Myanmar Company Search Guide 2026: How to Verify a Myanmar Business

TL;DR. Myanmar’s official business registry is the MyCO platform, operated by the Directorate of Investment and Company Administration (DICA) under the Ministry of Investment and Foreign Economic Relations. The interface is partially in English. Basic searches are free with a registered account; paid extracts cost MMK 5,000 to MMK 50,000 (~USD 2.40 to USD 23.00). Myanmar is on the FATF high-risk jurisdictions list (black list), triggering Enhanced Due Diligence (EDD) obligations for financial institutions and compliance buyers worldwide.

What is the official Myanmar business registry?

The Directorate of Investment and Company Administration (DICA) is Myanmar’s central business registry and investment authority, operating under the Ministry of Investment and Foreign Economic Relations. The public-facing registry system is the MyCO platform, accessible at myco.dica.gov.mm. MyCO was launched in 2018 as part of Myanmar’s Companies Law (2017) reform, replacing the legacy paper-based system. The Myanmar Companies Law 2017 is the primary statutory authority governing company incorporation and administration.

DICA registers private companies, public companies, small companies, companies limited by guarantee, foreign branch offices, and representative offices. The 2017 law introduced the concept of a “foreign company” as any Myanmar-incorporated company with foreign shareholders, removing prior ownership restrictions in non-reserved sectors and expanding the DICA registry substantially.

The primary entity identifier in Myanmar is the company registration number assigned by DICA at incorporation. The format is prefixed to indicate the registration year and sequence. Since the MyCO platform launch in 2018, all newly incorporated companies receive a MyCO-issued registration number. Older companies were migrated to MyCO with their existing registration references. There is no separate tax identifier unified with the DICA number: the Tax Identification Number (TIN) is issued by the Internal Revenue Department (IRD) under the Ministry of Planning and Finance.

Compliance buyers must note: Myanmar has been on the FATF list of high-risk jurisdictions subject to a call for action (commonly referred to as the FATF black list) since June 2022. This status has material compliance implications, detailed in the FAQ section and practical tips below. For the current FATF statement on Myanmar, see fatf-gafi.org.

What can you search?

The MyCO portal supports the following searches after account registration:

• Company name (English and Myanmar script, partial match supported)
• DICA registration number (exact match)
• Director name
• Entity type filter (private, public, foreign branch, representative office)

The free profile view returns: company name (English and Myanmar script), registration number, date of incorporation, entity type, registered office address, DICA filing officer, and current status (registered, cancelled, struck off, in liquidation).

Paid extracts include:

• Certificate of Incorporation
• Memorandum and Articles of Association (Constitution under the 2017 law)
• Annual return filings
• List of directors and members (shareholding disclosure)
• Share charge and debenture registration documents
• Any amendments filed

Detailed shareholding structure and officer history require paid document retrieval.

How much does it cost?

Prices are as of May 2026 per DICA published fee schedule. MMK/USD conversion used: 1 USD = approximately MMK 2,100 (note: the MMK has experienced severe depreciation since 2021; verify at point of transaction and be aware that the official rate and market rates can diverge considerably). Payment is accepted via bank transfer and KBZPay, a domestic mobile wallet. International card payments on the MyCO portal have been unreliable; foreign buyers typically require local intermediary support for payment.

Do you need a local account or ID?

Yes. Account registration on MyCO is required for all searches, including the free basic profile view. There is no anonymous public search. Account creation requires an email address and a mobile number for OTP verification. Myanmar mobile numbers are expected for OTP in most account flows, creating a practical barrier for foreign buyers.

No Myanmar national identity card or Foreign Registration Certificate (FRC) is required from foreign buyers at account creation. However, the payment infrastructure (bank transfer, KBZPay) is oriented toward local users. Foreign compliance buyers typically work through Yangon-based corporate service providers or law firms that maintain MyCO accounts and can retrieve documents on behalf of clients.

Is the website in English?

Partial. The MyCO portal navigation and primary search interfaces are available in English. Company names are stored in both English and Myanmar (Burmese) script; searches can be conducted in either language. Core company data fields in search results are displayed in English. Some administrative sections, filing guides, and support documentation are in Myanmar script only.

