, even though this year has not been completed as yet, we’ve seen similar or more numbers this time around, persons from all kinds, I think I worked with a list here, but I won’t delve into that, but countries from all around the world that require a visa to go to Guyana, so visas also keep us very occupied,” Ambassador Brotherson said.
Beyond passports and visas, the New York mission processes a wide range of critical documents for Guyanese living abroad. These include applications for birth, marriage and death certificates, which are facilitated through the consulate and verified by the General Registrar’s Office in Georgetown.
The consulate also handles overseas registration for second-generation Guyanese born abroad, allowing them to acquire Guyanese citizenship by descent. Under Guyanese law, any person born to a Guyanese parent after 1966 is eligible to apply for citizenship by descent, once all requirements are met.
“I think prior to 1982 or so it used to be the father and father to be Guyanese, but then now it’s not only the father but the mother. We do that, we register those such persons, their children, it stops at the second generation as I said, so your children can gain Guyanese citizenship through you, a Guyanese, but not your grandchildren. And that registration process is often sometimes loosely referred to as they get a birth certificate, but you can only get a birth certificate when you were born, so what we do is give them a registration certificate, verified of course by the General Registrar’s Office in Guyana. It’s a very profound process,” he explained.
He said applicants must submit original documents, including the birth certificates of their Guyanese parents, which are then sent to Georgetown for verification before approval is granted. Once issued, the registration certificate can be used to apply for a Guyanese passport.
The Consul General also highlighted the issuance of emergency travel certificates for bona fide Guyanese nationals who need to return home urgently. These certificates, he explained, are strictly for direct travel to Guyana and cannot be used for onward travel to other countries.
In addition, the consulate provides daily notarization services, including powers of attorney, bank letters, life certificates and other legal documents required for conducting business or personal matters in Guyana. Brotherson stressed that Guyanese banks and institutions often require documents to be notarized specifically by the consulate rather than by foreign notaries.
He said the mission goes beyond basic processing to ensure that vulnerable nationals, particularly the elderly, are protected from potential fraud or exploitation.
“Many times we call things to the attention of our nationals and ask, ‘Are you sure this is what you want to do?’ And when they take a second look, they realise it’s not,” he said, adding that the approach is meant to be responsible and supportive, not intrusive.