Burma Visa

[Henry R]

How hard is it to get a visa for Burma? (I am an American). Plan to travel from Thailand to Burma. How long does it take to get a visa? How much does the visa cost? Will the police hassle us? Is it dangerous for foreigners? Just plan to do some sightseeing in Burma. This March plan to go to Bagan in central Burma and Ngapali, the beautiful beach resort on Burma's west coast. Total about a week or so.

[hnynnei]

visa on arrival is required
can apply Myanmar Embassy at Bangkok
( some people say not to describe yr job as journalist )

[Colonel Mustard]

Thank you for the info but I think you mean visa in advance? A visa on arrival means that you don't have to apply to the embassy.

Do you know if it's possible to renew the visa inside Myanmar? Thanks for your input!

[hnynnei]

yes , sorry for short reply
not in yr hometown embassy , it will require invitation letter
it's mainly because Visa on arrival is temporarily stop at the moment
at Yangon ( Myanmar ) International Airport , so it's confuse
visa on arrival but require to pre-apply yes i mean
VOA is 28 days , can apply in transit country Myanmar Embassy or through online by agency

[Colonel Mustard]

Great. Thank you for the clarification :)

[hnynnei]

Visa on arrival was suspended since Sept 2010 at Yangon Airport.
Therefore there are three ways to get the visa.
1. Myanmar Embassies Abroad
2. Prearranged VOA through a local agent.
3. Fly in with Myanmar Airways International ( MAI ) from Guangzhou or Seam Reap.

Myanmar Embassies Abroad2-3 days can take in Bangkok
Contact directly to the Embassy. According to the customers, Bangkok is the easiest.

Prearranged VOA
You need to apply through a local agency(must be a UMTA member ). Actually it was designed for the package tours who has no Myanmar Embassy in their country. But it is released now. It doesn’t matter which nationality you are. Need to send following information at least two weeks prior to the arrival date
to agency which provide VOA online .
1. Full Name ( Surname & Given Name Separately )
2. Gender
3. Father’s name
4. Date of Birth
5. Place of Birth
6. Nationality( as stated in passport )
7. Race
8. Religion
9. Passport Number
10. Date of issued
11. Date of expired
12. Place of issued
13. Occupation
14. Permanent address
15. Arrival date & flight No
16. Departure date & flight No
17. PP copy ( scanned )
18. Recent Photo ( scanned )

Since it was designed for the package tours, we need to mention detail itinerary, hotel list etc.. Therefore highly recommend to buy Air tickets or Hotels or a mini tour. When we get the approval letter from immigration department we’ll send a copy to respective airline for boarding and a copy to the customer for reference. You’ll get tourist visa with 28 days validity and cost US$ 60 / person ( including Visa Fees )

MAI ( Myanmar Airways International )
It is state owned airline and this is their incentive program. There are MAI flights from Guangzhou to Yangon on every Thursday and Sunday. Seam Reap to Yangon is on every Wed & Saturday. If you fly in with those two flights, you do not need any prearrangement. Just fly in and get the VOA at the airport immigration on your arrival. The airline won’t inquire about your visa. Need to bring two recent photos and 30 crisp USD. Fill the form and pay directly to immigration. You’ll get tourist visa with 28 days validity.

FINANCES IN MYANMAR
We have very poor banking facilities. No ATM, No Credit card, No Travelers’ Cheque. It must be new, clean and crisp. If the notes are torn, old or dirty, nobody will accept it.

A legal exchange counter has just opened in Yangon. It’s near Monsoon Restaurant, Theinbyu Road. You just have to declare by filling out in the Custom form upon arrival if the cash you carry is exceeding the amount of US$ 2000.

Meals will cost 10-12 USD per meal. Chinese dish is a bit more expensive and European is the most expensive.

[Colonel Mustard]

Originally Posted by hnynnei

MAI ( Myanmar Airways International )
It is state owned airline and this is their incentive program.

In the interest of transparency, I am going to say that this is not actually true. Let's not confuse MAI (airline code 8M) with Myanma Airways (airline code UB).

Myanma Airways is, as I understand it, state owned. Its parent company is the Ministry of Transport.

Myanmar Airways International is owned by a high ranking government official but is a private business.

[clickguru]

How hard to get a visa in Myanmar right now? Im planning to visit there as soon as possible.