Cambodia’s regulatory framework in the area of alternative dispute resolution has developed considerably. In the last few years, Cambodia has seen the first foreign arbitral award successfully enforced by the Cambodian courts and has also seen the first completion of domestic commercial arbitration cases. These developments have given investors, both foreign and local, increased confidence […]

The National Committee for The Minimum Wage (the “Committee”) publicized a Notification on 2 January 2018 in which a new minimum wage of MM4,800 per day, calculated at a rate of MMK600 per hour, was proposed. In relation to the previous effective Minimum Wage (MMK3,600 per day / MMK450 per hour), this represents an increase […]

Re-register or be ceased! Directorate of Investment and Company Administration (“DICA”) has issued a draft of the Companies Regulations 2018 called Myanmar Companies (Electronic Registry System and Miscellaneous Matters) Regulations 2018 (“Regulation”) with a commencement date of 1 August 2018. The Regulation is a continuation of the Myanmar Companies Law issued in 2017 and is […]

Telecom licensees in Myanmar have an obligation under their license to seek and obtain PTD approval for tariffs prior to launch of the relevant telecom services, pursuant to section 29 of the Telecommunications Law 2013 and Chapter 7 of the Competition Rules for Telecommunications Sector 2015. PTD just published the Draft Telecommunications Tariffs Directive 2018 […]

The Myanmar Investment Commission recently issued a notification (Notification 7/2018) on investment in the education sector. The notification defines private schools as those that are not operated by the state. Most private schools in Myanmar are presently associations (business associations that are not for profit). This notification allows foreign direct investments through subsidiaries in Myanmar […]

Further to its Notice No. 012/18 dated 29 March 2018, the Ministry of Labor and Vocational Training (“MLVT”) issued Notice No. 016/18 dated 25 April 2018 (“Notice 016”) to further extend the deadline to apply for renewal of foreign employees’ work permits. According to Notice 016, the previous deadline of 30 April 2018 is extended […]

On 7 March 2018, the Ministry of Commerce (“MOC”) issued Prakas No. 088 MOC (“Prakas 088”) regarding the filing of business association statutes. According to Prakas 088, as part of ongoing obligations after registration with the government authorities, all business associations must file their statutes with the MOC. The filing must include their statutes as […]

Continuing our intellectual property reform coverage, especially our comprehensive analysis of the Trademarks Bill (Read here) Myanmar recently saw the passing of the Trademarks Law by the National Assembly in a move which brings the long-awaited agenda intellectual property reform in Myanmar closer to reality. What is left now is for the lower house to […]

Good news for corporate entities that have not yet renewed the 2018 work permits for their foreign employees with the Ministry of Labor and Vocational Training (“MLVT”).On 29 March 2018, the MLVT issued Notice No. 012/18, extending the previous deadline of 30 March 2018 to 30 April 2018 to give employers more time to renew […]

Commercial Law – Filing Statute of Business Associations On 07 March 2018, the Ministry of Commerce (“MOC”) issued Prakas No. 088 MOC (“Prakas 088”) regarding filing statutes of business associations. According to Prakas 088, as part of ongoing obligations after registration with government authorities, all business associations, including foreign chambers of commerce, must file their […]

In the beginning of last year, private schools were classified as a promoted sector under the MIC notification 13/2017 and therefore opened to foreign investors. In addition, the Union Parliament (the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw) released a new draft Private School Law (the “Draft PSL”) in December 2017. VDB Loi is working in collaboration with the Ministry […]

As part of ongoing efforts to strictly enforce work permit requirements, following a notice from the Office of the Council of Ministers, the Ministry of Interior (“MOI”) and the Ministry of Labor and Vocational Training (“MLVT”) issued a joint Prakas (No. 719 Br.K) dated 19 February 2018 (“Joint Prakas 719”) on the enforcement of foreign […]

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation (MONREC) has just issued what we were told is their first ever Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC). The ECC is in a letter format and confirms that the applicant’s Environmental and Social Impact Assessment is in compliance with the requirements of the Law on Environmental Conservation (LEC). It […]

Draft Competition Rules 2017 The Ministry of Commerce published the Draft Competition Rules 2017 on 29 December 2017. These are intended to implement the Competition Law 2015, which takes effect from February 2017. The Draft Competition Rules 2017 include articles on the formation and responsibilities of the Myanmar Competition Commission and the investigation committee, as […]

The Ministry of Transport and Communications (“MTC”) and Posts and Telecommunications Department (“PTD”) have finally come through the long process of obtaining government approval and issued the first batch of International Gateway (“IGW”) licenses. Around a dozen of companies have received their IGW licenses and new licenses will continue to be awarded. A glimpse at […]

Foreign investments in the media sector have not been active in Myanmar this year. One of the probable reason could be the lack of clarify over foreign ownership in this sector. In this brief we analyze the restriction over foreign ownership according to the laws and requirements from the particular authorities in Myanmar. Highlights Broadcasting […]

The National Assembly has passed Myanmar Companies Law (the “MCL”) after extensive debate on various aspects of Myanmar’s long awaited corporate reform. The Law is finally here, passed on 23 November, pending signing into law by the President. Key areas which were hotly debated in recent weeks included the highly contentious question of whether small […]

In our previous client briefing note, we outlined five key things to look forward to under the Myanmar Companies Law (“MCL”). Following on from this, and as part of our continued coverage of the MCL, we will outline five potential drawbacks with regard to the MCL and how they may affect companies in practice. 1. […]

Introduction: The end of the comprehensive overhaul of Myanmar’s corporate legal framework is finally in sight with an updated Companies Law (the “MCL”) approved by Myanmar’s Parliament. Once the MCL is signed into law by the President, the outdated Myanmar Companies Act of 1914 (the “1914 Act”) will be abolished, bringing Myanmar Companies Law in […]

Myanmar’s long awaited legal reform to its intellectual property framework is nearing completion with the recent announcement of a new draft of the Trademarks Bill (the “Bill”). Once enacted, the process for registering your trademark in Myanmar will be streamlined with a soon to be established Intellectual Property Office (“IPO”) replacing the comparatively weaker protection […]