Myanmar (aka Burma), as of the 1st September 2014, have launched an eVisa program!  Hallelujah (and about time too!).

Cambodia has had a very simple eVisa scheme for years and Myanmar has been a little slow on the uptake.  Living in New Zealand, the nearest Burmese embassy to apply was Canberra.  This previously meant sending away your passport, with a bank cheque in Australian currency plus enough for return postage and hoping it didn’t get lost, misplaced etc.  You can call me paranoid if you like, but I like to know exactly where my passport is at all times and sending it in the post to another country makes me nervous.

Anyway, I digress… to apply for your Myanmar Tourist Visa you simply go to official Myanmar eVisa website.

Make sure you read the Notice to Tourists page which has all the info you need to know, including which countries are eligible (New Zealand and Australia are definitely on the list!).

You need a passport with 6 months validity, a recent colour photo (presumably passport style) and a credit card to make payment of $US50 and then just fill in the online form.

Apparently within 5 working days you will recieve a 28 day tourist visa valid for 90 days from issue.  Also note you need to be entering through Yangon (Rangoon) Airport as the only entry point which will accept it – other entry points will become available in time presumably.

This certainly makes it a lot easy to travel to Myanmar which is increasingly becoming popular as a tourist destination.

I’ll report back in a few weeks at how easy the process is and any gotchas.