Request to the Myanmar Embassy in Paris or in your own country if you have one Embassy, (Ambassade de l’Union du Myanmar), please send also your passport along with the request and the 2 forms. You can download (format PDF acrobat) the form for requesting a visa

Visa-on-arrival service - can be obtained from Ministry of Hotels and Tourism, to assist tourists a hassle - free visa application. With a view to increase tourist arrival, visa-on-arrival application is granted to all tourists who have bought a tour services* prior to their arrival. This special program is targeted to the countries and cities where there is no Myanmar Embassy or any other mission abroad. Tourists coming to Myanmar can now go to the internet website: www.myanmarvisaonline.com and fill in a secured form to submit application. Processing time is normally 2 weeks. However, last minutes application can also be submitted at a premium and 5 working days ahead of arrival.
* Tour services can be from 4 days sight-seeing tour (109 US$) to 28 days the whole country tour.

How to get your visa on arrival in Myanmar ?

Forms and procedure.

The procedure is very straightforward, not expensive (45 US$), but you must follow it carefully :

All travelers to Myanmar are required to have a visa. In order to attract more foreign currency into the country by tourism the validity of the visa has in the meantime been extended to 28 days for decades only two-week visa had been available. A Burmese embassy only issues a visa, if you can provide proof, that you have booked at least a few days accommodation in advance from abroad.

As the Burmese principally prefer tourists to book “complete travel arrangements” from abroad, visa seem to be easier and faster to obtain by a tour agent than by independent travelers.

One of the most important international travel agents for Myanmar has for decades been Asian Trails in Bangkok. Diethelm Travel in Bangkok takes care of visa arrangements for Myanmar travelers, who have booked at Asian Trails . The application for a Myanmar visa should be submitted at Asian Trails in Bangkok at least one week before the start of your journey, whereby it is important to provide the following information:

1. Name of the applicant according to the passport.
2. Number and validity date of the passport.
3. Date and place of birth.
4. Nationality and profession
.
Asian Trails provides the visa from the Burmese embassy in Bangkok. The Burmese embassy requires the applicant’s passport for one working day in order to stamp the visa. You don’t need a vaccination certification for a Myanmar visa.

Visas for a stay exceeding 28 days are extremely difficult to obtain. They require a sound reason, like for instance participation in religious or language seminars.

Asian Trails offers Myanmar arrangements from 3 to 15 days duration. Most travel agent arrangements start with a flight to Yangon (Rangoon), the Burmese capital. For those, who have not booked a “complete arrangement” by a travel agent, there is no other alternative to enter Yangon, either way.

Beyond that, Asian Trails also offers arrangements from North Thailand into northern regions of Myanmar even a three-day cross country tour by four-wheel drive vehicles from North Thailand to the northern Burmese provincial capital Ken Tong.

Custom

Foreign currency above US $ 2000, jewelries, electrical equipments and cameras must be declared at the airport. Export of antiques and archaeologically valuable items are prohibited.

Immigration & Customs Formalities

Your valuables (jewelry, cameras, electronic equipment, etc.) should be declared on your customs declaration form upon arrival. Receipt of purchase and an export permit voucher for locally bought goods such as gems and jewelry may be required upon departure.

Electricity
220-240 Volt, 50 Hz
. Food, Health & Clothing

Food
The basic diet is rice and curry. There are numerous forms of fish paste with salad. Soup is taken together with the rice and other dishes. Food costs vary from city to city, but equivalent to around US$ 4 should see you through a decent meal at the local eateries. The most popular Myanmar dishes are ‘Mohinga’ (rice noodles with fish gravy) for breakfast and ‘Ohn-No Khaukswe’ (noodles with coconut curry). Desserts include Sa-nwin-Ma-Kin (sweet cakes made with semolina, sugar, egg, butter and coconut), banana cakes, Kyaukchaw (sea weed jelly) and jaggery. Almost every town also boasts Chinese restaurants. Indian food, like Bryani, is also popular. Western cuisine is available at larger cities such as Yangon and Mandalay.

