Imitation assay marks
Clocks, watches or other articles bearing any imitation of a British assay mark are prohibited. The rule protects the hallmark itself, so a genuine timepiece is fine while a fake stamp is the problem.
Guyana
Shipping to Guyana from the United States
Most country listings prohibit the obvious things and leave everyday goods alone. Guyana does the reverse in places. Its postal page bars all kinds of linen, furniture and fixtures, newsprint paper and most foodstuffs, so a barrel of household staples is closer to the prohibition list than to the safe zone. The bans, the import license, the weight ceilings and the forms below were read from the postal country listing on 2026-08-08.
Country listing, datedImport license notedCrossing priced by a person
The barrel is the hazard
Linen, furniture and food, the usual contents of a family barrel, are exactly what the listing names.
The list reaches into the ordinary
A family barrel to Georgetown tends to hold sheets, tinned food, a few small furnishings and something to read on the trip. Three of those four categories appear on Guyana's prohibition list by name, which is why this page leads with the contents rather than the postage.
- All kinds of linen. Bedding and household linen are named outright, not merely restricted.
- Furniture and fixtures. The small dresser or the set of chairs a barrel often carries is on the list.
- Newsprint paper. The cheap paper stock, distinct from books or correspondence, is prohibited.
- Most foodstuffs. The listing spells it out as meats, fish, vegetables, nuts, fruit, bakery products and confectionery.
- Bees and silkworms. A holdover entry, but a real one.
- Valuables. Coins, banknotes, precious metals, precious stones and jewelry, the standard bar.
- Biological substances and radioactive materials. Perishable infectious and noninfectious biological substances, and radioactive materials.
The practical reading is that the household barrel most people picture for Guyana has to be rebuilt around the list. Clothing that is not classed as linen, sealed manufactured goods and durable non-food items travel; sheets, home furniture, loose foodstuffs and newsprint do not. Confirm any doubtful item with the recipient before the box is taped, because the listing explicitly asks senders to check admissibility in advance.
A hallmark rule and a signature rule
Two of Guyana's entries are the kind that catch a sender out precisely because they are so specific. Neither is a weight or a value; both are about how an item is marked.
Lottery matter
Circulars, advertisements or tickets relating to lotteries are barred, a common entry that still surprises anyone mailing promotional print.
A signature on the tape
Adhesive tape used to close a registered item has to carry the sender's signature or name across it. It is a small step that a registered barrel will be held for if it is skipped.
The import side sits on top of the mailing rules. The listing directs senders to the Ministry of Trade at 18 Brickdam, Georgetown for import licenses, and the United States trade guidance adds that importers register with the Guyana Revenue Authority for a tax identification number and clear through the ASYCUDA World system. For a personal barrel this is the recipient's errand, but it is worth naming before a delivery date is promised.
Products, ceilings and forms
| Product | Weight ceiling | Declaration | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| “Global Express Guaranteed” | Listed but suspended | Not accepted | Suspended since 29 September 2024 |
| Priority Mail Express International | 66 lb | PS Form 2976-B inside PS Form 2976-E | Valuables prohibited on this product |
| Priority Mail International | 44 lb | PS Form 2976-A inside PS Form 2976-E | Merchandise cover available |
| First-Class Package International Service | 4 lb | PS Form 2976 | Price Group 6 |
The ceilings follow the common pattern rather than an odd one: 44 lb on the ordinary parcel and 66 lb on the express tier above it. The point that separates Guyana from several neighboring lanes is the merchandise-cover line. The listing marks declared-value protection available on Priority Mail International here, where a number of Central American listings mark it unavailable, so a barrel of ordinary goods can be sent with cover on the parcel product.
What the recipient meets at the border
Guyana runs a value added tax, and the United States trade guidance for the country states that items which attract excise tax are subject to a 14 percent value added tax. The same guidance describes an import-license step through the Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Commerce and registration with the Guyana Revenue Authority, which lines up with the Ministry of Trade address printed on the postal listing. A personal gift and a commercial shipment are treated differently at that counter, and the recipient is the one who settles whatever is due before the parcel is released.
None of that is a postage cost, and none of it is charged at this end. It is the reason the declared value and an honest, specific contents description matter more on this lane than on a domestic one, since both feed the assessment the recipient will face.
Getting a figure for the barrel
This site's checkout writes United States domestic labels and nothing else, so no Guyanese figure sits above and none is implied. Any number invented at this end is one no one could make good on when the barrel finally moves.
The domestic side, including the drive to a consolidator that assembles barrels for Georgetown, comes back from the calculator in a couple of minutes. For the crossing itself, send the barrel or carton dimensions, the packed weight, a precise list of contents and the Guyanese address to freight review, and a person fixes the product and the cost. Rebuild the contents against the prohibition list before any of that, because the list, not the postage, decides whether the shipment is worth sending.
Common questions
What is barred from mail to Guyana?
More than most senders expect. The country listing prohibits all kinds of linen, furniture and fixtures, newsprint paper, and most foodstuffs including meats, fish, vegetables, nuts, fruit, bakery products and confectionery, alongside the usual bars on valuables, biological substances and radioactive materials.
Does Guyana want an import license for a parcel?
The listing notes that import licenses are obtained through the Ministry of Trade at 18 Brickdam, Georgetown, and asks senders to confirm with the recipient that an item may enter before mailing it. The trade guidance adds that importers register with the Guyana Revenue Authority for a tax identification number.
How heavy a package can I mail to Guyana?
Priority Mail International stops at 44 lb, Priority Mail Express International carries 66 lb, and First-Class Package International Service tops out at 4 lb. Global Express Guaranteed has been marked suspended to Guyana since 29 September 2024.
Can I add declared-value protection to a Guyana parcel?
Yes on the ordinary parcel. The listing marks Priority Mail International merchandise cover available to Guyana, which is not the case on every Central American and Caribbean lane. Jewelry, precious metals and other valuables are prohibited outright, so the cover is for ordinary goods.
Why are watches with a British assay mark prohibited?
The listing bars clocks, watches or other articles bearing any imitation of a British assay mark, a hallmark-protection rule inherited from Guyana's time in the British system. A genuine piece is not the target; an imitation of the hallmark is what the entry is written to stop.
Where these rules come from
- USPS Postal Explorer, Individual Country Listing — Guyana — the prohibitions on linen, furniture, newsprint and foodstuffs, the imitation assay-mark bar, the lottery-matter bar, the registered-item signature rule, the Ministry of Trade import-license note, the 44 lb and 66 lb ceilings and the merchandise-cover line. Read 2026-08-08.
- United States Department of Commerce, Guyana Customs Regulations — the 14 percent value added tax on items that attract excise tax, the Guyana Revenue Authority registration and the ASYCUDA World clearance system. Page last published 13 May 2026, read 2026-08-08.
- USPS, International Service Alerts — checked for Guyana, which does not appear among the suspended destinations. Page updated 7 August 2026, read 2026-08-08.
Country listings and license procedures change without notice. Everything here reflects those pages on 2026-08-08; open the Guyana listing again close to your mailing date, not when you first start loading the barrel.