# Myanmar (Burma)

 Country code: MM · Currency: MMK · Language: Burmese

**Pros**
- Low corporate tax rates and significant opportunities for informal market operations.
- Strategic geographic positioning between major Asian markets for future trade expansion.
- Minimal regulatory enforcement in specific sectors allowing for high-risk entrepreneurial flexibility.

**Cons**
- Extreme political instability and ongoing civil conflict threatening physical security and assets.
- Systemic corruption and absence of a reliable legal framework for property rights protection.
- Unreliable power supply and crumbling infrastructure limiting modern business scalability.

Long story short: Since the 2021 coup, Myanmar's junta barely bothers taxing you, it's too busy fighting a civil war. The real trap is the banking system: strict currency controls and a collapsing kyat make getting money out a nightmare.

Still, labor is dirt cheap, rents are next to nothing, and the food and scenery, from Bagan's temples to Inle Lake, are stunning.

Worth knowing: bribery greases every wheel, power cuts are routine, and while Yangon's wealthy quarters stay calm, the countryside is genuinely at war.

## Will your income be taxed?

Long story short: YES, A LOT.
They'll shear you for up to **25%** at the top marginal rate in **Myanmar**, and the taxman has *long arms*: linger a bit too long, park your economic interests here, and the net closes.

Steep rate, wide catchment: the classic combo of states that don't let go of their cash cows. Don't expect a plane ticket to fix it.

**01.1 Income tax**

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Personal income tax | 0 → 25% | progressive · 2 brackets |

| Bracket (USD) | Rate |
| --- | --- |
| 0 – 2,285 | exempt |
| 2,285 + | 25% |

**01.2 Tax residence test**

_A single active rule is enough to make you tax-resident._

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 183-day rule | exists here |  |
| Economic interest | does not exist here |  |
| Family centre | does not exist here |  |
| Habitual abode | exists here |  |
| Extended-stay test | exists here |  |

## Will your wealth be taxed?

Long story short: YES, BUT LIGHTLY.
**Myanmar** takes a light trim on capital gains (**10%** at the top), with no annual wealth levy and no inheritance regime.

Your portfolio compounds with barely any friction; the state only shows its face when you sell. And even then, politely.

**02.1 Investment income**

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Capital gains | 10% | flat |
| Dividend tax | 0% | flat |
| Interest income | 25% | progressive |

| Bracket (USD) | Rate |
| --- | --- |
| 0 – 2,285 | exempt |
| 2,285 + | 25% |

**02.2 Wealth & estate**

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Wealth tax | NONE | no annual wealth tax · no real-estate wealth tax · no net-worth assessment |
| Inheritance system | NONE | no estate tax · no heir-based duties · no succession tax framework. Wealth transfers across heir-classes are not taxed in this jurisdiction. Only standard probate / registration fees may apply. |

**02.3 Crypto**

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Crypto · tax regime | UNREGULATED | Fallback rate: 25% · The Central Bank of Myanmar (CBM) officially banned the use and trading of cryptocurrencies in May 2020. While the shadow National Unity Government (NUG) has recognized Tether (USDT), the official State Administration Council (SAC) maintains the ban. No specific crypto tax laws exist; general income tax rates up to 25% apply to all income, though crypto activities carry significant legal risk of prosecution under the Anti-Money Laundering Law. |
| Crypto-to-crypto | TAXABLE | each swap counts as a disposal — gains realised at every trade |
| FATF travel rule | NOT SIGNED | no information-sharing obligation on VASP transfers |

## Easy to run a company there?

Long story short: YES, BUT TAXED.
Corporate tax in **Myanmar** lands at a *moderate* **22%**, no IP-box to soften it. Standard accounting, VAT at **n/a**, the usual dose of paperwork. Nothing to celebrate, nothing to flee.

**03.1 Rates**

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Corporate tax | 22% | progressive |
| VAT standard rate | NONE | no general VAT · no consumption tax framework |

**03.2 Regime & registry**

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| IP Box · Patent Box | NONE | no IP regime · IP income taxed under standard corporate rules |
| Misuse of corporate assets | NO CRIMINAL | no criminal liability · Myanmar follows the common law tradition where the 'misuse of corporate assets' is primarily a civil matter. Section 173 of the Myanmar Companies Law 2017 explicitly states that a person who contravenes the core directors' duties (including the duty not to improperly use their position for personal gain under Section 171) 'does not commit an offence.' While the Penal Code (Section 409) criminalizes 'Criminal Breach of Trust,' it requires a 'dishonest' intent to cause wrongful loss; in a solvent company, the consent of the sole shareholder-director to their own use of funds generally negates this criminal element, as the company's 'mind' has authorized the transaction. |
| Shareholders privacy | PUBLIC PAYWALL | Myanmar Companies Online (MyCO) |
| Directors privacy | PUBLIC PAYWALL | Myanmar Companies Online (MyCO) |

**03.3 Incorporation cost**

_In this country, the most standard company form is called Private Company Limited by Shares (Private Limited Company). The costs below are for incorporating a company in its simplest form, for reference only._

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Government Registration Fee (DICA Form A-1) | USD 238 |  |
| Professional Legal and Incorporation Services | USD 1,285 |  |
| Stamp Duty on Constitution and Share Capital | USD 71 |  |
| Total | USD 1,595 |  |

## A good fit for a holding?

Long story short: NO.
**Myanmar** has no treaty network at all, which buries the holding question, full stop.

