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Long Immigration wait at Moleson Creek
Dear Editor,
Traveling from South Drain, Suriname, to Guyana via the Canawaima Ferry on the 15 February 2026 was a nightmare. With fewer than 100 people crossing, and despite being about number eight in the queue, it took over 1.5 hours to clear Guyana immigration at Moleson Creek.
Two ladies were on duty handling the lines; however, only one was actually dealing with the passengers, while the other dealt with minibus drivers who were allegedly passing money to get their many passengers sorted. Two other male officers stood by—one in a tight, muscular uniform and a mask—but they didn’t try to help. Perhaps their job titles require them only to stand and watch.
Only after the minibuses and their passengers were processed did the officers finally turn their attention to the lines. In a strange and unorthodox move, passports were collected and taken to a separate room to be stamped. They were later brought back out and distributed by calling out passengers’ names. A traveler’s passport should never leave their sight; those responsible for stamping should handle the lines directly to ensure transparency and security. What is the purpose of a queue if documents are processed behind closed doors? Immigration officers must perform their duties in front of the travelers they are processing.
The process needs to move away from paper and pen to a fully digital system, which I believe Guyana has already embraced. So why the long waits and “deals”? When we arrived at immigration, it took nearly 30 minutes for the officers to even take their positions to begin processing travelers.
Immigration at Moleson Creek must be improved; travelers demand easier, faster, and friendlier service. Additionally, the lack of an integrated public transportation network makes it expensive to explore Guyana. With the project to gentrify Georgetown, I am hopeful that sidewalk and rubbish issues will soon be a thing of the past. The Georgetown City Council must do better.
I commend the government for improving Guyana’s connectivity with the wider world and reducing airfares through an open-skies policy which creates competition. There has also been great improvement at CJIA regarding quicker immigration processing, and this efficiency must be replicated at Moleson Creek. Having traveled to over 85 countries and written extensively about tourism, I found the wait to clear immigration and customs at Moleson Creek unnecessarily long.
Regards,
Ray Chickrie
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