Living in Myanmar Guide

In general, Myanmar is a friendly, safe and nice country for expats. The living condition is improving for many aspects including healthcare, education, safety, transportation and other things.
Since 2011, the country started receiving expats living and working for different fields. So far, the network of expatriates focuses on big cities like Yangon, Mandalay while some who work for tourism field spreads out in touristic attractions.

In this article, we point out some remarkable sides for living in Myanmar that you should care about:

Essential Document
Whether you come to Myanmar by a working contract or teaching job, you need to have working permit. This permit relates to guarantee from a local company who invites you to come and work.
For the first time, a Myanmar business visa is must before you can obtain working permit.
Aside from your passport, you also need to register your stay with your original country’s embassy in Myanmar.

Safety and Security
The country is very safe. For all the incidents reported by foreigners, they are all non-violent crimes and even these cases are very low.
Cities such as Yangon or Mandalay are listed amongst the safest cities in Asia. Local people are friendly and welcoming. You can travel to all corners of the city without worrying about No-Go zone.
Burmese Government always ask for visiting permission for certain remote areas such as Mong Ping city, Rakhine state to make sure your travel is safe and supervised.
The police and medical emergency number is 199 and the fire emergency number is 191.

Healthcare in Myanmar
The public healthcare system is improving now though still very slowly. From 2013, Burmese Government has been spending more money for infrastructure, hospital, pharmacies while foreign sectors also invested in the section too.
To be practical, expats often have to spend at least $50 for a medical visit since you use international, private clinic. It is advisory that you should prepare medicines for common tropical diseases as well follow the advice to avoid infectious diseases.

Education in Myanmar
The literacy rate in Myanmar is high. The educational system was a replica of British system and English is taught since kindergarten till secondary school.
There are more choices now for expats to send their children to international schools: British Yangon International School, Singapore International School, Network International School, Pride International School, Horizon School, Ecole Francaise Joseph Kessel De Yangon.