I see countless websites talking about the 30 day E-Visa and Business Visa but nobody talks about staying long term or permanently. Do you have to leave the country and go to Thailand every month? Surely not. Do they want westerners to stay and spend money there or is money a bad thing in their eyes?
As a cheap, tropical country that has a lot of English its a tossup between the Philippines and Myanmar. The women in Myanmar seem much better looking and seem to age much slower than in the Philippines where almost everyone seems so fat after their early 20's. The Philippines has some surfing which I suppose Myanmar doesn't except with the occasional storm and the Philippines probably has way better diving. But Myanmar seems far more exotic in culture. Far more Asian, far less westernized. Who wants to travel half way around the world and you still see junk food slop littering the cities? There's enough McDonalds and KFC here killing people. The less I see it when I leave the better.
Myanmar probably is cheaper as well. I wonder how difficult it is to own property there or is it just wiser to rent?
How does one stay long term in Myanmar?
Hi Norman,
I'm currently working through this as well, all I can tell you is to pursue the Social Visit Visa. I have an "in" because my husband is Burmese (which is a primary reason why a person can get a Social Visit Visa), but I heard from some other foreigners that it's possible to get the visa even if you're not married to a Burmese person.
I just went to the Myanmar Embassy in Bangkok to apply for the visa. It was fairly painless... it takes about 1 day and the first one cost 2000THB and is Single Entry for a 70 day stay. As far as I know, after you get this 70 day visa three times, you can apply for a multiple entry visa for 3 months, 6 months, or 1 year at a time and you can renew the visa from within Myanmar. With the Single Entry... I think you have to leave after each 70 day segment, but I may be wrong about this. I'm still researching.
As far as property... in some places it's more difficult than others. I'm working on this myself right now.
I know that a lot of expats here in Myanmar have business visas that allow them to rent places and stay long-term by renewing their visas within Myanmar. That isn't my personal path so I can't say more about that... but I know it's an option (and it's one I've considered, there are a lot of loopholes, it seems... not that the loopholes are to be toyed with, but they exist).
Hope this is helpful! 
L.
That was great. My quest continues. It might be up to the whim of the person you talk to at the embassy you get the visa from. So often that is the case. You ask, get rejected, politely bow out and return another day noting if personnel has changed. If it hasn't you find something else to ask about and if it has you ask again and keep at it until you get a yes. Polite persistence!
How easy is it to get the Business Visa?
