Guyana's oldest town, at the confluence of the Berbice and Canje rivers — incorporated in 1891.
New Amsterdam
City of New Amsterdam’s own service platform — where residents, businesses and visitors deal with the Council online.
15,081 residents · 2026 estimate
The Council
City of New Amsterdam
East Berbice-Corentyne (Region 6)
Mayor
His Worship Wainwright McIntosh
Education Officer and businessman. Elected 2023.
Deputy Mayor
Mr Kirk Fraser
Office-holders as at Sep 22, 2026. Source: Kaieteur News — 'New Amsterdam celebrates 135 years', 3 September 2026.
- Township status
- 1 September 1891 — Guyana's oldest municipality
- Region
- East Berbice-Corentyne (Region 6)
- Area
- approx. 13.7 km²
- Position
- Confluence of the Berbice and Canje rivers
Nothing can be submitted here yet — New Amsterdam has not switched its services on. Every service below says what to do in the meantime.
City services
Everything the Council delivers, with what is true about each one today.
All 17 of these are counter services today or agreed with the Council and coming. New Amsterdam will switch them on a service at a time. Showing 8 of 17.
Rates and payments
Check your rates balance
ComingSee what is owed on a property you own, and what has been paid.
Designed and agreed with the Council. Not yet open — the counter is still the way.
Your property's rates account number is on any rates notice. If you do not have one, the Treasury counter can look it up by property number.
Pay your rates
ComingPay property rates online, in Guyana dollars, and get a receipt straight away.
Designed and agreed with the Council. Not yet open — the counter is still the way.
Payments are made in GYD. The Council issues a receipt for every payment.
Permits and licences
Building and renovation permit
At the counterApply to build, extend, or make structural changes to a property.
This council delivers this in person. The details below are what to bring.
Building applications are lodged at the Council's Building Department with plans and proof of ownership. Fees are payable at the Treasury.
Business operating licence
At the counterRegister or renew the licence a shop, bar, restaurant or service business needs to trade.
This council delivers this in person. The details below are what to bring.
Licence applications are made at the Council office. Renewals are due at the start of the year.
Market stall and vending permit
At the counterApply for a stall in a municipal market, or to vend at an approved location.
This council delivers this in person. The details below are what to bring.
Applications are made to the Markets department. Stalls are allocated by the Council.
Road closure or public event approval
At the counterAsk to close a street, hold a public event, or put up a sound system.
This council delivers this in person. The details below are what to bring.
Requests go to the Town Clerk's office, normally at least two weeks ahead.
Report a problem
Report a problem
ComingA pothole, a broken drain, an overflowing skip, a street light out, illegal dumping.
Designed and agreed with the Council. Not yet open — the counter is still the way.
Track a report you made
ComingSee what has happened to something you reported, and what the city did about it.
Designed and agreed with the Council. Not yet open — the counter is still the way.
How it works
Create your account
An email address and a password. Free, and it takes a minute.
Verify for property and rates
Valuation and rates services need proof the property is yours. We show you exactly what to bring.
Send it to the city
Choose the service, describe it, attach a photo if it helps. It goes straight to the Council's desk.
Follow it to the end
See what happened, when, and who is dealing with it. No queue to ask.
Markets and vending
Stalls, licences and the rules for trading in the open.
Roads, lights and drains
The everyday things a Council actually fixes, reported from your phone.
Permits and records
Building, business, certificates and property records — what to bring and where.
Not the Council’s — here’s whose it is
Not everything is a city service, and it wastes your day to find that out at the counter. If it is on this list, the Council cannot help you with it — the body that can is named, with a link to their own office.
Electricity, water, police, passports, schools, taxes — 10 things that are not ours
Guyana Power & Light (GPL)
Electricity supply, outages, meters and billing are GPL's, not the Council's. A street light that is out is the Council's — report that to us instead.
GPL's own website and its published customer lines have the current numbers.
Open their official site ↗Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI)
Water supply, pipes, sewers and bursts are GWI's. A blocked Council drain that is flooding a street is ours — report that to us.
GWI's own website carries its current customer service lines.
Open their official site ↗Guyana Police Force — 911
Anything that needs a police response is not something to file here and wait on. In an emergency, call 911 first.
For a non-emergency, visit your nearest police station.
Guyana Ministry of Health / Georgetown Public Hospital
Medical care is not a Council service. If it is an emergency, call 913 for an ambulance.
Visit or call your nearest health centre or the public hospital.
Guyana Ministry of Education
Schools, teachers and the curriculum are the Ministry's. Councils do not run schools.
The Ministry's website carries its current contacts and district offices.
Open their official site ↗Guyana Ministry of Home Affairs / Immigration Support Services
Passports, visas and immigration status are national, not municipal. The Council is registrar for some birth and death records in its district — that part we can take.
The Ministry of Home Affairs website has the current passport and immigration offices.
Open their official site ↗Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA)
National taxes are the GRA's. Property rates are the Council's — that part is here.
GRA's website carries its current offices and lines.
Open their official site ↗National Insurance Scheme (NIS)
NIS, contributions and pensions are national, not municipal.
NIS's website carries its current offices.
Open their official site ↗Guyana Fire Service — 912
Fire is an emergency. Call 912.
For a non-emergency fire safety matter, contact the Fire Service directly.
Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission / Deeds Registry
Land title and transport are national. Property records held BY the Council are here — a rates record search is ours.
The Deeds Registry and GLSC both have public offices in Georgetown.
Open their official site ↗We deliberately do not print phone numbers or opening hours for these bodies. They change, and a number that is out of date on a page about your power supply is worse than no page — each link goes to the office that keeps its own details current.
Everything your city does, in one place
Right now, dealing with New Amsterdam means a different trip, a different counter and a different person for each thing you need. This is where that changes.
When you send something to the city you can see what happened to it, and you can see who is dealing with it. When the Council answers, you can answer back in the same place instead of taking a morning off. Some services need the Council to check a document first — where that is true, the page tells you before you start.
Free for residents. Always.
A resident never pays to use this. The Council pays VertAcc to run it, out of the efficiency the platform creates — not out of a fee on a rates payment or a permit.
If any service ever carries a cost, that is the Council's fee for the service itself, set by the Council and shown to you before you submit — never a charge from the platform.
Opportunities in New Amsterdam
What the city is buying, what it is offering, and where a business or an investor can work with it. Every notice here is published by the Council and carries a closing date.
New Amsterdam has not published any opportunities yet. When it does, they will appear here — tenders, concessions, sponsorship and land.
Business and investment in New Amsterdam