Do Thai Nationals Require A Visa/permit To Stay And/or Work In Myanmar

[rushdentillidie]

I know this is not directly related to Thailand but I hope somebody can help.

I have been offered a job in myanmar with my current company. For me the visa work permit and accomadation will all be allocated for me. But I am woundering if my wife who is still a Thai national will:

A) Require a visa to stay for up to a year.

Be able or require a work permaint to work.

The reason I ask this is because I know that Myanmar is part of ASEAN and from the research I have done it seems that nationals of the member nations can travel freely between each other. But is this like the EU where nationals are able to work also with no work permit.

Any advice would be a great help

Regards

[samran]

unfortunately, while ASEAN reckons it will one day soon been like the EU in terms of free movement of labour, no such thing exists, and probably won't in reality for a very long time.

If you have been offered a job then the company should take care of your wifes visa formalities. She, like everyone else, will need a visa to stay there.

[DirectorIntegrityLegal]

It is my understanding that ASEAN is primarily visa-free, but Myanmar, although a member of ASEAN, still requires visas for nationals of ASEAN members states. An associate of mine, who is Thai, had to get a visa to enter Myanmar simply as a tourist.

I hope this was helpful, but Myanmar immigration is definietly not my speciality.

[Tomtomtom69]

@rushden Also, you are making a dangerous mistake by assuming ASEAN is anywhere near as free as the EU. The reality is far, far from that. Most ASEAN nationals merely receive up to 1-month (or less) in visa free stays but often get charged small border crossing fees when travelling overland anyway. There is no freedom of movement as you have described, nor is there any freedom to live and work freely within ASEAN. That will take many decades to happen if at all, and likely the less developed members at that time will not be allowed to freely travel to work in the more developed ones. Consider the examples of Bulgaria and Romania in the EU and how long it will take before restrictions are removed for them to see what I mean.

Western nationals can travel just as freely in ASEAN as ASEAN nationals and some also get visa free entry for sometimes longer periods than other ASEAN nationals in some countries. For example, Australians and Brits get 90-days visa free in both Malaysia and Singapore, but Thais, Laotians and Vietnamese only get 30 days. Swiss can get 15 days visa free for Laos, but Thais get 30 days. Other nationals can also get 30-days but they need to pay for a visa on arrival.Scandinavians get 15 days in Vietnam, Thais get 30 days.

Thais definately need a visa for Myanmar to fly in and travel or stay for longer periods. Even if they didn't there is no way a stay of more than a month visa-free would be allowed anyway since as I mentioned ASEAN is not the EU. Everybody needs a visa for long-term stays. Not only that, but an onward or return ticket may even be required.