Standard Tourist Visa for Arrival by Air:
Tourist visas are valid 90 days from issuance. They are valid for a maximum stay of 28 days and there are small fees if you overstay. Tourist visas are good for single entry only. They must be pre-arranged through either a Myanmar embassy or a licensed travel agent in Myanmar. (See below for links and details.)
The Visa on Arrival program (with no pre-arrangements) was canceled/suspended due to elections in 2010. It may still be available from CAN, REP and PNH: check with your airline.
Update: Transit Visa on Arrival is now available if you are staying less than 24 hours in RGN. A round trip itinerary such as BKK-RGN-BKK may not be eligible for a transit visa, as explained below. You will need 2 current photos and proof of onward travel. VOA is also available for business purposes and for formal scheduled events like seminars. You will need photos and a letter of sponsorship from a business or the ministry sponsoring the event. See
http://www.mip.gov.mm/visaonarrival/index.html
Update 2: Transit Visa Experiences
joelfreak reports successful use of the transit visa, although he experienced some confusion and misdirection from some of the RGN immigration staff.
LilZeppelin reports a
much smoother experience.
colindexter reports that he was not able to board an Air Asia flight from BKK-RGN, because his itinerary of
BKK-RGN-BKK was deemed ineligible for a transit visa. As
geeprice explains, a round trip itinerary is generally NOT considered eligible for a transit visa.
Paella747 successfully
remained airside on a TG quick turn (but there was a backup plan - a pre-arranged visa!)
Update 3 Transit Visas Go Away
It started with
geeprice reporting that, after discussion among immigration officials, he was unable to get a transit visa because they are reserved for "Emergency Diplomatic situations". Then
yannix reported that there is no discussion.
An immigration official threw his VOA application in the trash and said, "No transit visa".
Update 4 Transit Visas Are Back Again
There have been multiple reports of the $20 transit visa working recently. By far the most interesting is from
Jaimito Cartero, who
reports an overnight stay on a transit visa. The most difficult part may be convincing the airline flying to RGN that you don't need a tourist visa.
Some FTers have
wondered if they will need a visa for the return flight to RGN, especially if they plan to stop flying in BKK and not proceed to RGN.
forumpersona999 described experiences that
suggest this might work, but as
rankorabu cautions,
this is a YMMV situation. In any case, it is always wise to take the advice, "
Don't mess with Myanmar."
What do I do to get my Tourist Visa?
Will you stay in the RGN airport for a few hours between flights?
Transit Without Visa (TWOV) may be available. Various reports throughout the thread that you can get off your inbound flight, be escorted to a small 'transit lounge' and wait for your next flight. Worst case, you may need a $20 transit visa as specified below, so go ahead and have those forms ready, along with proof on onward travel to a different country than your inbound flight. You may also have some difficulty convincing the airline flying you to RGN that you don't need a pre-arranged visa.
Will you stay less than 24 hours in RGN?
Transit Visa on Arrival is now available for US $20. You will need two current photos and an application form from
http://www.mip.gov.mm/visaonarrival/index.html. You will also need proof on onward travel to a different country than your inbound flight.
More than 3 months out?
Don't apply yet. Visas are only valid for 90 days after issue.
Less than 3 months out?
Wait for e-visa system to launch "any day now". Stop waiting when your trip is 4-6 weeks away and use a traditional visa application.
E-Visa (
Not officially active or launched - waiting for "green light" from govt)
Update - E-Visa website has been modified and now contains the message "Visa application is under maintenance. Official launch will be coming very soon."
4-6 weeks out?
Use a traditional embassy visa application by FedEx which takes a
full 10 business days for processing (in the US) and requires your original passport.
List of Myanmar Embassies
You may also use a visa service to coordinate and simplify the process for a fee.
HansGolden says his agency uses
these people because they have excellent customer service and have fixed many problems for his customers.
Don't want to surrender your passport?
1.
Pay an extra fee for Pre-Arranged Visa on Arrival:
http://www.myanmarvisa.com/ - I paid $70 for their 10 business day service and received the approval letter in a little over a week. I have an approval letter from the Ministry of Tourism, and a map showing me where to go in the RGN airport.
Update: Despite multiple FTers reporting success with this agency,
konoyaro has recently had trouble with sending money to their PayPal account, and was told that they will accept payment on arrival.
2.
Travel agency Pre-arranged Visa - It appears that almost any Myanmar tourism agency can arrange a Pre-arranged Visa on Arrival, so if you are using a travel agent to make any of your Myanmar plans, check with them for their rate. For example,
JourneysMyanmar quoted me $25 processing and $30 visa fee due at the airport.
1-3 weeks out?
Pay for an expediter like
myanmarvisa.com to rush your application.
forumpersona999 reports they are legitimate and he was able to get a visa in less than 4 business days for $100.
Less than 1 week out?
Plan to use an embassy in SE Asia with quick turnaround time. The most common ones are BKK, HKG, and SIN. Be sure and allow sufficient stopover time for processing, and search online to hear the practical experiences of people who have used this process before.
Embassies with quick service include:
BKK (
same day possible for expedite fees)
SIN (
three business days required)
HKG (
may have same-day or one-day service)
Berlin 3-4 days
Other Visa Ideas/Sources (debunked or unverified)
*
Myanmar visa by shuttle/boat from Phuket (Thailand). This idea is presented as a way to extend your Thai visa, but it looks like a creative FTer might be able to adapt the technique.
RustingInSeattle reports, "Unless it has changed, the Ranong visa is just a very short visa (1 or 2 days) for Ranong-only. I don't think it is valid to go further into Burma."
*If you wand a land transit into Myanmar, you need a pre-arranged visa and permit from a Myanmar travel agency.
*Several websites (even embassy websites) list "multiple entry visas".
TerryK reports that the
multi-entry visa is a complicated business visa requiring a sponsor, an interview, and two previous single-entry business visas.
Flyertalk Myanmar Threads
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/asia/...elsewhere.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/asia/...n-myanmar.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/asia/...ns-sought.html
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/commu...up-thread.html
Outside forums with practical and anecdotal information:
Lonely Planet
Trip Advisor