Problems getting Myanmar visa with no hotel address?
May 10, 2015, 8:26 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 710
Problems getting Myanmar visa with no hotel address?
I am planning to do Yangon and Bagan over the course of a weekend.
I land in Yangon afternoon. See Shwedagon Pagoda. Night bus to Bagan.
Arrive in Bagan early morning. See the main temples in the day. Get the night bus back to Yangon the same night.
Arrive in Yangon early morning, then head to airport ready for afternoon flight back to Thailand.
So I am spending 2 nights in Myanmar only, and both nights will be on a bus. This saves on expensive accomodation. But will I get a VISA if I do not have a contact address in Myanmar for my stay?
I land in Yangon afternoon. See Shwedagon Pagoda. Night bus to Bagan.
Arrive in Bagan early morning. See the main temples in the day. Get the night bus back to Yangon the same night.
Arrive in Yangon early morning, then head to airport ready for afternoon flight back to Thailand.
So I am spending 2 nights in Myanmar only, and both nights will be on a bus. This saves on expensive accomodation. But will I get a VISA if I do not have a contact address in Myanmar for my stay?
May 12, 2015, 2:16 pm
#3
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Omaha
Posts: 1,674
Your itinerary is silly. You will not enjoy Bagan at all because you will be falling asleep all day. Also, judging on your dozens of previous threads over the years, you will probably not like how basic Bagan's facilities are and the transport options.
May 13, 2015, 1:37 am
#5
Join Date: May 2015
Location: Sydney, Australia
Programs: QFF Bronze, EK Skywards Blue
Posts: 94
G'day!
Long time lurker, first-time poster.
I have greatly enjoyed browsing flyertalk in my spare time and thought I'd give something back by contributing.
I visited Yangon in April this year.
I rang the Myanmar Embassy in Canberra before I submitted my tourist visa application.
I asked about not having a hotel name to put on my application form too, as I didn't have one booked at the time I submitted my visa app.
The Myanmar embassy said this would not be a problem, as it was not something they even really looked at.
Disclaimer: Could be different for different nationalities etc.
BTW, another poster has said that the OP is not the type to travel not-in-style?
Yes, Burma's facilities are basic. I personally really enjoyed it - it was like living in a different time. I fantasised about living in the time of the British empire as I strolled the dark streets dotted with candlelight (electricity outage and not everyone can afford a generator), admiring the colonial buildings. Then my fantasy was pierced as I slipped on a pothole, scraped my knee and searched in vain for a chemist with adequate supplies.
5-star hotels sometimes....aren't really.
Just because they have built a 5-star hotel in Yangon that doesn't mean the underlying infrastructure (plumbing, electricity etc) will match that of Singapore.
Be prepared for blackouts, sewer blockages, no hot water etc.
Basic toilet and eating facilities throughout, even on-site at major Tourist attractions and the immediate surrounds (Bangkok and Bali this is not).
About the overnight trip to Bagan - if you can sleep on the bus and/or suck it up during the day, you'll be able to sightsee in Bagan, why not.
If time is of the essence, I recommend you do some research on buses in Myanmar. Do they break down? Trains often do. They are literally 100-year-old remnants of the British Empire. The exact same trains and stations as those in India, if you have been there. However, the Indian government has renovated a percentage of the trains and stations. Burma's trains are true relics - wooden floors, no escalators 'n all.
Any queries, please feel free to PM me.
Long time lurker, first-time poster.
I have greatly enjoyed browsing flyertalk in my spare time and thought I'd give something back by contributing.
I visited Yangon in April this year.
I rang the Myanmar Embassy in Canberra before I submitted my tourist visa application.
I asked about not having a hotel name to put on my application form too, as I didn't have one booked at the time I submitted my visa app.
The Myanmar embassy said this would not be a problem, as it was not something they even really looked at.
Disclaimer: Could be different for different nationalities etc.
BTW, another poster has said that the OP is not the type to travel not-in-style?
Yes, Burma's facilities are basic. I personally really enjoyed it - it was like living in a different time. I fantasised about living in the time of the British empire as I strolled the dark streets dotted with candlelight (electricity outage and not everyone can afford a generator), admiring the colonial buildings. Then my fantasy was pierced as I slipped on a pothole, scraped my knee and searched in vain for a chemist with adequate supplies.
5-star hotels sometimes....aren't really.
Just because they have built a 5-star hotel in Yangon that doesn't mean the underlying infrastructure (plumbing, electricity etc) will match that of Singapore.
Be prepared for blackouts, sewer blockages, no hot water etc.
Basic toilet and eating facilities throughout, even on-site at major Tourist attractions and the immediate surrounds (Bangkok and Bali this is not).
About the overnight trip to Bagan - if you can sleep on the bus and/or suck it up during the day, you'll be able to sightsee in Bagan, why not.
If time is of the essence, I recommend you do some research on buses in Myanmar. Do they break down? Trains often do. They are literally 100-year-old remnants of the British Empire. The exact same trains and stations as those in India, if you have been there. However, the Indian government has renovated a percentage of the trains and stations. Burma's trains are true relics - wooden floors, no escalators 'n all.
Any queries, please feel free to PM me.
Last edited by adventuroustraveller; May 13, 2015 at 1:58 am
Book a cheap hotel and take a shower before leaving Yangon.
May 20, 2015, 12:16 am
#10
Join Date: May 2015
Location: Sydney, Australia
Programs: QFF Bronze, EK Skywards Blue
Posts: 94
BTW, not sure about VOA (it's a very new thing) but they do have an online visa application procedure too.
Problem is, the webpage didn't work. Internet in Myanmar is a hit-and-miss thing, so if the website is based there, could be why.
I got my tourist visa the old-fashioned way - paper form and post.
Problem is, the webpage didn't work. Internet in Myanmar is a hit-and-miss thing, so if the website is based there, could be why.
I got my tourist visa the old-fashioned way - paper form and post.
May 23, 2015, 10:13 am
#11
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: SE Asia
Programs: Thai ROP GOLD, SIA Silver Kris, QANTAS FF, Velocity Rewards, Emirates Skywards
Posts: 340
Put any name hotel, no proof of accommodation booking required.
Pick one of the main Yangon hotels eg Shangri-la (ex-Traders), Strand, Park Royal etc.
Many years of visa experience for Myanmar - hotel name has never been an issue.
Pick one of the main Yangon hotels eg Shangri-la (ex-Traders), Strand, Park Royal etc.
Many years of visa experience for Myanmar - hotel name has never been an issue.
May 16, 2016, 7:47 am
#12
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: GRU
Programs: *A Gold, OW Sapphire, SPG Gold, HH Diamond, Accor Plat
Posts: 3,367
Visa was granted the next day.