conditions for a visa on arrival

[Asiantravel]

I see on the Myanmar government website that one of the conditions for a visa on arrival is that you must stay in registered hotels.

it says the following

“ Tourists must stay in registered hotels, motels, inns, guest house and resort during your stay in Myanmar.”

My question is does this include all accommodation listed on AirBNB?

[RichCor]

Surprised they still have those restrictions.

Unless the AirBNB also is a registered Guest House, I would say it doesn't qualify.

Before the regime redecoration, most of the 'registered' locations were run by cronies of the army.

In August 2013, Adam Pasick wrote,

Minister for Hotels and Tourism U Htay Aung told tour guides this week that visitors are not allowed to not stay in private homes because their manners are “not acceptable.”

Foreigners “do not properly follow Myanmar customs, such as sleeping facing the east, and do not like the Myanmar style of eating, such as a family using one spoon to eat from a single bowl of soup,” the minister said, according to the Myanmar Times. He said an exception would be made only in rural areas without hotels.

“The manners of some foreigners are not appropriate for Myanmar people,” he added. The authoritarian government’s concern may also have to do with its ability to keep tabs on foreign visitors; by law, people staying at hotels must register with local authorities.

and WikiTravel had this to say:

The Myanmar government runs many hotels, including some beautiful colonial era ones (though not the two listed in the previous sentence). A percentage of all accommodation payments goes to the government, no matter where you choose to stay, and it is not possible to run a successful business in Myanmar without some relationship or payment arrangement with the military. Socially conscious travellers wanting to make the best accommodation choices may prefer to focus on using local transport and food options rather than spending a lot of time researching who owns each hotel and trying to minimise contributing to government coffers!

If you're on a business visa, you are permitted to sleep at private homes such as a friend's house. If you're on a tourist visa and you wish to do this, you are required by law to register your name on the "overnight register" at the local council for that district. This may cost you a bit of money. In practice, this law is rarely if ever enforced, and it is unheard of for a foreigner to get into trouble with the authorities for neglecting this rule. The authorities do not go around knocking on doors to check if there are any unregistered foreigners sleeping, because given the rarity of foreigners sleeping in private homes, it is simply not worth their time. You should be aware though, that - while you yourself won't get into much trouble - this could cause serious problems for the locals involved.

[Asiantravel]

Surprised they still have those restrictions.

Unless the AirBNB also is a registered Guest House, I would say it doesn't qualify.

Before the regime redecoration, most of the 'registered' locations were run by cronies of the army.

In August 2013, Adam Pasick wrote,

Minister for Hotels and Tourism U Htay Aung told tour guides this week that visitors are not allowed to not stay in private homes because their manners are “not acceptable.”

Foreigners “do not properly follow Myanmar customs, such as sleeping facing the east, and do not like the Myanmar style of eating, such as a family using one spoon to eat from a single bowl of soup,” the minister said, according to the Myanmar Times. He said an exception would be made only in rural areas without hotels.

“The manners of some foreigners are not appropriate for Myanmar people,” he added. The authoritarian government’s concern may also have to do with its ability to keep tabs on foreign visitors; by law, people staying at hotels must register with local authorities.

and WikiTravel had this to say:

The Myanmar government runs many hotels, including some beautiful colonial era ones (though not the two listed in the previous sentence). A percentage of all accommodation payments goes to the government, no matter where you choose to stay, and it is not possible to run a successful business in Myanmar without some relationship or payment arrangement with the military. Socially conscious travellers wanting to make the best accommodation choices may prefer to focus on using local transport and food options rather than spending a lot of time researching who owns each hotel and trying to minimise contributing to government coffers!

If you're on a business visa, you are permitted to sleep at private homes such as a friend's house. If you're on a tourist visa and you wish to do this, you are required by law to register your name on the "overnight register" at the local council for that district. This may cost you a bit of money. In practice, this law is rarely if ever enforced, and it is unheard of for a foreigner to get into trouble with the authorities for neglecting this rule. The authorities do not go around knocking on doors to check if there are any unregistered foreigners sleeping, because given the rarity of foreigners sleeping in private homes, it is simply not worth their time. You should be aware though, that - while you yourself won't get into much trouble - this could cause serious problems for the locals involved.

ha ha !they used to do exactly the same in Russia during the Soviet era

[Tomtomtom69]

There are only a handful of AirBNB options for Myanmar and only in Yangon and Mandalay. If you're keen on using AirBNB whilst in Myanmar I don't think you would have anything to worry about. A new tourism law has approved the first 2 BNBs in northern Kayin State. So indications are that in the near future, BNBs are likely to become fully legal.

[simon43]

If you're keen on using AirBNB whilst in Myanmar I don't think you would have anything to worry about

I recall around 2013 when I was teaching in Yangon that one of our American teachers got warned by the police not to allow 'couch-surfers' to stay in her rented condo.

Hopefully, things have improved.

[phuketrichard]

there is no visa on arrival to start with except for a business visa ( and that u need approval letters in advance)
you can get a pre approved visa online for $50

check put in any hotel name

last month i flew in with a pre approved visa ( which by the way saves u a page in ur passport as no full page visa)

and stayed at my friend's flat and left hotel section just blank

[simon43]

Can one get re-entry permits with the business visa on arrival?

Last time I worked in Yangon, I did my visa runs every 3 months to/from Bangkok, when my business visa expired.

Now I have a couple of job offers in Yangon, but I would need to pop back to Phuket on a regular basis at the weekend, perhaps every 3 weeks.

Do re-entry visas exist? Or would I need to get a new $50 business VoA every time that I re-entered the country?

Edited January 12, 2016 by simon43

[phuketrichard]

its every 70 days you need leave with a 1 year business visa

thtas what 3 people i know have that work (2 teach there)

[simon43]

I have some job offers now from Yangon (teaching). But I would need to come back to Phuket for maybe one weekend each month.

How would this work with a business visa? Doable? Practical? (If not, then I won't take the job...)