Myanmar adds more countries to visa-on-arrival list

Myanmar government has added more countries to its list of countries whose citizens would be extended the visa-on-arrival (VoA) facility, reports said.

According to Myanmar's tourist federation, five additional countries are now eligible for the VoA process including New Zealand, Hungry, Luxembourg, Czech Republic and Austria. 

The regulations come into effect from January 1, 2020.

“In the past, the test period of visa relations was only one year but now it has been extended to three years,” U Than Win, director of the hotels and tourism ministry said.

The minister said the country is trying to build a "tourism market" by issuing visa-on-arrival facility

The government hopes to boost tourism in the country with the announcement which has been hit in the wake of violence in Rakhine state.

Myanmar had already extended the VoA facility to tourists from Germany, Russia, Australia, Spain, Switzerland and Italy last year.

The government had earlier extended free visa facility for Vietnamese tourists for a period of 14 to 30 days in 2019.

It had also granted visa exception to tourists from Japan, South Korea, China including Hong Kong and Macau in October last year after exponential increase of Chinese, Japanese and South Korean tourists.

According to reports, Myanmar has allowed visa on arrival to over fifty countries with visitors allowed a 28-day stay.