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Old Apr 16, 2017 | 1:55 pm
  #31  
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I landed in MPM from JNB yesterday.

The visa on arrival process is completely disorganised and seemingly void of any method.

Walking into the Immigration hall there's a more or less non-descript desk where two Immigration staff were working. Passengers simply approached in any fashion; there was no line much less directions on what to do. The landing (or actually an A5 photocopied piece of paper) wasn't available anywhere but from an Immigration staffer. So you had to first get someone's attention to get that. I filled it out and leaned on the desk facing a staffer for 25 minutes while she processed other passengers. Then out of the blue she looks at me and says "Where is your form?" As mentioned, there are no instructions about this form which, so helpfully, is only obtained from the desk draw of the Immigration desk!

All in all it took me 60 minutes. Unless you've got a lot of time and patience, I would recommend trying to get a visa in advance.

And here are the latest tourist visa fees:
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Old Apr 16, 2017 | 11:02 pm
  #32  
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Originally Posted by danger
I landed in MPM from JNB yesterday.

The visa on arrival process is completely disorganised and seemingly void of any method.

Walking into the Immigration hall there's a more or less non-descript desk where two Immigration staff were working. Passengers simply approached in any fashion; there was no line much less directions on what to do. The landing (or actually an A5 photocopied piece of paper) wasn't available anywhere but from an Immigration staffer. So you had to first get someone's attention to get that. I filled it out and leaned on the desk facing a staffer for 25 minutes while she processed other passengers. Then out of the blue she looks at me and says "Where is your form?" As mentioned, there are no instructions about this form which, so helpfully, is only obtained from the desk draw of the Immigration desk!

All in all it took me 60 minutes. Unless you've got a lot of time and patience, I would recommend trying to get a visa in advance.

And here are the latest tourist visa fees:
Thanks for the info.
What form of payment do they accept for VOA? Cash or credit card? If cash, which currency? I assume they accept all currencies shown on the photo copy you posted?
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Old Apr 17, 2017 | 1:37 am
  #33  
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Originally Posted by allset2travel
Thanks for the info.
What form of payment do they accept for VOA? Cash or credit card? If cash, which currency? I assume they accept all currencies shown on the photo copy you posted?
Cash only, in any of the listed currencies. Change can be hard to come by so exact money would help.
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Old Apr 17, 2017 | 12:33 pm
  #34  
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Originally Posted by danger
I landed in MPM from JNB yesterday.

The visa on arrival process is completely disorganised and seemingly void of any method.

Walking into the Immigration hall there's a more or less non-descript desk where two Immigration staff were working. Passengers simply approached in any fashion; there was no line much less directions on what to do. The landing (or actually an A5 photocopied piece of paper) wasn't available anywhere but from an Immigration staffer. So you had to first get someone's attention to get that. I filled it out and leaned on the desk facing a staffer for 25 minutes while she processed other passengers. Then out of the blue she looks at me and says "Where is your form?" As mentioned, there are no instructions about this form which, so helpfully, is only obtained from the desk draw of the Immigration desk!

All in all it took me 60 minutes. Unless you've got a lot of time and patience, I would recommend trying to get a visa in advance.

And here are the latest tourist visa fees:
Exactly my experience. It looks like their costs are made by a random number generator. Two weeks ago it was less for EUR than USD, now it has swapped.
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Old Jul 20, 2017 | 3:45 pm
  #35  
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flew into mpm on the last SA flight. overnight at the immigration area. went to transit area in the morning, get an actual boarding pass at t-3. only paid some tea money whatevwe u call it.

i will miss the deal... i just arrive doh
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Old Jul 20, 2017 | 6:15 pm
  #36  
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Originally Posted by pbd456
flew into mpm on the last SA flight. overnight at the immigration area. went to transit area in the morning, get an actual boarding pass at t-3. only paid some tea money whatevwe u call it.

i will miss the deal... i just arrive doh
You spent the night in the immigration area??? Were there even seats?
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Old Jul 21, 2017 | 8:31 am
  #37  
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There were seats without armrest. Slept from 10 30 till 5 30.
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Old Jul 22, 2017 | 3:22 pm
  #38  
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Originally Posted by pbd456
flew into mpm on the last SA flight. overnight at the immigration area. went to transit area in the morning, get an actual boarding pass at t-3. only paid some tea money whatevwe u call it.

i will miss the deal... i just arrive doh
You spent the night in the immigration area? You didn't want to schedule your arrival and departure flights for the same day?

What is this "tea money?" Is that a small bribe to facilitate getting your boarding pass? Whom did you pay? Is that necessary or expected?
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Old Jul 22, 2017 | 5:47 pm
  #39  
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Originally Posted by pbd456
There were seats without armrest. Slept from 10 30 till 5 30.


Each to his own I suppose
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Old Jul 22, 2017 | 11:01 pm
  #40  
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sleeping on a bench is no different than sleeping in a j class seat to me.

i dont like my chance of catching the mpm flight dependa on one particular flight to mpm. i prefer to fly in one day early to.handle potential disruption
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Old Jul 23, 2017 | 12:10 am
  #41  
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Originally Posted by pbd456
sleeping on a bench is no different than sleeping in a j class seat to me.

i dont like my chance of catching the mpm flight dependa on one particular flight to mpm. i prefer to fly in one day early to.handle potential disruption
I just spent a few days in MPM. Immigration even with Visa on arrival was not too bad (look for the desk at the far left of the immigration hall, get two forms for Visa and Immigration and then approach the people and ask what to do next). Took us 40 min from deplaning until we left the airport).
Lots of things to see/do, good food, hotel was ok.
Instead of sleeping on a bench I would spend an extra day or two there.
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Old Jul 23, 2017 | 12:16 am
  #42  
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Originally Posted by Unterwegs
Lots of things to see/do, good food, hotel was ok.
Instead of sleeping on a bench I would spend an extra day or two there.
+1

Had my second visit there early last month (to start my second DONEx)
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Old Jul 23, 2017 | 3:37 am
  #43  
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if i have time, i would have spent time in mpm but 1) i spent 2 nights in mpm in jan already when i started my last done5

i did the following in 32 days

http://www.gcmap.com/mapui?P=Hkg-nrt-lhr-lca-ath-jkh-ath-fco%2C+flr-cdg-icn-ror-icn-fco-dus%2Cbru-doh-hnd-doh-bru%2Cams-lgw-mru-jnb-cpt-add-lfw-coo-abj-oua-add-ebb-jnb-mpm-doh-hkg
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Old Jul 23, 2017 | 4:11 am
  #44  
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Originally Posted by pbd456
if i have time, i would have spent time in mpm but 1) i spent 2 nights in mpm in jan already when i started my last done5

i did the following in 32 days

http://www.gcmap.com/mapui?P=Hkg-nrt...nb-mpm-doh-hkg


Work or pleasure ...?
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Old Jul 23, 2017 | 4:22 am
  #45  
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Pleaasure. Requalify aa exec plat, alaska mvp75k gold and a3 star gold.

first part is the end of done5 ex mpm. Then 4 a3 segments. Then flr dus via palau in j for 680gbp. Then bru tyo bru in j for 620 euro, pick up done5 to mru. Ua excursionist perk to lfw in j mru jnb cpt add lfw in widebodies. Then paid tocket on hf, then aeroplan in y to mpm.

my personal goal is to visit all countries, and i pickup 7new one this trip and over 120 now.

i earned over 200k miles on my first mpm done5
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