Vehicle Registration Process In Burma (Myanmar)
Moving to a new country can be tough and bringing a car can be tougher. Some import companies are easy to work with and have taken care of the import paperwork for you. Others may not be as helpful, leaving you to do a lot of the research yourself.
In any case, brushing up on the steps to register your car in Burma can only help you along the way.
It should be noted that importing four-wheelers into the country is difficult since the policies fluctuate for the country quite a bit. While vehicles drive to the right-hand side of the road, the country sees cars with steering wheels on both sides, leading to several auto accidents.
Having a private vehicle is a relatively rare phenomenon in this area compared to neighboring countries. Despite that, the Myanmar Road Transportation Administration Department reports 478,000 four-wheelers registered as of early 2015, a 90% increase since 2012.
For information about shipping a car to Burma, we encourage readers to visit our shipping page for the country, which includes expected costs, required documents and more!
How To Get A Car On Record
Vehicles will first need to pass an inspection process that includes a check of the vehicle’s documents and the installation of the car registration number.
Several fees may have to be met for the car. The initial registration comes with a fee as well as a fee for the four-wheeler inspection. Insurance is required as a part of the enrollment process, as a municipal wheel tax (an Enrollment fee for the local government) and fees for imported vehicles.
The government also requires a case file that has the characteristics of the car. The file includes a vehicle enrollment book, registration certificate, enrollment card, and car registration.
Once in Burma, you’ll see a lot of vehicles with various letters in front of them. Those denote the country of origin for the four-wheelers. The country is at the heart of Southeast Asia and is a highway to trade between the countries.
Country license codes:
- Cambodia: KH
- China: CHN
- Thailand: T
- Vietnam: VN
- Burma (Myanmar): MYA
Importing Private Four-Wheeler In The Area
The following steps are necessary to get your vehicle into the country:
- Receiving an import permit
- Obtaining a temporary registration document that’s verified
- Import declaration verification
- Proof of local residence
- Photo verification
Additional limits on passenger cars include the following:
- A maximum weight of 3,500 KG or 7,716 pounds
- Maximum of eight seats in the vehicle
Other things to keep in mind for four-wheelers driving in Burma are that registration certificates must be displayed in the front window. You can let your registration lapse but after five consecutive years of failed renewal, it will be automatically cancelled. Insurance by a third-party company is required.
While Burma is still a developing country, its government requires that vehicles meet a certain emission standard. The authority governing cars can suspend or refuse vehicles that have heavy smog emissions. That also applies to four-wheelers with leaky engines polluting the roads.
Enrollment Resources
Driving & Road Safety In Burma - If you’ve never driven a vehicle in Burma, you’ll want to get familiar with what to expect on the roads, especially as it relates to driver safety.
Myanmar Road Transportation Administration Department – The country’s official web portal for vehicle information (website is in Burmese).