Guyana Country Commercial Guide
Learn about the market conditions, opportunities, regulations, and business conditions in guyana, prepared by at U.S. Embassies worldwide by Commerce Department, State Department and other U.S. agencies’ professionals
Select Country Guide
Standards for Trade
Last published date:

Overview

Standardization in Guyana is flexible, and market driven attributed to standards being voluntary and are implemented based on the discretion of businesses. However, some mandatory standards exist which are used by regulators to ensure health, safety, and preservation of the environment. The Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) monitors 17 categories of products based on compulsory standards. GNBS prepares an annual work program which can be found here. Public comments are invited for the development of standards.

Standards

The national standards body in Guyana is the GNBS. Guyana accepts U.S. standards, but they are subject to review by the GNBS.

Many national standards are adoptions of U.S. standards such as ASTM, API, and other ANSI approved standards. GNBS has adopted several international standards primarily from ISO, IEC, and Codex.  Other adoptions include those from CARICOM and British Standards Institution (BSI). Guyana has not adopted a building code.

Testing, Inspection and Certification

Products can be tested at the GA-FDD.  After meeting local standards or passing FDA testing, many products are accepted.

Publication of Technical Regulations

All standards undergo a public comment period of 60 days. This is advertised in the local newspapers and GNBS social media platforms. Known stakeholders are invited to comment during this period. Upon approval by the national standards council, standards are recommended to the subject minister followed by cabinet approval. Upon cabinet approval, a notice is published in the Official Gazette, stakeholders are notified and usually a 6-month period is allowed for implementation.

Information on Technical Barriers to Trade 

Members of the World Trade Organization (WTO) are required under the Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT Agreement) to notify the WTO proposed technical regulations and conformity assessment procedures that could affect trade. “Notify U.S.” is a free, web-based e-mail registration service that captures and makes available for review and comment key information on draft regulations and conformity assessment procedures. Users receive customized e-mail alerts when new notifications are added by selected country or countries and industry sector(s) of interest and can also request full texts of regulations. This service and its associated web site are managed and operated by the USA WTO TBT Inquiry Point housed within the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), part of the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Resources

×

Global Business Navigator Chatbot Beta

Welcome to the Global Business Navigator, an artificial intelligence (AI) Chatbot from the International Trade Administration (ITA). This tool, currently in beta version testing, is designed to provide general information on the exporting process and the resources available to assist new and experienced U.S. exporters. The Chatbot, developed using Microsoft’s Azure AI services, is trained on ITA’s export-related content and aims to quickly get users the information they need. The Chatbot is intended to make the benefits of exporting more accessible by understanding non-expert language, idiomatic expressions, and foreign languages.

Limitations

As a beta product, the Chatbot is currently being tested and its responses may occasionally produce inaccurate or incomplete information. The Chatbot is trained to decline out of scope or inappropriate requests. The Chatbot’s knowledge is limited to the public information on the Export Solutions web pages of Trade.gov, which covers a wide range of topics on exporting. While it cannot provide responses specific to a company’s product or a specific foreign market, its reference pages will guide you to other relevant government resources and market research. Always double-check the Chatbot’s responses using the provided references or by visiting the Export Solutions web pages on Trade.gov. Do not use its responses as legal or professional advice. Inaccurate advice from the Chatbot would not be a defense to violating any export rules or regulations.

Privacy

The Chatbot does not collect information about users and does not use the contents of users’ chat history to learn new information. All feedback is anonymous. Please do not enter personally identifiable information (PII), sensitive, or proprietary information into the Chatbot. Your conversations will not be connected to other interactions or accounts with ITA. Conversations with the Chatbot may be reviewed to help ITA improve the tool and address harmful, illegal, or otherwise inappropriate questions.

Translation

The Chatbot supports a wide range of languages. Because the Chatbot is trained in English and responses are translated, you should verify the translation. For example, the Chatbot may have difficulty with acronyms, abbreviations, and nuances in a language other than English.

Privacy Program | Information Quality Guidelines | Accessibility