Downloaded documents for foreign companies and Myanmar companies with international shareholders are generally in English. Documents for Myanmar-only entities may be in Myanmar script. The Myanmar Companies Law 2017 is available in English on the DICA website, providing the legal framework reference for foreign compliance buyers.

What’s the turnaround time?

Free profile data is available immediately after logging in. Paid document extracts require DICA staff processing; turnaround is typically 1 to 5 business days after payment confirmation. Processing times can vary based on DICA administrative capacity, which has been affected by the political and operational disruptions since 2021.

For physical certified copies required for submission in another jurisdiction, additional processing time should be anticipated. Given Myanmar’s operating environment since the February 2021 military takeover, administrative consistency has been variable. Build in additional buffer for time-sensitive compliance workflows.

Is there an API?

No public API is available for MyCO as of May 2026. DICA has not announced an API programme for commercial third-party access. There is no published bulk data licensing arrangement. All access is through the MyCO web interface.

What you legally cannot do

The MyCO Terms of Use prohibit automated bulk extraction from the portal. Myanmar does not yet have a complete personal data protection law in force as of May 2026. However, under the Myanmar Companies Law 2017, registry data may be inspected and used for purposes consistent with statutory rights of inspection; systematic commercial redistribution is not within that right.

Compliance buyers must also be aware of the sanctions dimension: entities designated under UK OFSI, EU asset freezing regulations, and US OFAC sanctions programmes related to Myanmar may appear in the DICA registry. Accessing registry data for the purpose of identifying sanctioned parties is lawful; transacting with or providing services to designated parties is prohibited under applicable sanctions law. Compliance buyers must screen registry output against current sanctions lists before using the data to support a transaction.

Practical tips for foreign compliance buyers

• FATF high-risk status triggers EDD. Myanmar’s inclusion on the FATF high-risk jurisdictions list (call for action) means that financial institutions subject to FATF-compliant AML/CFT regulations are required to apply Enhanced Due Diligence (EDD) to any business relationship or transaction involving Myanmar. This applies regardless of whether the Myanmar counterparty itself is sanctioned. EDD requirements typically include: senior management approval, enhanced source-of-funds verification, and more frequent review of the business relationship.
• Sanctions screening is mandatory. The Myanmar military and military-linked commercial entities are subject to asset-freezing and trade restriction sanctions by the UK (OFSI), EU (Common Foreign and Security Policy), and US (OFAC). Myanmar Economic Holdings Limited (MEHL) and Myanmar Economic Corporation (MEC) are among the most widely designated entities. Before using any DICA company data to support a transaction, screen the counterparty and its directors and material shareholders against the UK, EU, and UN consolidated sanctions lists, as well as the OFAC SDN list.
• Registration number is the anchor. The DICA registration number is unique and stable. Request it from any Myanmar counterparty. Name searches in Myanmar script return inconsistent results when using romanised transliterations; English-name search on MyCO is more reliable for companies with English trade names.
• Foreign company definition. Under the 2017 Companies Law, a “foreign company” is any Myanmar-incorporated company with one or more foreign shareholders, regardless of percentage. This broad definition includes minority-foreign joint ventures. Confirm whether your counterparty’s “foreign company” status triggers any sector-specific restrictions.
• Political risk context. Following the February 2021 military takeover, Myanmar’s business environment has been affected by civil conflict, sanctions, currency controls, and banking disruptions. Standard CDD must be supplemented with political and operational risk assessment for any meaningful exposure.
• Representative offices. Foreign companies may register representative offices (ROs) with DICA. ROs are limited to liaison and market research and cannot engage in commercial transactions. Confirm whether your counterparty is an RO or a trading entity.

For the full global framework for registry-based due diligence, see our Global Business Due Diligence Guide. For adjacent ASEAN registry environments, the Thailand Company Search Guide, Vietnam Company Search Guide, and Cambodia Company Search Guide cover related Southeast Asian registry systems.

Alternatives if you cannot access MyCO directly

• Aggregator search (free, indicative only): OpenCorporates has partial coverage of Myanmar companies migrated from pre-2018 data. Coverage of MyCO-era registrations is limited. Useful only for a preliminary name check; not for compliance-grade verification.
• Local corporate service providers: Yangon-based law firms and corporate secretarial firms maintain MyCO accounts and can retrieve documents on behalf of foreign clients. Given the payment and access barriers, this is the recommended channel for most foreign compliance buyers. Verify that any local provider has current operating capability given Myanmar’s ongoing operational disruptions.

