Myanmar’s eVisa works in two stages, and mixing up the two — treating the approval letter as the visa itself — is the mistake worth avoiding before you get to the airport.
What you actually receive
You are issued an approval letter first. The visa itself is stamped on arrival.
The document in your inbox is permission to travel, not the visa. It needs to be with you, and the stamping happens at the border rather than before you leave.
The three steps
Create an account on the official eVisa website. Unlike several arrival cards in the region, you cannot simply fill in a form and submit it anonymously.
Complete the secure online form once the account exists.
Pay the visa fee to let the application proceed. An unpaid application does not move.
Your port of entry is part of the rule
Entry to Myanmar on an eVisa is permitted only through designated ports of entry listed on the official website.
This is the constraint most worth checking against your actual itinerary before booking, particularly for overland crossings or smaller airports. An eVisa that is valid at the wrong border is not useful.
The current fee and the port list both live on the official site, and both are the kind of detail that changes, so we point at them rather than copying them here.
Public holidays affect processing
Government operations and the call center close on public holidays, including Thingyan and the Full Moon Day of Waso.
Myanmar’s public holidays follow a lunar calendar and move year to year, so a date that was a working day last year may not be this year. If your travel is close to one, apply well ahead rather than assuming a normal turnaround.
If you already live there
Foreigners residing in Myanmar on a Business Visa can apply for a Stay Extension and a Re-entry Visa online, rather than only in person.