MetEx House, 496a Great West Road, Hounslow, Middlesex, TW5 0TE  ·  Shipping since 1998
0800 096 38 39
🗻 & ✈ Shipping to Guyana • UK’s Guyana specialists • Since 1998

Shipping to Guyana from the UK
Luggage, personal effects, household goods & barrels — by air or sea

Everything you need to ship to Guyana in one place. We collect from your door anywhere in the UK, handle the customs paperwork, and deliver to Georgetown and across the coast and beyond. Air freight in 5–8 working days, or economical sea freight in roughly 4–7 weeks, subject to space and flight availability with the carriers. These sea transit times are approximate — the actual time depends on when your LCL container finishes loading and consolidating, the vessel’s sailing date and route, any transhipment hub before the final destination, and customs clearance, so please allow a week or two either side. Shipping to Guyana since 1998.

Get a quote 📞 0800 096 38 39

Guyana is a strong and growing UK–Caribbean route, with one of the region’s most valuable concessions for returning nationals — and one of its strongest barrel cultures. Getting it right comes down to the Re-Migrant Scheme paperwork and a clear inventory. This guide brings together everything that actually matters for a UK–Guyana shipment, drawn from our Heathrow-side operation and 25+ years on this route.

Every way we ship to Guyana

Not sure which service you need? Start here — each links to full details, transit times and what’s included.

How shipping to Guyana works, step by step

1
Quote & book

Tell us what you’re sending and where. We’ll give you a clear quote up front.

2
Door collection

We collect from your address anywhere in the UK. No depot or airport drop-off needed.

3
Pack & document

Goods are export-packed and we prepare your itemised inventory and the customs declaration.

4
Ship by air or sea

Air freight from Heathrow, or consolidated sea freight to Georgetown.

5
Customs clearance

The Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) assess your shipment. Re-migrants apply for status at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; the GRA then sets the duty-free concession.

6
Delivery

Your goods are delivered to your Guyana address, or ready to collect from the arrival depot.

The Re-Migrant Scheme — duty & VAT-free effects

Guyana’s Re-Migrant Scheme lets returning Guyanese bring a reasonable quantity of personal and household effects in free of both customs duty and VAT — a valuable concession for anyone resettling home.

The scheme: Guyanese citizens aged 18+ who have lived continuously abroad for at least 5 years and are resuming residence can import a reasonable quantity of personal and household effects — including domestic and electrical appliances — and tools of trade, free of customs duty and VAT.
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Apply for re-migrant status: you apply at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Re-migration Unit in Georgetown within 3 months of resettling, with a passport at least 5 years old and an interview. The GRA then determines the level of concession.
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Settlers and students too: non-Guyanese intending to reside 3+ years, and Guyanese students who trained abroad 3+ consecutive years, also qualify for household-effects relief.
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Documents: your passport (5+ years old), evidence of 5 years abroad, a detailed inventory, and your re-migrant approval. We prepare the UK-side paperwork and inventory with you.
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New or commercial items don’t qualify — the relief is for a reasonable quantity of used personal and household effects, not goods for sale.

Moving-to-Guyana shipping guide ›

Sending a barrel to family — how it works

Guyana has one of the strongest barrel cultures in the Caribbean, and the GRA explicitly treats barrels as personal effects. Here’s what matters:

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What goes in: the GRA defines personal effects to include barrels, boxes and parcels of non-commercial goods sent by air or sea. A standard barrel is a sealable drum (~200 litres / 55 gallons) of food, toiletries, clothing and gifts. We supply the barrel and collect from your door.
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Duty is on the contents: a barrel for family is assessed for duty and VAT on the value inside — separate from the Re-Migrant Scheme. Smaller personal effects (under about US$500) clear on a simplified declaration (Form C73 / ASYCUDA IMS4).
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How it clears: your consignee is notified by the shipping agent, presents ID, a broker prepares the declaration, customs examine the barrel and assess any duty, then release it.
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Itemise honestly: a clear, itemised list speeds the exam and avoids reassessment. Keep receipts for higher-value items.

