Myanmar was previously one of the hardest destinations in the world to visit. Under heavy international sanctions, with tough borders and an even tougher stance on tourism, visitors to Myanmar were previously unable to get a visa without applying directly to the government. Not so anymore, however, as you can now easily and quickly get a visa online. Read on to find out how.

Let’s start with the basics. Like most countries, you’ll need a visa to enter Myanmar. While you can apply for one at the nearest Myanmar embassy, you can also apply for a tourist visa on arrival at Yangon, Mandalay and Naypyitawto airports, however, there are numerous stories online about how long this takes, and we spoke to one traveller in Sri Lanka who mentioned that they were rejected at the airport and sent home. Not ideal. However, if travelling for tourism or business, you can apply for an e-Visa online, which is a fairly straightforward process that should only take you about an hour. However, there is only one official website by which to apply for a visa which is https://evisa.moip.gov.mm/. Any other website purporting to be an e-visa portal for Myanmar is 100% a fake, so beware. Only log in to the above website.

Visiting Myanmar? Read my guide on what to expect here.

The process for applying for the e-visa is really straightforward. While the website has seen better days and is a bit clunky, the steps you need to take are really basic.

• 1) Click ‘apply visa’ at the top left hand corner of the banner on the main page. Make sure you select ‘new application’ and ‘tourist.’

• 2) Fill in all of your entry information on the next page. You’ll need your passport, the point of entry for Myanmar (airport) and a valid e-mail address. This is really important - make sure the e-mail address is valid and you’ve typed it correctly, as all of your visa information will be sent there, and it’s really, really hard to change once locked in on the website.

• 3) The next step is filling in all of your personal information. They’ll ask for things such as gender (only have binary options), your D.O.B, contact information for your home country, and what your reasons for visiting Myanmar are. Be completely honest at this point, as the border guards may question you on some of these points at the airport. They were relaxed with us, but I’ve heard of people getting thoroughly quizzed on their personal information at customs.

• 4) You’ll then need to pay for the visa. This is non refundable, and you’ll have to pay $50 USD, which can be done via Alipay or BPAY. While the website may look slightly dodgy, go ahead and pay, the money will leave your account straight away.

• 5) Check your e-mails. You should have received a confirmation e-mail telling you that they have received your application.

• 6) All things going well, you should receive your approval within a few days of receiving the confirmation e-mail. You’ll receive an email from the Myanmar government with confirmation of your tourist visa, which will allow you stay in the country for no more than 90 days. Print this out, and your initial confirmation e-mail, and bring both of those to the airport with you, as you’ll need to hand them over at customs.

know before you go

Travellers in Myanmar must stay in registered hotels and guesthouses. Once you arrive in the country border protection will ask you to register your first address - just put down the address of the hotel or guesthouse you’re staying at the first night. By and large, tourists are not allowed to stay in accomodation that isn’t a hotel or a guesthouse, so make sure you book one of those.

The government also restricts travel to many parts of the country, especially restricting any land border crossings to Thailand, Bangladesh or Laos. If you plan to visit areas other than popular tourist areas, check the updated list of restricted tourist areas, which always include Shan State (didn’t stop me going, read more about that here), Rakhine State, Kachin state, and Sagaing, due to being a border area with Bangladesh.

For more information about what you need to know before visiting Myanmar, read my post on the topic over here.

summary

• Tourists can apply for 90 day visas online. For anything longer, they must go through an embassy.

• Apply for an e-visa ONLY through this website: https://evisa.moip.gov.mm/

• Apply for the e-visa online and pay the $50 USD fee

• Wait for confirmation via email

• Take confirmation documents to airport on arrival for immigration officials.

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