All you need to know to travel to Myanmar with a tourist or business visa
If you’re planning to go to Myanmar and you’re wondering how to apply to tourist visa or business visa, you’re in the right place!
Tourist visa
2 possibilities:
1. Apply online on evisa.moip.gov.mm
- Visa approved in 3 days top.
- Cost: $50.
- Duration: 28 days.
Note: your visa is valid for a period of 90 days upon the date of its approval.
For example, if your visa got approved on March 1st, you’ll have until May 29th to visit Myanmar for a maximum of 28 days. If you arrive on May 28th, you’ll be able to stay only 1 day.
Check the documents required and the list of countries* eligible on the official website.
*November 2016: 100 countries
2. Ask your local Myanmar embassy
I can only tell our experience from Malaysia. We were in Penang and we needed a visa urgently. We called the embassy and they told us that it’s the agency called Everfine in Kuala Lumpur that’s taking care of visas. And they can do it in one day. You just have to go in the morning at 8AM and around 4PM you’ll have your visa in your passport.
And for this case, the fee is cheaper: 143.30 RM = between $35-$40
Check Everfine’s website to know the list of documents required.
BE CAREFUL: There’s no tourist visa on arrival!
Business visa
3 possibilities:
1. Apply online on evisa.moip.gov.mm
- Visa approved in 3 days top.
- Cost: $70.
- Duration: 70 days.
Note: your visa is valid for a period of 90 days upon the date of its approval.
Check the documents required and the list of countries** eligible on the official website.
**November 2016: 50 countries
2. Ask your local Myanmar embassy
Davidson went to Everfine agency to get his visa done. It was the only solution for him. Since he’s Brazilian he couldn’t apply for the visa on arrival and neither online. Brazil is not part of the list of 50 countries eligible for business visa online and on arrival.
Check Everfine’s website to know the list of documents required.
3. On arrival
- Cost: $50 (that’s what I did for me, as a French citizen I am eligible for business visa on arrival).
- Duration: 70 days.
The documents are the same as for the online business visa. The only difference is the fee. I find it weird that a business visa on arrival is cheaper than online (usually it’s the contrary) but anyway… ^^ I totally recommend the business visa on arrival. It’s fast (less than 10mn) and cheaper!
Last but not least…
- If you overstay in Myanmar, know that it’s $3 per day of overstay. Based on my research, up to 90 days of overstay, it seems like there’s no problem as long as you pay at the airport when you’re about to leave Myanmar. But above 90 days, it gets tricky. It’s better not to go beyond that line ^^
- I will repeat it here again: There’s no tourist visa on arrival. Only online or via the embassy.
- If your country is not eligible for an online visa or a visa on arrival, ask your local Myanmar embassy. Davidson was not eligible for a business visa on arrival but he was able to have a business visa thanks to Everfine in Kuala Lumpur.
- To apply online, only use the official website evisa.moip.gov.mm