Myanmar passport

In 2014, authorities opened new passport issuing centres in Myanmar in addition to the existing two offices in Yangon and Mandalay. The new offices were opened in each seven states and seven regions of Myanmar, and also in the country’s capital Naypyidaw. [1]

In 2022, a new QR code system was introduced as a new requirement for applicants. The system was taken offline in December 2022. Many passport applicants now rely on brokers who charge different prices for faster appointment dates. Overseas embassies often require applicants to visit in-person to schedule appointments, placing burdens on applicants in foreign cities without an embassy.[2]

In April 2010 the Myanmar passport was upgraded from hand-written to machine readable passport.[3]

There are three types of passport issued primarily by the Ministry of Home Affairs. Government officials are issued with a green passport. Diplomats are issued with a blue passport. All other citizens receive a red passport.[4] The red passport is valid for 5 years and the green passport for three.[5]

In 2016, the Ministry of Home Affairs announced that nine types of passports in different colours would be issued to Myanmar citizens. The nine types are:

• PB – Business Passport;
• PT – Dependent Passport;
• PJ – Job Passport;
• PR – Religious Passport;
• PS – Seaman Passport;
• PE – Student Passport;
• PV – Visit Passport;
• PD – Diplomatic Passport and
• PO – Official Passport.[6]

The three most common types issued are PV, PS and PJ passports. PJ Passport holders have been required to present an additional Overseas Worker Identification Card since the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état.[2]

Countries and territories with visa-free entries or visas on arrival for holders of regular Myanmar passports In 2019, Myanmar citizens had visa-free or visa on arrival access to 46 countries and territories, ranking the Myanmar passport 95th in the world according to the Visa Restrictions Index.

  Myanmar

  Visa free access

  Visa on arrival

  eVisa

  Visa available both on arrival or online

  Visa required

As of January 2018, Myanmar ordinary passport holders can travel to Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam without a visa. They are permitted to enter and remain in those countries for not more than 14 days without visa except the Philippines and Singapore, which permits a stay of up to 30 days. [8]

Visa on Arrival for Myanmar citizens is available in Maldives and Macau while eVisa is available to enter India.[9][10] The Transit Without Visa (TWOV) is applicable at KLIA and KLIA2 airport for Myanmar citizens holding ordinary passport for a maximum of 120 hours stop-over in Malaysia.[11][12][13][14][15][16][17]

The front cover of a British Indian passport.

Prior to Burmese independence in 1948, British Indian passports were issued to residents of Burma when it was a part of the British Raj.