Before you start

A sponsoring Myanmar entity — a company, agency or organisation prepared to invite and support you
A business visa: business e-Visa, embassy-issued, or business visa on arrival
A recommendation letter from the relevant ministry or a State/Region officer, for the stay extension
A passport valid at least six months with blank pages

Step-by-step

1
Enter on the business category, not the tourist one
Apply for a business e-Visa at evisa.moip.gov.mm (USD 70) or obtain a business visa from a Myanmar embassy or on arrival. The tourist e-Visa is USD 50, single entry, and generally cannot be extended beyond 28 days or converted. If your purpose is work, arrive on business.
OnlineWho: YouDaysUSD 70 business e-Visa
2
Understand the 70-day ceiling
A business visa permits a stay of up to 70 days per entry. Multiple-entry business visas exist with three, six or twelve-month lifespans, but the 70-day per-entry limit still applies. Multiple entry is normally granted only after two single-entry business visas with a clean immigration record, and is assessed case by case.
OnlineWho: YouAt applicationIncluded
3
Get the ministry recommendation letter
A stay extension needs a recommendation from the relevant ministry or a State/Region officer, alongside your sponsoring company's documentation. This is almost always the slow step, and it is where a well-organised employer earns their keep.
Via employerWho: Your employer or sponsorWeeksVaries
4
Extend the stay through the eStay portal
Apply at estay.moip.gov.mm for a 3, 6 or 12-month stay extension. Fees are USD 62, USD 114 and USD 217 respectively, paid by Visa or Mastercard. The service covers all business visa categories, including embassy-issued, visa-on-arrival and e-Visa. Processing is stated as five working days from acknowledgement of receipt.
OnlineWho: You5 working days once documents are completeUSD 62 / 114 / 217
5
Register for the FRC within 90 days
A foreigner intending to stay 90 consecutive days or more must notify the township immigration department and obtain a Foreigner Registration Certificate. Apply within 90 days of arrival. Failure to register is an immigration offence and can prevent you leaving the country.
In personWho: YouWithin 90 days of arrivalGovernment fee
6
Get a re-entry visa before you travel
A Multiple Journey Special Re-entry Visa lets you leave and return without losing your stay permission. Arrange it before you book anything — leaving without one can mean starting the whole stack again.
In personWho: You, with your sponsorAllow weeksGovernment fee

Documents you’ll need

Passport valid 6+ months with blank pages
Business visa (e-Visa, embassy or visa on arrival)
Sponsoring company or organisation documentation
Recommendation letter from the relevant ministry or State/Region officer
Recent passport photograph and scanned passport pages for the eStay application
Foreigner Registration Certificate (FRC / Form A)
Multiple Journey Special Re-entry Visa, if you will travel

Things most newcomers don’t know

The FRC expires on 30 November, not twelve months after you get it.

The Foreigner Registration Certificate is valid until 30 November of the year it is issued in, so one obtained in September is worth about ten weeks. The obligation to register arises once you intend to stay 90 consecutive days or more, and non-compliance carries penalties up to imprisonment and deportation and can stop you leaving the country. Budget for the timing rather than being caught by it.

Source: Registration of Foreigners Rules; Luther memorandum on Myanmar immigration

The 70-day limit belongs to the visa; the stay permit is what lifts it.

Business visas cap each stay at 70 days whether they are single or multiple entry, which sends a lot of people on visa runs every ten weeks. The stay permit — a separate instrument, not another visa — removes that ceiling for three, six or twelve months. The government's own eStay service now handles this online for all business visa categories, so the old excuse that it was impractical no longer holds.

Source: Ministry of Immigration and Population eStay portal; Luther memorandum

The ministry recommendation letter is the real bottleneck.

The eStay portal quotes five working days for processing, which is fast — but the application requires a recommendation from the relevant ministry or a State/Region officer, and obtaining that is not a five-day exercise. Employers who have done this before have a route; those who have not can lose weeks. Ask a prospective employer how they handle it before you rely on their timeline.

Source: Myanmar eStay portal requirements

Travel advisories do more than describe risk — they can void your insurance.

Several Western governments advise against all or all-but-essential travel to Myanmar. Ordinary travel and health policies commonly exclude cover for travel against government advice, and the exclusion typically reaches medical evacuation, which is the cover that actually matters given the state of the health system. Read your policy against the current advisory for your own nationality before you go, not after.

Source: consular travel advisories; insurer policy wording

Common mistakes to avoid

Arriving on a tourist visa when your purpose is work — it cannot be converted
Treating the business visa as your stay permission and doing 70-day runs unnecessarily
Missing the 90-day FRC registration deadline and being unable to leave the country
Assuming the FRC runs a full year from issue rather than expiring on 30 November
Leaving Myanmar without a Multiple Journey Special Re-entry Visa
Holding insurance that excludes travel against your government's advisory

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.