Working in Guyana: the work permit through the employer, NIS and tax
Anyone who takes a job in Guyana comes in on a landing permit that the employer applies for in advance with the Ministry of Home Affairs. The vacancy must first have been advertised in the newspapers for three consecutive months. 5.6 percent of your wages goes to the NIS; above the personal allowance of 140,000 Guyanese dollars a month you pay 25 percent tax, and 35 percent on chargeable income above 3,360,000 a year.
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Work in Guyana runs through the employer. The employer applies to the Ministry of Home Affairs for a landing permit for employment, before you arrive. For that, the vacancy must first have been advertised in the newspapers for three consecutive months. The ministry then counts on one month to process it. As an employee you pay contributions to the National Insurance Scheme (NIS) and income tax through your employer.
| Topic | What the authority states |
|---|---|
| Vacancy in the newspaper | 3 consecutive months, with a copy in the application |
| Processing time landing permit | 1 month |
| NIS, employee | 5.6% of wages |
| NIS, employer | 8.4% of wages |
| NIS ceiling | GYD 280,000 a month |
| NIS, self-employed | 12.5% of declared income |
| Personal allowance, employee (2026) | GYD 140,000 a month, or one third of income if higher |
| Tax (2026) | 25% up to GYD 3,360,000 chargeable income a year, 35% above |
GYD is the Guyanese dollar.
What does the employer submit?
According to the ministry and the Immigration Support Services portal, the application includes:
- a letter with the expected date of arrival, the duration of stay and the port of entry;
- your passport, photo, marriage certificate if married, and your credentials;
- a police clearance and a medical report;
- your employment contract, signed by you and the employer;
- the employer's business registration, tax receipts or GRA compliance certificate, and NIS receipts;
- the newspaper advertisement of the vacancy.
Every document not in English is translated. Diplomas from the Netherlands you first have checked by DUO and then given an apostille by the court.
Extending your stay and work permit is a separate application, the employment visa extension. It again requires the police clearance and medical report, the contract, and the company's tax and NIS records.
The ministry says nothing about the fees for the landing permit. Anyone who does need a visa pays GYD 28,700 or 140 dollars after approval for the employment visa on arrival. Ask the employer which amount applies to your permit, and who pays it.
How are you taxed?
If you work in Guyana, your wages are taxed there, even if they are not paid in Guyana (Income Tax Act, section 6). Your employer withholds the tax through PAYE. On the first GYD 140,000 a month, or one third of your income if more, you pay nothing. Above that it is 25%, and what you earn above GYD 3,360,000 of chargeable income a year falls under 35%. You may deduct your NIS contribution, up to GYD 15,680 a month. For each child under 18 there is a deduction of GYD 10,000 a month.
The consequences for your Dutch tax and AOW are in AOW, pension and tax in Guyana.
Can you work as a self-employed person?
Yes. The Immigration Act names trade or business as a separate purpose of a stay, and there is a landing permit for business; see the residence routes. A self-employed person applies for a TIN with, among other things, a Small Business Bureau certificate and, if the business is registered with the Commercial Registry, the registration certificate. With the NIS you pay 12.5% of your declared income as a self-employed person. You are then not covered for accidents at work.
Anyone who invests may, under the Investment Act, employ skilled foreign personnel, with the government's approval and in compliance with the Immigration Act and the Labour Act. The government promises to "facilitate" work permits for investors and their personnel.
Will your diploma be recognised?
That depends on your profession. Nuffic advises contacting the country's ENIC-NARIC outside the EU, or if there is none the Ministry of Education, and asking whether your profession is regulated there. For a regulated profession, according to Nuffic, a competent authority in the country decides whether you may work. If you cannot find an ENIC-NARIC for Guyana, start with the Ministry of Education.
Sort out your TIN and NIS number right after arrival; see registration and numbers.
In Vertrekklaar this is phase 2 of 5 of the journey, step 2.1: the same steps, but for your situation — in your order, tickable, and with the deadlines watched. See the whole journey to Guyana or go straight to step 2.1 in the open plan.
What this rests on
The facts in this article come from these official pages. Rules change. When in doubt, go by the source, not this article.
- Immigration Support Services — the landing permit for employment — eservices.iss.gov.gy
- Ministry of Home Affairs — requirements for the landing permit for employment, one month to process — moha.gov.gy
- Immigration Support Services — extending your stay and work permit — eservices.iss.gov.gy
- Ministry of Home Affairs — the employment visa on arrival, GYD 28,700 or 140 dollars after approval — moha.gov.gy
- Guyana Revenue Authority — personal allowance, rates and NIS deduction for 2026 — gra.gov.gy
- National Insurance Scheme — contributions for employees and the self-employed, and the ceiling — nis.org.gy
- Guyana Revenue Authority — applying for a TIN, also as a self-employed person — gra.gov.gy
- Income Tax Act, Cap. 81:01, section 6: wages for work in Guyana are taxed there (Ministry of Legal Affairs) — mola.gov.gy
- Investment Act, Cap. 73:03, sections 19 and 21: foreign personnel and work permits (Ministry of Legal Affairs) — mola.gov.gy
- Nuffic — working outside the EU with a Dutch diploma and a regulated profession — nuffic.nl
- DUO — having a Dutch diploma legalised — duo.nl
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