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Life in Myanmar: how to apply for a visa for permanent residence

Residence permit
Myanmar (Burma)

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Life in Myanmar: how to apply for a visa for permanent residence

Myanmar (the former, well-known name of the country, Burma) is a country of exoticism, temples, pagodas, Buddhism, and virgin nature. The geographical location and political neighborhood with China, Thailand, and India affect the historical, cultural, political, and economic conditions of life in this country. Most people know this country as a tourist zone. But if the question arose about moving here for a long time (temporary residence permit) or about immigration, how to solve it? Due to the unpopularity of the direction for moving to permanent residence, there is not much information on this subject that is widely available. Let's try to figure out what steps you need to take in order to move to Myanmar for a long time or permanently.

Before traveling to Myanmar, you need to get a visa. The reasons for this may vary. 

Among the main types of visas:

  • tourist;
  • business visa (work permit visa);
  • social visa (or guest visa).

A tourist visa can be obtained both at the consulate of the country, and you can apply for a visa online (the amount of the consular fee will differ, but the registration is much simpler). An online visa can be issued on this website. An online request is processed within three working days. eVisa is valid for 90 days from the date of issue and entitles a tourist to a single stay in Myanmar for 28 days.

With a business visa, everything is more complicated. It can be issued both in advance at the consulate and upon arrival in the country. At the same time, the period for which it is issued varies from three months to a year. This is if done at the consulate. A business visa upon arrival in the country is issued for 70 days. After this period, it is possible to obtain a new visa. However, such visas do not give the right to permanent residence in Myanmar. A foreigner can stay in the country continuously for 10 weeks. That is, after this period, he needs to leave the country. And if you need to stay longer (according to the issued business visa), you can immediately return back. A very inconvenient practice indeed, but foreigners working here have no other choice. True, as practice shows, the majority still have to periodically travel to neighboring countries, in particular Thailand, in order to receive money transfers, which are highly taxed in Myanmar (foreigners open bank accounts in Bangkok. Even taking into account the flight back and forth to this country, service it is cheaper there than in the banks of Myanmar). Interestingly, these facts concern "ordinary" foreigners. If a foreigner arrives at the invitation of the country's government, a special stamp is placed in his passport  an analog of a visa, and a State permit, which allows you to stay in the country without leaving it every 10 weeks. Based on the State permit, you can get an FRC - an analog of a Residence permit, or a residence permit. It is the FRC that is the most important document for a long stay in Myanmar, if it exists, it completely replaces the passport.

Social visa  single entry. It is issued mainly by those who came to visit relatives. Unlike a tourist visa, it is valid for more than four weeks.

But as practice shows, social visas are the least in demand. Basically, either tourist go to Myanmar for a while, or foreigners go for a long time. They try to arrange special annual visas with the FRC (special local offices can help with this for a certain amount).

There is also a separate type of permission to visit the country  a visa for meditation. It is issued upon request from the religious center or monastery to which the applicant for this visa is traveling.


The process of immigration naturalization - obtaining citizenship in Myanmar - will be considered privately, taking into account the reasons for the stay of a foreigner in this country. The priority, in this case, will be the issuance of permanent residence to scientists, investors, and qualified employees. Or on the basis of marriage with a citizen of Myanmar.

Although the country's economy is developing, the majority of the population is still employed in agriculture (opium cultivation is not excluded). Transport links are well developed here. But the Internet is only in large cities. Therefore, before moving to Myanmar for permanent residence, it is better to familiarize yourself with all the conditions and nuances. Our lawyers will help you in resolving issues related to obtaining a residence permit, or permanent residence in any country in the world. We will help you save time and money spent on independent searches for answers to questions related to traveling to another country.