Local Laws

CRIMINAL PENALTIES: While you are traveling in Burma, you are subject to its laws, even if you are a U.S. citizen. Foreign laws and legal systems can be vastly different than our own. It is illegal to take pictures of Burmese officials and of certain buildings, such as military installations and government buildings. There are also some things that might be legal in Burma, but are still illegal in the United States. You can be prosecuted under U.S. law if you buy pirated goods. Engaging in sexual conduct with children or using or disseminating child pornography in a foreign country is a crime prosecutable in the United States.

While in Burma, you should carry your U.S. passport or a photocopy of passport data and visa pages at all times so that if you are questioned by Burmese officials, you will have proof of your U.S. citizenship readily available. It is important to remember, however, that your U.S. passport won’t help you avoid arrest or prosecution for violating local laws.

Although the current civilian government has repealed some of the laws that prohibited people from exercising many of the rights that U.S. citizens enjoy in the United States – including the freedoms of assembly and speech – there are still many laws on the books that criminalize things that are not illegal in the United States. For example, Burmese law forbids Burmese citizens from possessing dual nationality.

Under the Burmese Motor Vehicle Act of 1964, driving while intoxicated is punishable by either six months in jail, or a 500 kyat (equivalent to USD 50 cents) fine, or both.

While some countries will automatically notify the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate if a U.S. citizen is detained or arrested in that country, others may not. To ensure that the United States is aware of your circumstances, request that the police and prison officials notify the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate as soon as you are arrested or detained overseas.

Photography: Do not photograph or videotape the military or police, or anything that could be perceived as being of military or security interest such as bridges, airfields, government buildings, or government vehicles. Burmese authorities might interpret these actions as provocative and may question and/or arrest you.

Travel within Burma: Burmese authorities require that hotels and guesthouses furnish information about the identities and activities of their foreign guests. Burmese who interact with foreigners may be compelled to report on those interactions to Burmese authorities. Security personnel traditionally place foreign visitors under surveillance; your actions, such as meeting with Burmese citizens, particularly in public spaces like hotel lobbies, rooms, and restaurants, could still be monitored.

You will not generally be required to obtain advance permission to travel to the main tourist areas of Mandalay and the surrounding area, Bagan, Inle Lake, Ngapali, and other beach resorts. However, the Burmese government restricts access to some areas of the country on an ad-hoc basis, stating it cannot guarantee the safety of foreigners. If you plan to travel in Burma, you should check with Burmese tourism authorities to see whether travel to specific destinations is permitted. Even if the Burmese authorities allow travel to specific destinations in Burma, you may not be safe traveling in those areas.

Wherever you travel in Burma, you should be careful to respect the differences between the culture and customs of the United States and Burma.

Dual Nationals: According to Burmese law, Burmese citizens automatically lose their Burmese citizenship when they obtain another country’s citizenship. When a Burmese citizen acquires another nationality, including U.S. citizenship, Burmese authorities reportedly require these individuals to inform the Burmese government, to surrender their Burmese nationality, and to provide the change of address associated with their move to the foreign country. They also demand relinquishment of any National Registration Card or National Scrutiny Card, which is evidence of Burmese citizenship. On occasion, Burmese authorities have detained and pursued criminal proceedings against Burmese-Americans who have returned to Burma on U.S. passports and who have had in their possession evidence of Burmese citizenship, such as a National Registration Card. If you have U.S. citizenship and have not surrendered your Burmese citizenship, you should check with the nearest Burmese embassy prior to your travel to Burma.

Customs Regulations: It is illegal to enter or exit Burma with items such as firearms, pornography, narcotics, ivory, and other restricted items. Travelers must have an export permit in order to exit with gems purchased in Burma that are valued at more than $500. On several occasions in the past two decades, foreigners have been detained, searched, and imprisoned for attempting to take restricted items out of the country.

Customs officials also limit the amount of items that can be brought into the country. Travelers who do not declare dutiable items on the Customs declaration form can be fined and their items confiscated. The Burmese government has never provided a complete list of prohibited import items. For information on restricted items for import into Burma and specific customs’ requirements, please contact the nearest Burmese embassy (Embassy of the Union of the Republic of Myanmar), the Embassy of Burma in Washington, D.C., or the Permanent Mission of Burma to the United Nations in New York. 

