shelleyk

As of June 1, 2012 Myanmar is granting visas on arrival at Yangon airport to nationals of 27 countries, including America. This should alleviate the backup at their Embassies for those wanting a visa, and will encourage tourism.

Kathie

The problem is, it appears this is not for tourist visas, or at least for tourists who have access to an embassy or consulate in their own country. The information on this is mixed. Here is part of one official announcement (each of the announcements says something slightly different):


NAY PYI TAW, 31 May-On- arrival visa will be issued at Yangon International Airport starting from 1 June 2012 for the smooth entry of businesses who wish to make investments in Myanmar, those who are from countries withour Myanmar embassy and tourists who don't have much time to acquire visa at the Myanmar embassy of their own countries.

The visa processing will be conducetd by the onarrival visa scrutiny board under the supervision of the Immigration and Population Department. And on-arrival visa will be divided into three categories-- business visa whose fee is US $ 50 lasts for 70 days, entry visa whose fee is US $ 40 lasts for 28 days, and transit visa with a fee of US $ 20 lasts for 24 hours.

ASEAN countries, China, Indian, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Australia, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, New Zeland, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Britain, American totalling 26 countries will be entitlede to enjoy the new move. And the new move will be extended.

Further details for on-arrival visa will be put on the website of the ministry www.mip.gov.mm, and will be distributed to airlines and foriegn embassies.

The move which ensures the smooth entry of those desirous of making investment in the country and creates job opportunities for economic development, is an act of transparency being welcomed by all the national people.

I'm awaiting info from on the ground to see if they will actually grant tourist visas.

Beijingspring

I am not willing to try that out! I have got my visas issued in the Embassy within 3/4 working days. I am very impressed. One more week to go ....

Lynne_Grossman

I just returned yesterday from Yangon. At the airport there is a visa on arrival counter; however it is NOT for tourist visas and only for business visas. Whilst in Yangon I read an article in the local newspaper clearly stating that this counter can only process business visas or transit visas. The article stated that currently approximately 1,500 people arrive at Yangon airport every day, and they are not yet equipped to process such a volume of visas.
I got my visa before travel at the Myanmar Embassy in Singapore. I submitted the application on a Monday morning and returned the following afternoon to collect the visa.
btw whilst waiting to depart, we saw a couple of men (I assume businessmen) trying to get their visas on arrival at the counter, and it did not look like an easy process. However all the signs at the airport clearly state that if all your paperwork is in order, you should not experience any delays - and I found this to be absolutely correct. Fill out your forms correctly and you will have no problems entering or exiting the country.

Kathie

The visa on arrival counter is for the new Business visas on arrival and for passengers on MIA flights from Cambodia and China. If you arrive on those two MIA flights, you can get a visa on arrival as a tourist, but there are also tales of people being turned away.

So many people were excited that Burma was re-implementing a VOA - and the initial newspaper stories indicated it was for tourists as well - and have been disappointed that it is only for Biz visas.

LJT

Thanks for the helpful information Kathie. With the progress being made in Myanmar right now, I think it's only a matter of time before the VOA for tourists is up and running.

Lynne - what was the visa application process at the embassy like? I know of this new service at http://myanmarvisa.com.sg/, for travellers from Singapore to Myanmar, where you can save on the two trips down to the embassy. Perhaps you can check it out on your next visit!

Kathie

LJT, this website is for a pre-approved visa, just like the websites of the various travel agencies in Burma that offer pre-apprpoved visas. The difference is that this one is only for people living in Singapore. It costs 3x-4x as much as getting your visa from the Myanmar Embassy in Singapore. Frankly, I can't imagine why anyone would use this service.

Kathie

People can easily get a visa by mail at the nearest Myanmar Embassy. Very easy, no waiting in line, and much cheaper than your friend's agency.

kjanes

I just returned from Myanmar and without proof of Visa Bangkok Air will not let you on the plane. I believe "Visa on arrival" means you have the visa approved but will pick it up when you arrive at the airport. Here is what we did and would highly recommend it:

It cost $89pp USD to hire MyanmarVisa.com to obtain visas on arrival. The process was easy & hassle free. No photos needed. Once the visa is approved you will need to book a roundtrip flight (we assumed dates - gave tentative flights and hotels until we knew the visas were approved. we changed a lot of it later on. The only really important date is your arrival date) to show the agency. Before you leave your country make sure the form confirming your visa has the correct name spelling, DOB and passport number so you don't have a problem boarding your flight. PRINT AND BRING ALL FORMS! An english speaking rep. from the agency was at airport to walk us through the process, escorted us thru customs & found us a taxi. *Grab a Myanmar map at the airport it's a good one. I hope this helps. If you want more info please see, kimsegal.com, it is the website I keep for fun it has tips and prices for Myanmar.

Kathie

"Visa on Arrival" means you can board a flight to the country and can purchase a visa when you arrive at the airport, not pre-arranement necessary. As you can see, there is no visa on arrival for tourists in Myanmar. Other than two Myanmar Air International flights, one from China, one from Cambodia, no airline will allow you on the plane without either a visa or a pre-approved visa letter. As you discovered, the pre-approved visa costs more than 3x as much as a visa in advance from the embassy.

Glad to hear you had a good time in Burma.

brad340

I got a visa on arrival for tourism. It was processed in 3 days, and there was a nice English-speaking lady waiting at the gate to literally hand me the visa upon arriving. I did not have to buy a single travel package. Here's how...

http://mywanderlist.com/2013/05/05/m...ook-out-there/

Kathie

Brad, what you got was a pre-arranged visa, not a visa on arrival. The pre-arranged visas have been available for many years. There was a brief (months-long) episode when it was possible to get a real visa on arrival. And it is still possible to get a visa on arrival if you are flying in from Cambodia or China on Myanmar Air International.

I understand that the point of your post is to tell people that everything they have been told is wrong, but in this case, you are the one who is confused, probably because you didn't know that "visa on arrival" means something very specific.

brad340

You are probably correct that "visa on arrival" has a specific legal definition. The agents all call it visa on arrival, probably technically inaccurately. As I look at my documents, they gave me a visa approval letter and processed the visa at the airport on arrival.

Point being, the process can be very simple if you use the right agent. With as little as a few days notice, you can arrange to show up in Myanmar without a visa in hand. No sending your passport off way beforehand.