Health
Medical facilities may not widely available away from the cities. If you regularly need to take some medicine, it is best to bring with you enough of it as well as basic first aid for the length of your trip. Be careful not to drink water from the tap. Should be able to eat and drink from any restaurant or stall. Burma is a malarial area. However, there have been no reported cases of guests’ ever contracting malaria from a live aboard boat, so if you only intend to visit Burma during your cruise, it’s highly unlikely you will catch malaria. Other health risks include cholera, hepatitis, rabies and typhoid. Common but avoidable health concerns are contaminated food, water and ice that can lead to diarrhea, dehydration and hepatitis A or E. Make sure you drink only bottled drinking water. Fungal infections are also very common. Wear loose clothes, wash frequently, and dry yourself carefully. It’s recommended that you seek medical advice about immunizations at least six weeks before you travel to Myanmar. Discuss your trip with your doctor and set out your vaccination requirements. Self-diagnosis and treatment of any medical problem can be risky, so you should always seek medical help. No inoculations or vaccinations are required unless coming from or passing through an infected area. Clients should bring sufficient medication with them if required and should check for updated health recommendations before your departure to Myanmar regarding hepatitis, malaria, typhoid, etc. Please contact us if you would like detailed information on emergency health services available.

Clothings
For the summer and rainy seasons, light clothing such as thin cotton is best. During the winter months, it is advisable to bring a jacket or a sweater. If you are traveling to the Shan State, Inle Lake or mountainous areas, temperatures can be quite cold particularly in the early morning and nights, so warm clothing is recommended. An umbrella during the raining season and a hat to shade the sun during the summer is advisable. Similarly, light footwear such as sandals is advised. All footwear must be taken off when entering pagodas or monasteries, and generally homes as well. Shorts and briefs are not allowed in these areas and as a general rule, dressing modestly while in the country is highly recommended. For official and formal engagements, a shirt, jacket and tie or national dress/costume is advised. The general attire in the country is the longyi (sarong) and slippers; longyis are worn with a blouse for the ladies and shirt for the men.

Traveler’s Tips Custom
Foreign currency above US $ 2000, jewelries, electrical equipments and cameras must be declared at the airport. Export of antiques and archaeologically valuable items are prohibited.

Immigration & Customs Formalities
Your valuables (jewelry, cameras, electronic equipment, etc.) should be declared on your customs declaration form upon arrival. Receipt of purchase and an export permit voucher for locally bought goods such as gems and jewelry may be required upon departure.

Duty Free Allowance
Two bottles of liquor, two cartons of cigarettes; 100 cigars; 1.5lb of tobacco; one pint bottle of perfume or eau de cologne. Yangon Airport arrival hall has a selection of duty free shops with a full range of items at a good price.

Departure Procedure

Traveler’s Tips Custom

Foreign currency above US $ 2000, jewelries, electrical equipments and cameras must be declared at the airport. Export of antiques and archaeologically valuable items are prohibited.

Immigration & Customs Formalities

Your valuables (jewelry, cameras, electronic equipment, etc.) should be declared on your customs declaration form upon arrival. Receipt of purchase and an export permit voucher for locally bought goods such as gems and jewelry may be required upon departure.

Duty Free Allowance

Two bottles of liquor, two cartons of cigarettes; 100 cigars; 1.5lb of tobacco; one pint bottle of perfume or eau de cologne. Yangon Airport arrival hall has a selection of duty free shops with a full range of items at a good price.

Departure Procedure

Traveler’s Tips Custom

Foreign currency above US $ 2000, jewelries, electrical equipments and cameras must be declared at the airport. Export of antiques and archaeologically valuable items are prohibited.

Immigration & Customs Formalities

Your valuables (jewelry, cameras, electronic equipment, etc.) should be declared on your customs declaration form upon arrival. Receipt of purchase and an export permit voucher for locally bought goods such as gems and jewelry may be required upon departure.

Duty Free Allowance

Two bottles of liquor, two cartons of cigarettes; 100 cigars; 1.5lb of tobacco; one pint bottle of perfume or eau de cologne. Yangon Airport arrival hall has a selection of duty free shops with a full range of items at a good price.

Departure Procedure

Visitors may bring in any amount of foreign currency but it must be declared to the customs if it exceeds US $ 2000. Foreign Exchange Certificates can be purchased with US Dollars or Pounds Sterling either in cash or Travelers Cheques. FECs are accepted by hotels, airlines, travel agencies, taxis, restaurants, and as payment of admission fees for museums, and pagodas. FECs can be exchanged for Kyats at market rates at Authorized Money Changers.