Import and Travel Prohibitions: The U.S. government prohibits the importation into the United States of jadeite and rubies mined or extracted from Burma, as well as articles of jewelry containing them. It is important to know that this prohibition extends even to those gems purchased in third countries if they were originally mined in or extracted from Burma. The United States government restricts travel into the United States by people who contribute to human rights abuses or undermine Burma’s democratic reform process and affiliates of the former Burmese military regime.

Computers, Internet, and Email: Cyber cafes and larger hotels provide Internet services. All emails are subject to monitoring by Burmese security services.

Telephone and Electricity: Telephone service is poor in Rangoon and other major cities and non-existent in many areas. Calling the United States from Burma is difficult and expensive. Internet service is improving but still limited and slow. Though electrical service has improved over the last two years, it is still sporadic, particularly in the hot months of March, April, and May, when demand for air conditioning often overburdens the modest capacity of the electrical infrastructure. Many hotels and restaurants have gas-powered generators to provide electricity during periodic blackouts.

Consular Notification and Access: Should an emergency arise involving the detention of a U.S. citizen, especially outside of Rangoon, U.S. Embassy personnel may not be able to assist quickly. Though the Embassy’s relationship with Burmese authorities has improved, law enforcement officials do not routinely notify the U.S. Embassy of the arrest of U.S. citizens, and prison officials have been known to obstruct regular access by consular officers to U.S. citizen detainees. If you are arrested or detained, you should request immediate contact with the U.S. Embassy. You should carry your U.S. passport or a photocopy of passport data and visa pages at all times, so that if questioned by local officials, you have proof of identity and U.S. citizenship readily available.

Currency: Though the Burmese economy is rapidly modernizing, Burmese banks and merchants still rarely accept travelers’ checks or credit cards. With the lifting of U.S. sanctions in financial services, Burmese banks are just beginning to offer ATM and money transfer services. Reports of customer complaints resulting from technical problems with ATM machines and faulty withdrawals are common. U.S. citizen travelers who choose to use ATMs in Burma should carefully scrutinize their online banking records to ensure that transactions are registered accurately. Notwithstanding these new financial services, U.S. citizen travelers should still enter the country with enough cash to cover all expenses. (See “Currency” and “U.S. Treasury Sanctions” below.)

In January 2013, Western Union introduced money transfer services in seven Burmese banks. The seven Burmese banks involved in the partnership are Kanbawza Bank, First Private Bank, Myanmar Oriental Bank, Cooperative Bank, United Amara Bank, Myanmar Apex Bank, and the Myanmar Livestock and Fisheries Development Bank.

Although moneychangers sometimes approach travelers with an offer to change dollars into Burmese kyat at the market rate, it is illegal to exchange currency except at authorized locations such as the airport, banks, and government stores. Foreigners are still sometimes required to use U.S. dollars or other hard currency for the payment of plane tickets, train tickets, and hotels bills. Please be sure to bring pristine bills, as most establishments will not accept torn, folded or old U.S. currency. Burmese kyats are accepted for nearly all other transactions.

U.S. Treasury Sanctions: In July and September 2012, the U.S. Department of Treasury eased sanctions against investment in and financial services to Burma and lifted proscriptions against importing most Burmese items into the United States. For specific information, contact the U.S. Department of the Treasury, Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) home page, via OFAC's Info-by-Fax service at 202-622-0077, or by phone toll-free at 1-800-540-6322.

WOMEN TRAVELER INFORMATION: If you are a woman traveling abroad, please review our travel tips for Women Travelers.

LGBT RIGHTS: Consensual same-sex sexual activity is illegal under section 377 of the Burmese penal code, which contains provisions against “sexually abnormal” behavior and entails punishments up to life imprisonment. Laws against “unnatural offenses” apply equally to men and women. These laws are rarely enforced; however, LGBT persons report that police used the threat of prosecution to extort bribes. In addition LGBT activists reported harassment by police, including arbitrary arrest (for example for loitering), detention, and in some cases rape by security forces and broad societal and familial discrimination.

ACCESSIBILITY: While in Burma, individuals with disabilities may find accessibility and accommodation very different from what they find in the United States. Roads and sidewalks are often extremely difficult to cross even in the best of circumstances. Ramps or handicapped-accessible facilities are extremely rare even in Rangoon and other areas popular with tourists. Individuals confined to wheelchairs or those with other physical ailments should be prepared to face difficulties throughout Burma.