Applying for visa is often a nightmare with queues in embassies and rude officials. Myanmar stands out. Since 2012, a number of positive changes have been implemented and as people often say, “this is the most friendly immigration I have ever met!”
The basic rule is that any foreign national who wishes to enter Myanmar must obtain a visa unless they are a citizen of one of the eligible visa exempt countries. The government has worked hard on Improvements to make both entry and exit convenient. A large number of countries have for several years been allowed to apply for Business Visa On Arrival by just presenting an invitation letter from a local company together with the business license. Making it very smooth for business people to fly in with short notice.
To boost tourism, all ASEAN (except Malaysia) including Japan, South Korea, Macao, Hong Kong no longer require visa (visa exception). Tourist from India and China are eligible for Tourist visa-on-arrival and starting from 01 October 2019, it will also applies to tourists from Italy, Spain, Australia, Switzerland, Germany and Russia!
The introduction of e-visa for a smoother application
If you are not eligible for a visa exemption, then applying online for an e-visa is by far the most convenient. Over the years many e-visa services have appeared, most either fake or much more expensive. There is only one official you should use, the E-Visa web portal by the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, and Population https://evisa.moip.gov.mm.
Applying online is easy and convenient. In a few days you get the approved visa over email and you just need to print it out and show to the immigration officer. That’s it!
Online you can apply for three options; Tourist (50 USD), Tourist Express (24 hour processing time) (56 USD), and Business (70 USD). For business e-visa you need a slight different invitation letter template compared to visa-on-arrival but templates are available for download. The application process for an e-visa beats standing in the queue on arrival and much better than spending time visiting an embassy before departure!
The length of stay varies with different Visas as normally. Tourist Visa grant you a stay of 28 days while the Business Visa offers 70 days. Do note that if you engage in any violations of Myanmar Law, your Visa will be terminated and you will be sent back home.
Find more information on the process and eligibility on https://evisa.moip.gov.mm
This post is sponsored by Myanmar EaseNet to ensure travellers get the best experience visiting Myanmar and don’t start with a bad visa situation.
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Stories have been coming in how other non official e-visa services work such as http://www.myanmarvisasonline.com
They charge USD 149 instead of the official USD 70 for business visa and one person couldn’t get his visa as they kept requiring the back page of the business license despite there is no back page of the new business license. He only got 45% back of the fee paid in advance.
So only use https://evisa.moip.gov.mm