Visitors’ Requirements and Foreign Exchange For foreigners, the U.S. Dollar is the most widely accepted and commonly used. Foreigner Independent Travelers (FITs) entering Myanmar will have to change US$ 200 into FEC 200. These FEC have the same value as the US$. The FECs are treated equally to US$ within the country (i.e. prices listed in US$ can be paid with FEC). If you are in a guided tour group or have a business visa, you do not have to change the US$ 200.

If you change more than the required US$ 200, you can convert the unused FEC back, but you have to have all the receipts. You may change money legally at the major hotels that have a Foreign Exchange License or at certain local banks.

Change the FECs into Kyats in the cities such as Yangon, Mandalay or Bagan. Make sure you always have small change. It is recommended to carry sufficient cash as credit cards are accepted only at certain outlets in the larger cities, and it is convenient to change money outside the larger cities. Traveler’s Cheques are not popularly used.

Accepted credit cards are Visa, Diner and American Express and local currency credit cards. It is possible that you will be charged an additional commission of 3 – 5%

Opening hours for banks are 10 am to 2 pm.

Credit Cards

Major hotels, airlines and some international shops and restaurants usually accept credit cards. Master Card is not currently accepted in Myanmar. Some establishments may require a minimum purchase amount and may also charge a service fee for credit card use. Banks are closed on Saturdays, Sundays and all public holidays.

Credit Card : Visa, Amex

You can not use it any more in Myanmar and even the hotels do not accept to guaranty of booking with a credit card (even 4 stars hotel). Actually, only the Park Royal Plaza hotel in Yangon accepts credit card, because the mother company is from Singapore. Be careful, even airlines like Air France, Thai Airways or Singapore Airlines do not accept credit card to buy a plane ticket or modify a plane ticket.

Insurance And Cheques

Insurance
We recommend all clients to obtain the necessary personal baggage, medical and accident insurance before arrival. SOS Worldwide has a local representative office in Yangon with a 24 hour on call service for emergency evacuation and medical assistance.

Travelers Cheques
Travelers Cheques may be very time consuming to transact. You must bring the original purchase agreement for the travelers cheques with you as proof when cashing your cheques.

Travelers cheque in US Dollars.
You can not use them any more in Myanmar (it was a bad solution any way).

Communication at Myanmar Foreign Policy of Myanmar


Postal Services
Post offices are open Monday to Friday from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm.

Telephones
Myanmar’s country code is ‘95’. Overseas calls are possible through operators at a Central Telegraph Office, at major hotels or by IDD. The prefix for IDD is ‘00’.

Telecommunications IDD
Telephones & fax facilities are available in most hotels in Yangon and Mandalay but charges are quite expensive. E mail facilities are now available at many hotels and local businesses in Yangon and Mandalay.

Mobile Phones
Hand Phones or Mobile Telephones from other countries currently do not operate in Myanmar. Customs will hold your telephone upon arrival and you can collect on your departure.

Mobile phone - Laptop
Just forget it ! Whatever your telecom company it will not work in Myanmar. And you are not supposed to bring it. If Customs find it, they keep it (do not be worried they do not look for so much).If you really need a mobile phone, you can rent it (70 US$ per month) but you can use it only in Yangon and Mandalay. You are in holiday, leave you laptop at home or hide it carefully. If they find it, they may keep it (you will have it back when you leave Myanmar).

Make a call abroad
Theorically, you make an IDD everywhere in Myanmar. Pratically it is very difficult from Inel and Bagan, but you will be able to make IDD call from almost all the hotels without any problem in Mandalay and Yangon.

Phone Area Code

Internet - Email

Currently, we have 16 cybercafés in Myanmar (1 in Mandalay). In Yangon, the best and most modern is located at the Dagon Center on Pyay Road (second floor). You can surf on Internet (most of the web site, except some banned one). The cost is around 1000 Kyat per hour (around 1 US$).

Email : Very important modification.

Starting 1st December, most of Internet is free to access, even the web site that include web mail page. Obviously, some webs sites are still banned, but comparatively just a few.