Myanmar extends e-Visa to business

YANGON, 15 July 2015: The e-Visa system for visitors to Myanmar is now open to business travellers, effective 1 July. Myanmar Times quoted Department of Immigration and National Registration deputy director, U Aung Thiha, saying the e-Visa for business applicants will be run concurrently with an existing business visa-on-arrival programme. “The scheme will support the development of Myanmar’s economy by encouraging more businesspeople to visit the country.” It is probably the most significant development for the e-Visa since its introduction last year, as it opens the convenient online service to high spend visitors many of whom are looking at investment opportunities or attending conferences.  Business visitors have a choice. They can either use the visa-on-arrival service, or go online and obtain an e-Visa. Both business visa programmes are open to nationals of 51 countries who enter via Yangon, Mandalay and Nay Pyi Taw international airports, he said. For the business-visa-on-arrival, applicants must have an invitation letter from a Myanmar company that must be registered with the government, and be prepared to show a photograph and proof of identity. Payment is by credit card. The e-Visa costs USD70, USD20 more than the business visa-on-arrival. The deputy director said: “We will reply within an hour, but full acceptance will take three working days because we need to approve the required documents. The business e-Visa will be valid for 70 days, but can be extended with the agreement of the relevant ministry.” The letter of invitation and photograph need to be scanned as a jpeg file and then inserted in the online application form. The system offers secure credit card payments. There is a limit on the size of jpeg files and usually the only potential snag when applying online is when an applicant attempts to copy and paste files larger than the system can accept. Since the ministry allowed tourists to apply for e-Visas last September, 111,734 have been issued, he said. “Now we allow citizens of 100 countries to apply for a tourist e-Visa for USD50. The service might be expanded depending on survey results.” Under the existing policy, applicants for a stay permit need a multiple-entry business visa from a Myanmar embassy and eligibility for this visa is conditioned upon the issuance of a number of single-entry business visas, the report said. 51 countries on the business e-Visa are: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Canada, China, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea DPR, Korea Republic, Laos, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Taiwan, Romania, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States of America, and Vietnam. http://www.ttrweekly.com/site/2015/07/myanmar-extends-e-visa-to-business/