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I have read some unsupported claims regarding whether it is illegal to stay at an Airbnb place in Myanmar as a non-Burmese citizen, and what happens to the lessor and lessee if the police catches them renting an Airbnb place in Myanmar.

For example:

https://www.myanmore.com/2017/09/unusual-laws-myanmar/ (mirror):

That’s a bit of a gray area, but it’s definitely illegal to host a foreigner in ones local home. If you’re on a tourist visa, make sure to stay away from homestays; you could be deported back to your country! Opt for hotels or resorts instead – not in your budget? Let me tell you about guesthouses…

https://www.mmtimes.com/business/22780-yangon-government-to-clamp-down-on-renting-apartments-to-foreign-tourists.html (mirror):

He said the onus was on homeowners to check what kind of visa a foreign visitor holds before renting out a room. He could not be reached, however, for further comment on what the penalties for lax landlords will be or how grey areas, such as visiting foriegn friends or rooms let on the increasingly popular online rental marketplace Airbnb, will be treated.

Is it illegal to stay at an Airbnb place in Myanmar as a non-Burmese citizen, and if so, who gets punished (lessor or lessee) and what's the penalty?

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    Unless it is legal and there are proof of it, treat it as illegal and use at your own risk. Such as it is now, it looks it is still a grey zone.
    – Max
    Commented Nov 29, 2019 at 15:18
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    If it is illegal, my guess is being caught staying in a private home without the appropriate permission could lead to an unpleasant interview with Immigration / the police, plus a fine for both the tourist and the home owner.
    – Traveller
    Commented Nov 29, 2019 at 23:38
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    This seems to be a problem that's not discussed in the "communist" countries in Asia. Foreigners have to be in an official accommodation given permission from the government in China, Laos, and Vietnam too, even though you don't notice a registration process. I've stayed unofficially one night in each of these countries and nobody tells you but you get the sense it's a bit sketchy. No problem in Thailand, Cambodia, or Taiwan though. In China there's a local thing maybe similar to AirBnb called Ctrip and it's usually useless for foreigners. My guess is Myanmar does things in a similar way.
    – hippietrail
    Commented Aug 3, 2020 at 14:40

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From: consult-myanmar.com

"By-laws written for Myanmar’s 1947 Immigration Act stipulate that foreign visitors on a tourist visa must stay in hotels, he said.

Only permanent residents and foreigners holding business visas are allowed to rent apartments or houses within wards – an administrative sub-division of cities – said U Zaw Aye Maung."

As to the penalty, it appears they are serious:

"tourists could face deportation"

and

"owners who rent rooms to foreign guests without a licence can be jailed for three years"

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