Update
January 10, 2024

Information for U.S. Citizens in the Middle East

Intercountry Adoption

English

Country Information

Myanmar

Burma
Union of Burma
Do not travel to Burma due to civil unrest, armed conflict, and arbitrary enforcement of local laws. Reconsider travel to Burma due to limited and/or inadequate healthcare and emergency medical resources, and areas with land mines and unexploded ordnances. Exercise increased caution due to wrongful detentions.

Updated to include information on Civil Unrest, Armed Conflict, Wrongful Detention, Arbitrary Enforcement of Local Laws, Land Mines and Unexploded Ordnance, and the “If You Decide to Travel to Burma” section.

Do not travel to Burma due to civil unrest, armed conflict, and arbitrary enforcement of local laws. Reconsider travel to Burma due to limited and/or inadequate healthcare and emergency medical resources, and areas with land mines and unexploded ordnances. Exercise increased caution due to wrongful detentions.

COUNTRY SUMMARY: The Burma military regime detained and deposed elected government officials in a February 2021 coup d'état. Protests and demonstrations against military rule continue, often on significant dates. The military has responded to these protests by arbitrarily arresting individuals and with the indiscriminate use of deadly force against protesters and bystanders.

The Department of State has determined that the risk of wrongful detention of U.S. nationals by the military regime exists.

The U.S. government has limited ability to provide emergency services in Burma as U.S. government employees must obtain special authorization to travel outside of Rangoon. Dependents under the age of 21 cannot accompany U.S. government employees who work in Burma.

Civil unrest and armed conflict occur throughout Burma. The level of civil unrest and armed conflict varies significantly between and within states and regions and may change at any time.

Civil unrest and armed violence due to fighting between the military regime and various ethnic groups and militia occur in parts of Chin, Kachin, Kayin, Rakhine, and Shan States, as well as in Sagaing, and Magway regions.

Improvised explosive devices (IEDs) are used in the ongoing armed conflicts, including in the Yangon urban area. From January to July 2023, the U.S. Embassy in Rangoon confirmed an average of fourteen IEDs per month detonated against regime targets in the Yangon urban area, while an average of nine unexploded IEDs were discovered and safely disposed of per month. IEDs used in Yangon urban area tend to be designed for smaller impacts against specific targets. Outside of Yangon, IED attacks against checkpoints and other critical infrastructure have been designed for larger impact.

While land mines and unexploded ordnance (UXO) exist throughout Burma, the greatest concerns are in the areas of Shan, Chin, and Kachin. The locations of landmines and UXO are often not marked or otherwise unidentifiable.

The military regime arbitrarily enforces local laws, including carrying out random and wrongful detentions of U.S. citizens without due process. U.S. citizens traveling or residing in Burma may be detained without access to U.S. consular services or information about their alleged crime.

U.S. citizens and other foreign nationals are not exempt from prolonged interrogations and extended detention without due process of law. Local law enforcement officials may detain and/or deport U.S. citizens for speaking out or protesting against the military regime, including on their personal social media accounts, and for sending private electronic messages critical of the military regime. Facebook and Twitter are banned in Myanmar; police have sought bribes from individuals using a VPN to access social media sites even though VPNs are not officially illegal.

Burma has limited and/or inadequate healthcare and emergency medical resources due to critical staffing shortages in the public sector health workforce. Importation of medical supplies, including medicine, into Burma is not consistent and medical prescriptions and over-the-counter medicine may not be available.

Read the Safety and Security section on the country information page.

If you decide to travel to Burma:

  • Enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive Alerts and make it easier to locate you in an emergency.
  • Follow the Department of State on Facebook and Twitter.
  • Follow the Embassy on Facebook and Twitter.
  • Follow the Embassy’s Consular Section on Facebook.
  • Review the Country Security Report for Burma.
  • Visit the CDC page for the latest Travel Health Information related to your travel.
  • Purchase travel medical insurance that includes medical evacuation.
  • Do not touch unknown metal objects and avoid traveling off well-used roads, tracks, and paths due to risk of unexploded ordnance.
  • Keep travel documents up to date and easily accessible.
  • Make contingency plans to leave the country.
  • Review local laws and conditions before traveling.
  • Visit our website for High-Risk Area Travelers.
  • Share important documents, login information, and points of contact with loved ones so that they can manage your affairs if you are unable to return as planned to the United States. Find a suggested list of such documents here.
  • Develop a communication plan with family and/or your employer or host organization.
  • Erase any sensitive photos, comments, or other materials that could be considered controversial or provocative by local groups from your social media pages, cameras, laptops, and other electronic devices prior to travel.
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Hague Convention Participation

Hague Adoption Convention Country?
No
Are Intercountry Adoptions between this country and the United States possible?
No

Hague Convention Information

Intercountry adoptions are not currently possible between Burma and the United States. Burmese law does not allow non-Burmese nationals to adopt or have legal custody of Burmese children. The Kittima Adoption Act of 1941, which is still in force in Burma, restricts adoption to Burmese citizens who are Buddhist. The Government of Burma does not recognize dual citizenship.

Burma is not a party to the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption (Hague Adoption Convention or Convention). 

U.S. citizens with questions regarding adoption of children from Burma should contact the adoption authority of Burma to inquire about applicable laws and procedures. U.S. citizen prospective adoptive parents living in Burma who would like to adopt a child from the United States or from a third country should also contact Burma’s adoption authority. See contact information below.

Caution: Prospective adoptive parents should be aware not all children in orphanages or children’s homes are eligible for adoption. In many countries, birth parents place their child(ren) temporarily in an orphanage or children’s home due to financial or other hardship, intending that the child will return home when possible. In such cases, the birth parent(s) have rarely relinquished their parental rights or consented to the adoption of their child(ren).

Please visit the Department of State’s country page for more information on travelling to Burma and U.S. Embassy Rangoon’s website for information on consular services.

 

Contact Information

Burma’s Adoption Authority
Director General
Union Attorney General Office:
Building 25
Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar
Tel: +95 67 404 097
Fax: +95 67 404 106

U.S. Embassy in Rangoon, Burma
110 University Ave.
Kamayut Township,
Rangoon, Burma
Tel:  +(95) (1) 536-509, ext. 4240
Email: acsrangoon@state.gov         
Internet: http://mm.usembassy.gov

Office of Children’s Issues
U.S. Department of State
2201 C Street, NW
SA-17
Washington, DC 20520
Tel:  1-888-407-4747
E-mail: Adoption@state.gov
Internet: http://adoption.state.gov

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)

For questions about filing a Form I-600A application or a Form I-600 petition:

USCIS National Benefits Center (NBC)
Tel:  1-877-424-8374 (toll free); 1- 913-275-5480 (local)
Fax:1- 913-214-5808
Email: NBC.Adoptions@uscis.dhs.gov

For general questions about immigration procedures:

USCIS Contact Center
1-800-375-5283 (TTY 1-800-767-1833)
Internet: uscis.gov

 
Last Updated: June 23, 2020

Assistance for U.S. Citizens

U.S. Embassy Rangoon
110 University Ave
Kamayut Township,
Rangoon, Burma
Telephone
(95) 1-753-6-509
Emergency
(95) 1-753-6-509
Fax
(951) 751-2124

Burma Map