On February 18, 2026, Myanmar’s Ministry of Health issued Order No. 8/2026 announcing the prohibition of electronic smoking devices and related products under the Essential Supplies and Services Law 2012, thus outlawing their use, storage, and trade. The ban covers e‑cigarettes, heated tobacco products, electronic shisha, and all related components and accessories, including devices, parts, batteries, chargers, and flavored liquids (regardless of nicotine content). Prohibited activities include importing, exporting, selling, distributing, possessing, storing, transporting, and using these products, with immediate effect. Regulatory Compliance Businesses and individuals should promptly review their inventories, operations, and commercial arrangements to ensure compliance. Affected products should be withdrawn from the market, and relevant licensing, registration, and reporting obligations should be reviewed. Companies are also advised to update internal compliance procedures and coordinate with relevant authorities as necessary.

On February 2, 2026, Myanmar’s Ministry of Finance and Revenue issued Notification No. 19/2026, reducing the customs duty rate to 0% for certain battery‑electric vehicles, machinery, and related spare parts, applicable from February 2, 2026, through March 31, 2026. Under the notification, imports of battery‑electric special‑purpose vehicles, battery‑electric industrial machinery, and associated spare parts listed in the notification’s annex are eligible for a zero‑percent customs duty rate. These items must be supported by technical recommendations from the Ministry of Electric Power and a recommendation from the Ministry of Industry. The notification applies to a broad range of battery electric equipment, including the following categories: Special purpose vehicles, such as crane trucks, mobile drilling trucks, concrete mixers, mobile clinics, broadcast vans, and street‑cleaning vehicles. Heavy machinery, including excavators, bulldozers, loaders, cranes, rollers, forklifts, and port handling equipment. Spare parts, covering 16 specified categories, including key components such as chargers, inverters, and controllers. Importers and businesses using electric‑powered industrial equipment should review the scope of the eligible items and confirm whether their planned imports fall within the lists covered by the notification.

Tilleke & Gibbins has contributed an updated Myanmar chapter to the recently published Foreign Investment Review 2026, a global guide to the legal and regulatory environment for foreign investment in 25 jurisdictions worldwide. Published and distributed by Lexology Panoramic, the guide discusses law and policy on oversight of foreign investment, regulatory frameworks, procedural requirements, and other important concerns for foreign investors. The Myanmar chapter was prepared by Nwe Oo and Aye Thuzar Hlaing, senior associates in Tilleke & Gibbins’ office in Yangon. The Myanmar chapter covers the following topics: Law and Policy: Government policies and practices, main laws and their scope of application (including details on investment promotional measures), definitions, rules for state-owned enterprises and sovereign wealth funds, relevant authorities and oversight, and national interest provisions. Procedure: Jurisdictional thresholds, national interest clearance, securing approval, the review process for competition clearance and associated penalties, involvement of authorities, facilitation of clearance, and post-closing regulatory powers. Substantive assessment: Substantive tests for clearance, authorities’ consultation with other countries and other relevant parties, transactional prohibitions and objections, mitigating arrangements and challenges to a decision, and protection of confidential information. Recent cases, updates, and trends: Relevant recent case law, key recent and ongoing developments. A PDF of the Myanmar chapter can be downloaded through the button below. Tilleke & Gibbins also contributed the Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam chapters to Foreign Investment Review 2026. Readers can also gain 30 days of complementary access to the full Foreign Investment Review 2026 guide and the rest of Lexology Panoramic’s varied offerings through this link.

Myanmar’s Private Security Services Law, enacted on February 18, 2025, together with its implementing Directive on Applications for a Private Security Services License or Permit issued on June 18, 2025, establishes the country’s first comprehensive regulatory framework for both commercial private security service providers and companies that employ in-house security personnel. The framework applies to both Myanmar and foreign entities. For foreign investors and multinational operators, the new regime introduces strict licensing requirements, local content rules, and various approvals that must be carefully considered as part of business planning and compliance processes. Regulatory Authority and Structure The governing authority under the Private Security Services Law is the Private Security Services Central Supervisory Committee, formed with the minister of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MOHA) as chairperson, the chief of the Myanmar Police Force as vice-chairperson, and members from other high-ranking officials from relevant ministries, such as Transport and Communications, Defense, Planning and Finance, Investment and Foreign Economic Relations, Legal Affairs, Immigration and Population, Labor, and Commerce. This Central Committee is the highest regulatory authority and has the power to adopt policies, approve or reject applications for licenses and permits, and decide appeals against administrative actions taken by Supervisory Committees, which operate under the Central Committee at the state and regional level. They are responsible for processing applications, verifying compliance with statutory requirements, submitting applications to the Central Committee with remarks, and issuing licenses and permits once approved. Supervisory Committees also monitor compliance by license or permit holders and impose administrative penalties for noncompliance, while the Central Committee exercises final decision-making authority. License Requirements for Security Service Providers To apply for a private security services license, companies must be registered under the Myanmar Companies Law. Foreign companies may also operate a private security services business in Myanmar, subject to compliance