Myanmar visa and entry requirements

The visa has to exist before you fly

• You must have a visa to enter Myanmar and you cannot obtain one on arrival. For British citizens that is absolute.
• Apply for the tourist e-visa online before travelling. A business e-visa needs sponsorship by a registered Myanmar company or chamber of commerce, with an invitation letter addressed to you personally and a copy of the company's registration certificate. Non-governmental organisations cannot sponsor visas.
• The passport must be valid at least 6 months after the day you arrive.
• Overstaying means a fine and possible detention, and the fine is payable in US dollars.

The exceptions, so you can rule yourself out of them

Yangon airport publishes the actual lists, and they are narrower than most summaries suggest.

• Visa on arrival for tourism is open to holders of Chinese and Indian passports only.
• A 14 day visa exemption applies to ordinary passport holders from Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, the Philippines and Thailand, and 30 days for Vietnam, Singapore and Malaysia.
• Those exemptions only work if you enter and leave through Yangon, Mandalay or Naypyidaw international airports. Staying longer, or using a land border, means an e-visa regardless of nationality.
• Russian ordinary passport holders have a one year entry visa exemption.

Dual nationality is not recognised

• Myanmar does not recognise dual nationality. If you hold it, the authorities may treat you as a Myanmar citizen.
• That limits British consular assistance, and if you are arrested or detained as a dual national the authorities may refuse consular staff permission to visit you at all.
• It also matters for conscription. See the safety section: a British passport may not exempt a British-Myanmar dual national from the military service law.

On arrival

• Every passenger needs a Passenger's Customs Declaration Form. Airlines issue it on board, or you can pick one up at the airport.
• A yellow fever certificate is required if you are arriving from a country listed as a transmission risk.
• Declare any gold, gems and jewellery. Importing gold or bullion for trading is prohibited and carries a risk of arrest.