Local data suppliers

Myanmar’s commercial credit bureau market is severely underdeveloped. Major global providers (D&B, Experian, CRIF) have limited or suspended Myanmar operations in the post-2021 sanctions environment. Local providers with sanctions-compliant data offerings are difficult to verify as of May 2026. The DICA MyCO registry remains the primary source for compliance-grade entity verification, supplemented by direct counterparty disclosure and local legal counsel.

FAQ

Can a foreign company access the Myanmar MyCO registry directly?

Yes, with a registered account. The MyCO portal requires account registration for all searches but does not require a Myanmar identity document from foreign users. The practical barriers are OTP delivery to Myanmar mobile numbers and the local payment methods required for paid extracts. Most foreign compliance buyers access the registry through Yangon-based corporate service providers or legal counsel with operational MyCO accounts.

What is the company registration number format in Myanmar?

DICA assigns a unique company registration number at incorporation. Since the MyCO platform launched in 2018, registration numbers for newly incorporated companies follow a sequential format linked to the registration year and category. Pre-2018 legacy companies were migrated to MyCO with their prior reference numbers. The registration number appears on the Certificate of Incorporation and should be on all official company correspondence. There is no widely standardised short-form identifier for Myanmar companies equivalent to, for example, India’s CIN or Singapore’s UEN.

What entity types are registered with DICA?

DICA registers private companies, public companies, small companies (as defined under the Companies Law 2017), companies limited by guarantee, foreign branch offices of overseas companies, and representative offices. Government-owned enterprises (SOEs) may be registered separately through their enabling legislation rather than through DICA. Some military-linked enterprises operate under Ministry of Defence oversight outside the standard DICA framework.

Does Myanmar have a beneficial ownership (UBO) registry?

Myanmar introduced beneficial ownership disclosure requirements as part of its FATF action plan commitments. Companies incorporated under the Companies Law 2017 are required to maintain a register of beneficial owners. However, as of May 2026, there is no publicly searchable centralised UBO register. Beneficial ownership declarations filed with DICA are available for regulatory inspection but are not routinely accessible through the MyCO public interface. EDD requirements for Myanmar-related transactions include obtaining and verifying UBO information directly from the counterparty.

How current is the data in MyCO?

MyCO updates records as filings are processed by DICA. Annual return compliance among Myanmar companies has been variable, particularly following the political and economic disruptions since 2021. Active status data reflects DICA’s processing of the most recent filing, which may lag actual corporate changes by months in cases of delayed filing. For time-sensitive compliance workflows, treat MyCO data as a starting point and supplement with direct counterparty disclosure and local counsel confirmation.

Is Myanmar on the FATF grey list?

No. Myanmar is not on the FATF grey list. Myanmar is on the FATF high-risk jurisdictions list subject to a call for action, which is a more serious designation than the grey list. FATF placed Myanmar on this high-risk list in June 2022. As of May 2026, Myanmar remains on this list. The call for action means that FATF members are called upon to apply EDD to business relationships and transactions with Myanmar and to consider taking countermeasures where appropriate. Financial institutions subject to FATF-compliant AML/CFT regulations must treat any Myanmar-related transaction as requiring EDD. See fatf-gafi.org for the current FATF statement.

What is the difference between the DICA registry and the tax system in Myanmar?

DICA’s MyCO registry holds the legal filing record under the Companies Law 2017: incorporation documents, directors, members, and annual returns. The Internal Revenue Department (IRD) under the Ministry of Planning and Finance maintains the tax system and issues Tax Identification Numbers (TINs). The two systems are linked by company name but administered separately. A valid DICA registration does not confirm tax compliance. Verify both for complete counterparty due diligence, and note that tax compliance documentation from Myanmar authorities may carry reduced reliability in the current operating environment.

Last verified: May 2026. Source: Directorate of Investment and Company Administration MyCO (myco.dica.gov.mm). FATF high-risk jurisdictions list: fatf-gafi.org. UK OFSI Myanmar sanctions: gov.uk/government/collections/myanmar-sanctions. EU Myanmar restrictive measures: eur-lex.europa.eu. US OFAC Myanmar sanctions: ofac.treas.gov. For the full global due diligence framework, see our Global Business Due Diligence Guide.