Motor Vehicles and Road Traffic Act

CHANGE OF MOTOR VEHICLE FROM ‘G’ TO ‘P’ OR ‘P’ TO ‘G’

The law provides for buses and cars (registered as ‘B’ and ‘P’ respectively) to carry goods for trade or business. If you desire to make this change, the following procedure should be followed.

  • As the applicant you must request a cancellation of the goods transportation license from the Guyana Police Force. The approval from the Guyana Police Force to cancel the goods transportation licence is needed.
  • In the case of buses and lorries/vans, you must submit the approval letter (for the cancellation of goods transportation licence that was given by the Guyana Police Force) to the Tax Exemption Processing and Verification Division along with a copy of the Motor Vehicle Registration for approval by the GRA and a valid form of identification (Passport or National Identification Card).
  • The Tax Exemption Processing and Verification Division will then investigate whether there are any outstanding taxes on the vehicle. If taxes are payable, the applicant is given a receipt voucher stating the amount of taxes to be paid.
  • The applicant must then go to the Customs, Excise and Trade Operations (CE &TO) with the receipt voucher and pay the relevant taxes.

REGISTRATION OF ‘G’ VEHICLES

A certified copy of the certificate of registration is given to the owner of a vehicle as evidence that the vehicle has been registered. This certified copy is issued by the licensing officer after ensuring you have adhered to Section 5 (2) of the Motor Vehicle and Road Traffic Act.

The identification mark ‘G’ is placed on motor lorries or vans used for trade or business purposes as prescribed in Section 12, Part 1 (3) of the Regulations made under Section 103 of the Act.

The licensing officer will assign to that motor vehicle, a distinctive identification mark for the class of vehicle. Section 12, Part 1 (3) of the Regulations made under Section 103 of the Act, provides for the following:

The Motor Vehicles and Road Traffic Act;

  • A ‘motor lorry’ is a vehicle which carries goods.
  • A ‘goods vehicle’ is a vehicle which carries goods or a trailer so constructed or adapted.
  • The Act does not define van, but the Webster’s dictionary, 2002 defines ‘van’ (short for caravan) as a covered wagon for conveying goods by road or rail.

Additional requirements of which the vehicle must fulfil:

  • The vehicle must have seats fitted at the front of the vehicle for the driver and two porters only;
  • The side of the vehicle must be completely sealed with metal and not glass;
  • Seats must not be fitted in the rear/back of the vehicle;
  • The unladen weight of the vehicle, name and address of the registered owner should be painted on the right side door of the vehicle;
  • The person wishing to register the vehicle as ‘G’ must have a registered business to justify the use of a goods transportation vehicle;

In addition, the GRA requires that the Commissioner-General gives approval through the office of the Tax Exemption Processing & Verification Unit (formerly the Remission Unit) before a vehicle can be registered as ‘G’.

It is important to note that a motor vehicle registered as ‘G’ cannot be operated without a goods transportation licence.

GOODS TRANSPORTATION LICENCE

No person shall use a goods vehicle (‘G’) on a road in any area of Guyana to carry goods for hire or in connection with any trade or business if they do not have a goods transportation licence. For further details, see Section 87 (1) of the Motor Vehicles & Road Traffic Act Cap 51:01.

 No person shall operate a vehicle for the purpose of carrying goods within Guyana, without a goods transportation licence issued by the Guyana Police Force, see Section 89 of the Motor Vehicles & Road Traffic Act Cap 51:01.

PROCEDURE FOR THE CHANGING OF REGISTRATION BETWEEN PRIVATE AND HIRE MOTOR VEHICLES

Individuals requesting a change of motor vehicle from private to hire are required to present the following documents to the Licence Revenue Office:

  • A cancellation of registration that gives permission for a change of registration from private to hire or vice versa (obtained from the Police Station)
  • The Original Certificate of Registration or
  • For vehicles owned by the Government or by persons or agencies with diplomatic status, the relevant letter from the Tax Exemption Processing & Verification Division (formerly the   Remissions Unit) of the GRA.

NOTE: The difference in the annual licencing fee for private and hire cars is calculated and the applicant is sent to the cashier to pay the balance, where he/ she will be issued with a receipt. As such, the applicable transfer fee will be G$2,000.

Following the successful verification of all documents, the following procedures will be applied by the Licence Revenue Office:

  • A physical examination will be conducted on the motor vehicle by the Licence Revenue Officer to verify the engine and chassis numbers and registered information on the Index Card.
  • If the Licence Revenue Officer is satisfied with the examination, the change is made to the Certificate of Registration and the Index Card.