Reviewed by Carlos Vargas, Texas Licensed Funeral Director (TFSC #119648) ·
Start with the embassy in Washington
Guyana’s foreign ministry lists two missions in the United States, the embassy in Washington and a mission in New York. The Embassy of Guyana gives its address as 2490 Tracey Pl NW, Washington, DC 20008, the telephone +1 202-265-6900, and consular hours of Monday to Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. We found no Guyanese consulate general for Texas.
The Texas Secretary of State’s list does show an honorary consul of Guyana in Houston, at 1810 Woodland Park Drive, telephone 281-497-4466. Guyana’s own list of honorary consuls abroad names California and Miami for the United States and has no Texas entry, so the two official lists disagree. An honorary consul does not necessarily issue documents in any case. Ask the embassy in Washington which office it wants a Dallas family to use.
The only list Guyana publishes comes from its London mission
Neither the embassy in Washington nor the ministry publishes a list of documents for returning a body. Guyana’s High Commission in London does, on its page on the repatriation of deceased and remains. For a body it lists a letter from the funeral home, the death certificate, an embalming certificate, a form of acknowledgement by the coroner, a copy of the passport and a free from infection certificate. For cremated remains it lists a sealable, suitable container holding the ashes, a cremation certificate or a letter from the funeral home or crematorium, and the death certificate.
The page recommends asking the airline what container it accepts for ashes and whether it has further requirements. It also states a fee in pounds, which applies to London and tells a Texas family nothing about Washington. The coroner’s form is a British document; in Dallas the nearest equivalents are the medical examiner’s release and the Texas burial-transit permit. Use the London list to prepare your questions, then ask Washington whether it follows the same list, what it accepts in place of the coroner’s form, and what it charges.
What to settle with the receiving funeral home
We found no page from Guyana’s Ministry of Health or its customs authority that sets out an import permit for human remains. That is a gap in what is published, not proof that nothing is required; the London page itself attaches a Ministry of Health document. Ask the funeral home that will receive your relative in Guyana what the health and customs officers at Cheddi Jagan International Airport will ask for, and have it confirm in writing before the flight is booked. Choose that funeral home early, since its name and address go on the air waybill.
Apostille
The HCCH status table shows that Guyana acceded to the Apostille Convention on July 30, 2018 and that it entered into force on April 18, 2019. The London list does not mention an apostille. If a bank, court or registry in Guyana later asks for one on the Texas death certificate, it is issued by the state; see the Texas Secretary of State authentication FAQ. Texas documents are already in English.
Death records in Guyana
We did not find a published procedure for recording in Guyana a death that occurred abroad. The General Register Office’s overseas registration page deals with children born abroad to Guyanese parents, not with deaths. The embassy’s certificates page explains how a person living overseas can request a copy of a birth, death or marriage certificate already registered in Guyana: the application and fee go to the embassy, which forwards them to the General Register Office, and processing takes approximately three months. If the family will need the Texas death certificate for property or a pension in Guyana, order extra certified copies now.
From DFW to Georgetown
American Airlines publishes a route page from Dallas/Fort Worth to Georgetown (GEO), Cheddi Jagan International Airport, that describes nonstop or connecting service, so ask which applies on the proposed date. American Airlines Cargo’s TLC page says its specialists work directly with funeral homes and mortuaries on the advance arrangements. Caribbean Airlines Cargo lists human remains among its products. For a burial in Berbice, Essequibo or Linden, settle the road transport with the receiving funeral home first.
| Step | Who to ask |
|---|---|
| Death certificate, embalming and funeral home letter | The funeral director here |
| Which office handles a Texas case, and its fee | Embassy of Guyana in Washington |
| Health and customs on arrival | The receiving funeral home in Guyana |
| Container for ashes | The airline |
| Acceptance of the casket and the flight | The airline’s cargo desk |
Who pays
We found no official Guyanese statement about paying for a return. Plan on the family, an insurer or an employer meeting the cost, and ask the embassy whether any help exists for your case. The insurance and assistance guide lists other places to ask.
Questions families ask about a return to Guyana
- Is there a Guyanese consulate for Dallas?
- We found no consulate general for Texas. Guyana’s missions in the United States are the embassy in Washington and a mission in New York. Texas lists an honorary consul in Houston, but Guyana’s own list does not, so ask the embassy.
- What documents does Guyana ask for?
- The only published list is from Guyana’s High Commission in London: a funeral home letter, death certificate, embalming certificate, coroner’s acknowledgement, passport copy and a free from infection certificate. Ask Washington whether it uses the same list.
- Is Guyana part of the apostille system?
- Yes. The Convention entered into force for Guyana on April 18, 2019.
Sources checked and case confirmation
Sources checked September 21, 2026. The document list comes from Guyana’s London mission, dated March 2019; Washington publishes none, and no health or customs page was found. Confirm documents, fees, route and receiving arrangements for the individual case. Contact Vargas–London with the origin and destination to discuss the next step without sending medical or identity documents through the inquiry form.