Every dividend in or out eats the statutory withholding at full rate, and no domestic regime can patch a hole that sits on the source side. Don't park a holding here.

**04.1 Substance & exemptions**

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Territorial · individuals | WORLDWIDE | worldwide income taxation regardless of source |
| Territorial · corporates | WORLDWIDE | worldwide corporate taxation |
| Participation exemption | NONE | no dividend participation exemption regime |
| CFC rules | NONE | no controlled foreign corporation regime · foreign-source corporate income out of scope |

**04.2 Withholding tax · non-resident**

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| WHT · dividends | 0% | non-resident outbound |
| WHT · interest | 15% | non-resident outbound |
| WHT · royalties | 15% | non-resident outbound |
| Tax-haven WHT | NONE | no punitive rate on record |

**04.3 Treaty network**

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Treaties signed | 0 | active |
| Treaties pending | — | in negotiation |

## Easy to come and go?

Long story short: SOME.
**Myanmar** taxes your worldwide income while you're resident, but at least the exit is free: *no exit tax* on the way out.

Leaving costs you paperwork, not money; your unrealised gains walk out the door with you, untouched.

**05.1 Exit & dual nationality**

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Exit tax | NONE | no triggers active · residence change tax-free · no deemed-disposal mechanism |
| Dual citizenship | FORBIDDEN | naturalisation requires renouncing existing citizenship |

**05.2 Citizenship paths**

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Residence | — | not available |
| Marriage | — | not available |
| Birth | — | not available |
| Descent | — | not available |
| Investment | — | not available |

## Is your money watched?

Long story short: NO.
Foreign tax offices see next to nothing of what you do in **Myanmar**: it has signed *few exchange frameworks*.

But the *corporate registries are public*: your shareholdings and directorships are one search away for anyone curious. Invisible from abroad, on display at home.

**Multilateral reporting frameworks — 0/9 active**

| Item | Status | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| CRS | None | — |
| CARF | None | — |
| FATCA | None | — |
| MLI | None | — |
| BEPS | None | — |
| MAAC | None | — |
| GLOBAL FORUM | None | — |
| EOIR | None | — |
| CRYPTO TRAVEL RULE | None | — |

## Is it blacklisted?

Long story short: YES.
**Myanmar** sits on the **FATF grey/black list**, the one flag that chases a transaction around the planet.

Enhanced due diligence becomes mandatory for your counterparties everywhere, correspondent banking dries up, and some institutions slam the door outright.

No structuring cleverness offsets a FATF listing: the compliance cost is welded to the country's name.

**Blacklist exposure — Listed by 1 authority**

| Item | Status | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| EMBARGO | Clear | un / us / eu sanctions |
| FATF | Listed | grey / black list |
| EU | Clear | non-cooperative list |
| FRANCE | Clear | ETNC list |
| SPAIN | Clear | tax-haven list |
| PORTUGAL | Clear | favourable regimes |
| BRAZIL | Clear | low-tax list |

## Do you feel free there?

Long story short: NO.
Press freedom in **Myanmar** is *locked down* (RSF rank **\#169**). Independent media and civic space operate under pressure (when they operate at all), and that kind of grip usually spills over into economic life too.

Small mercy: crypto isn't formally banned.

**08.1 Press freedom**

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Press freedom · RSF index | 169/180 | score 25 · ↑ 2 ranks year-on-year |

Central bank digital currency

    Program Status Cross-border Sources     Myanmar CBDC

The Central Bank of Myanmar (CBM)

   RESEARCH   —   [announce →](https://myanmar-now.org/en/news/myanmars-junta-controlled-central-bank-announces-introduction-of-digital-currency/ "Announcement")

 programs 1

## Connected to the world?

Long story short: COMPLETELY CUT OFF.
**Myanmar** is unplugged from the global money grid: **1/11** of the services we track work here. No *Stripe*, no *Amazon*, and almost nothing around them either.

Whatever your plan is, the payment layer gets built from scratch, with local banks and local rules. Come for other reasons; connectivity isn't one of them.

**Accept payments — 0/6 available**

| Item | Status | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Stripe | Not available | card payments |
| PayPal | Not available | wallet payments |
| Adyen | Not available | enterprise psp |
| Mollie | Not available | eu payments |
| GoCardless | Not available | direct debit |
| Paddle | Not available | merchant of record |

**Bank and move money — 0/3 available**

| Item | Status | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Wise | Not available | multi-currency |
| Revolut | Not available | personal banking |
| Revolut Business | Not available | business banking |

**Buy and sell on Amazon — 1/2 available**

| Item | Status | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Amazon | Not available | consumer delivery |
| Amazon Seller | Available | marketplace selling |

  SEE ALSO## Other jurisdictions worth comparing

Picked by similarity of strategic profile to Myanmar (Burma). No editorial ranking — neighbours in the same scoring space.

  PROFILE-ADJACENT Same shape, comparable overall friction.

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  NOTABLY MORE FAVORABLE Same family of strategies, higher total score.

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  NOTABLY LESS FAVORABLE Same family of strategies, lower total score.

 [   Haiti HT  → ](https://stateless.sx/en/country/ht) [   Cuba CU  → ](https://stateless.sx/en/country/cu) [   Sudan SD  → ](https://stateless.sx/en/country/sd)