Guyana: New In-Person Requirement for Skills Recognition Endorsement

In a change of policy, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is now requiring foreign nationals applying for an endorsement of a CARICOM Single Market Economy (CSME) Certificate to submit the application in person to verify their identity. Previously, foreign nationals could apply for the endorsement through an authorized third party without the need to appear in person. Other endorsement requirements, such as an original police clearance certificate from their country of origin and a valid passport, remain unchanged. The CSME Certificate (also commonly called a CARICOM Certificate of Recognition of Skills Qualification) allows holders from the Caribbean community (CARICOM) to work in Guyana during the validity of the certificate, without a separate work permit. However, they must apply for a certificate endorsement with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs after arrival in Guyana. The CARICOM member states are Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago.