How do I verify educational credentials of a Myanmar candidate?

What Myanmar law and practice say

Myanmar does not run a centralised national degree-verification database, so education verification is a hands-on process. The Employment & Skills Development Law (ESDL) 2013 expects accurate identity and history records on the appointment letter, which makes verification of the qualifications the role requires part of lawful hiring practice. Sector-specific KYC rules (banking, financial institutions, payment platforms) and professional councils (medical, engineering, legal) layer extra checks on top.

Always obtain the candidate's written consent before contacting the institution. Limit verification to job-relevant qualifications — do not collect academic records the role does not require.

Verification routes by qualification type

Process and timeline

1. Conditional offer letter issued — Day 0.
2. Candidate signs the education-verification consent form — Day 0.
3. Candidate produces original certificates; HR copies and authenticates — Day 1.
4. HR contacts the issuing institution via written email or letter — Days 2–10.
5. HR cross-checks against the Ministry of Education or professional council where applicable — Days 5–14.
6. Verification result documented in the candidate file.
7. ESDL appointment letter issued within 30 days of start.

Foreign-national candidates

For foreign-national candidates, contact the issuing institution directly. For non-English-speaking institutions, request a certified English translation of the degree certificate. International verification services (e.g. WES, ECCTIS) can speed the cross-check, particularly for visa and work permit applications (see work permit guide).

Edge cases

• Lost original certificate — accept university duplicate / attestation; cross-check with registrar.
• Forgery suspected — pause the hire; escalate to legal; do not surface the suspicion to the candidate before evidence.
• Non-traditional learning — verify the issuing platform; weight against the role requirement.
• Regulated profession — professional council registration is mandatory regardless of degree verification.

Common hiring mistakes

• Trusting a photocopy without sighting the original.
• Skipping the consent form before contacting the institution.
• Verifying every academic record instead of just the role-relevant ones (see background checks).
• Failing to record the verification step in the candidate file.