What you can’t ship — and what slows shipments down

Some items are prohibited in freight and others need clearance. Declaring honestly keeps things moving.

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Prohibited in freight: aerosols, perfumes and aftershaves (flammable), loose batteries, and tobacco. Leave them out.
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Plants, produce and agricultural items are restricted and need clearance — best left out of a household shipment or barrel.
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List everything clearly. A detailed inventory is the backbone of a smooth Guyanese clearance, whether a re-migrant move or a barrel. Number your boxes to match.
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When in doubt, declare it.

What we see most often — and how to avoid it

Most UK–Guyana shipments clear without drama. The ones that don’t nearly always come down to the same short list:

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Applying for re-migrant status late. You must apply within 3 months of resettling — miss it and the concession can be lost.
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Passport under 5 years old. The scheme needs a passport at least 5 years old plus proof of 5 years abroad — have them ready.
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Mixing in new or commercial goods. The relief is for used personal and household effects only.
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Assuming a barrel is duty-free. A re-migrant move is; a family barrel is assessed on its contents — we’ll be clear which is which.

What a shipment to Guyana actually looks like

An illustrative example of a common scenario — your quote is always to your exact shipment.

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A Guyanese family returning to Georgetown after several years in the UK would typically send a home’s contents by sea freight, with us collecting from their UK door, export-packing, and preparing a detailed inventory. With re-migrant status approved, used furniture, appliances and belongings clear free of duty and VAT. Transit is usually 4–7 weeks. Urgent items go ahead by air.

Door-to-door across Guyana

We deliver nationwide. Here are our most popular destinations — each with local delivery detail and transit times:

Which is right for your shipment?

Air freight suits a few boxes or anything urgent — 5–8 working days, priced on weight and size. Sea freight suits volume — a room, a family’s contents or a whole home — at a fraction of the per-kilo cost, over roughly 4–7 weeks door-to-door. Many customers split the two: air for the essentials, sea for the rest.

Shipping to Guyana — your questions answered

Should I ship or pay the airline for extra bags? +
For more than a bag or two, shipping is usually cheaper than airline excess-baggage fees — and you’re not carrying the weight through the airport. We collect from your door and deliver across Guyana.
How long does it take? +
Air freight is typically 5–8 working days. Sea freight is typically around 4–7 weeks door-to-door, plus customs clearance.
Will I pay duty? +
Guyanese citizens 18+ who've lived continuously abroad 5+ years and are resuming residence can import a reasonable quantity of used personal and household effects free of duty and VAT under the Re-Migrant Scheme (apply within 3 months, passport 5+ years old). A barrel of goods for family is assessed for duty on its contents.
What paperwork do I need? +
Passport (5+ years old), evidence of 5 years abroad, a detailed inventory, and your re-migrant approval from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We prepare the UK-side paperwork with you.
Can I send electrical items and furniture? +
Yes — used domestic and electrical appliances are covered by the Re-Migrant Scheme. Guyana uses 120V/240V, so check your appliances; some UK items may need a transformer.
Is my shipment insured? +
We offer marine transit cover — we’ll explain the options and cost when we quote, and we always recommend cover for a long-haul shipment.
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Lak Kharod, Director
Excess Luggage Co. • overseeing UK–Guyana shipping since 1998 • MetEx House, Hounslow, next to Heathrow

Excess Luggage Co. has shipped personal effects, luggage and household goods from the UK to Guyana for over 28 years — through our own Heathrow-side warehouse and collection fleet. We know this route and exactly what Guyana customs looks for. For a quote or advice on your paperwork, call us on 0800 096 38 39.

Ready to ship to Guyana?

Tell us what you’re sending and where it’s going. We’ll come back with a quote and a realistic transit-time estimate — before you commit to anything.