The Myanmar Passport Issuance Board announced on 4 December that the Online Booking System for obtaining a QR Code to apply for a passport will be temporarily suspended beginning 5 December.

It said that the current system is being suspended so that it can be improved with the introduction of new technology that will allow people to make appointments easily and quickly 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The announcement also said that people who already had a QR code to apply for a passport from the old system would still be able to use the code to apply for a new passport.

Currently, about 2,500 people apply for passports every day at the Myanmar Passport Office in Yangon, which leads to long queues. To cut down on the queues and reduce the risk of COVID-19 infection, from 21 March people will be able to book an online appointment instead.

Since the February 2021 coup many people have wanted to go abroad to work.

The official cost of a new passport is 25,000 kyats, but according to people with experience of the system who spoke to Mizzima, the real cost of a passport can run to hundreds of thousands of kyats.

In 2016, the Ministry of Home Affairs announced that nine types of passports in different colours would be issued to Myanmar citizens. A red passport will be issued for citizens, a blue passport for diplomats and a green passport for government officials. The red passport is valid for five years and the green passport for three.