India and Myanmar share a long land border, deep cultural ties, and a security relationship that gets reviewed regularly through a decades-old bilateral mechanism. Myanmar is the only ASEAN country that shares a land border with India.
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International Relations · IntlRel0050
India-Myanmar Relations
A Long Border, A Long-Running Dialogue
23rd
National Level Meeting, held 7-8 July 2026 in New Delhi
1,643 km
Shared land border, across 4 Indian states
1948
Diplomatic relations established
10 km
New border-pass movement radius, since Dec 2024
~$1.5-2B
Annual bilateral trade
Only ASEAN neighbour by land
Myanmar is the only ASEAN member state that shares a land border with India — making it central to India’s Act East and MAHASAGAR policies.
Must Know
- India established diplomatic relations with Myanmar (then Burma) in 1948, the year it gained independence from Britain.
- The two countries share a land border of about 1,643 km. It runs through the Indian states of Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland, and Arunachal Pradesh.
- Myanmar occupies an important place in India’s Neighbourhood First, Act East, and MAHASAGAR policies.
- The Free Movement Regime lets border residents cross without a visa or passport. It began in 1968, and was formalised under the Act East Policy in 2018.
- In December 2024, India tightened the Free Movement Regime. It now requires biometric border passes, valid for seven days, limited to within 10 km of the border.
- The Assam Rifles is responsible for security along this border, and issues the new biometric passes.
- The Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project connects Kolkata port to Sittwe port in Myanmar by sea. From there, it links by river and road to Mizoram. India and Myanmar signed its framework agreement in 2008.
- The India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway will connect Moreh, in Manipur, to Mae Sot, in Thailand, running through Myanmar.
- India’s “Look East Policy,” launched in the 1990s, was renamed and expanded into the “Act East Policy” in 2014.
Good to Know
- India and Myanmar hold a regular “National Level Meeting,” a bilateral security dialogue mechanism between their Home Ministries.
- Bilateral trade between the two countries runs at roughly $1.5–2 billion a year.
- MAHASAGAR stands for “Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions.” PM Modi announced it in Mauritius, in March 2025, expanding India’s earlier 2015 “SAGAR” vision to the wider Global South.
- Formal land customs stations along the border are managed under the Land Ports Authority of India.
Test Yourself
Great to Know
- Relations cooled in the 1960s. Myanmar’s military government nationalised private businesses then, affecting the large Indian-origin community living there.
- Myanmar is the only ASEAN member state that shares a land border with India.
- Except for a short, roughly 10 km fenced stretch in Manipur, the India-Myanmar border remains largely unfenced.
Current Affairs
- The 23rd National Level Meeting between India and Myanmar was held on 7-8 July 2026, in New Delhi. India’s delegation was led by Govind Mohan, Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs. Myanmar’s delegation was led by Major General Min Thu, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Home Affairs. (Source: PIB, 8 Jul 2026)
- Both sides discussed cooperation against transnational crimes. This included terrorism, insurgency, narcotics trafficking, arms smuggling, human trafficking, wildlife trafficking, and cybercrime. (Source: PIB, 8 Jul 2026)
- They also agreed to enhance intelligence sharing and operational coordination between the two countries. (Source: PIB, 8 Jul 2026)
- Myanmar assured India that its territory would not be permitted to be used against India’s security interests. (Source: PIB, 8 Jul 2026)
- Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to completing the Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project and the India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway. (Source: PIB, 8 Jul 2026)
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