I’m headed to Myanmar tomorrow and I have to say the whole process of obtaining a Visa wasn’t simple by any means. The country, once shut off to the world, has seen an influx of visitors wanting to experience something untouched. Predictably, crowds at the embassy were large and everyone seemed a little on edge, not really knowing how the process worked or knowing anyone who had done it before that could give them reliable advice. Here is what I learned after going through the process myself.
Locating the Embassy
Finding the Embassy shouldn’t be too difficult. Searching Google maps for “myanmar embassy bankok thailand” shows you the correct location although the address is incorrect. The easiest way is to take the Skytrain to either the Chong Nonsi or Surasak BTS stations. I was staying in a hostel nearby the Chong Nonsi Station. From there I walked around the corner, following the Skytrain tracks, and onto Thanon Sathon Nuea. About 5 minutes more walking and it will be on your right. Turn down the side street and the entrance will be on your right hand side. Most likely, you’ll see a queue of people. If you get lost, ask a motorbike taxi which direction. They all knew where it was.
Unfortunately, there is no Skytrain station near Khao San Road. A cab from there will run you at least 150 baht.
Preparing
The Myanmar embassy is open weekdays 9am-noon, but also try to avoid Thai and Burmese holidays as I inevitably arrived on Labor Day on my first attempt. You’ll need your passport, 2 color passport photos and a copy of your passport. If you don’t have these beforehand, you can get them just down the same street the embassy entrance is on, about a 100 meters down. You can also get the forms you need there for a small fee or print them out and fill them in beforehand (PDF). Photos are 150 baht, forms 5 baht and copies 3 baht. If you’re doing a same day pickup, you’ll also need your flight itinerary printed out, but otherwise it’s unnecessary.
I was advised to arrive by 8 to avoid the queue, which I did, but I’m not sure I’d do it the same the next time around. Afterwards I talked with a guy in need of a same day Visa who showed up at 11 to no line and was in and out very quickly. In comparison, I showed up at 8:15, waited until they opened at 9 and then waited longer in the queue, not finishing up until 10. It was a long morning. If the Myanmar Embassy is not capping the number of Visas it’s issuing on a daily basis, than I’d suggest showing up later in the day and actually avoiding the early rush.
Getting the Visa
Prices are 1260 baht for same day pickup, 1035 for next day, and 810 for two day. Pickup is between 3:30 and 4:30 on whichever day you specified and doesn’t take long at all. A guy I met in line said that if I had to catch a flight at 7 I’d be fine, although I do not recommend cutting it that close.
Thanks for this very useful post. I’ll be traveling in South East Asia next year and I’m planning to visit Myanmar. This provides me with all the info I need 🙂
No problem Michelle. Make sure to stay up to date as things are changing rapidly in regards to Myanmar. Good luck on your trip and have a blast!
Thanks heaps, I’m going back to Myanmar for the second time this year and thought they’d introduced VOA, but it appears not and I’m probably too late to send my application to Canberra (as we have no embassy here in NZ). However I got a spare couple fo days in Bangkok and we’re staying by Chong Nonsi so this is perfect!
I’ve heard about VOA for business travelers but not for tourists at this point. Either way, you can grab it easily in Bangkok. Good luck!
The ‘arrive late’ advice looks good to me. And when you go for the afternoon collection of the visa, don’t bother getting there in advance of opening. The line was way shorter when I came out which was about halfway through the one hour visa collection period.
Also take note of the ‘Collection Window’ number stamped on the receipt they give you for your passport when you leave it with them on day 1. There are 4 windows – all issuing different types of visa (regular tourist; business; Thai national; Same Day tourist. Once the line squeezes through the outer door, you’ll see which separate line you need to join.
Thanks for the added advice Simon. Every bit is useful
I will be traveling to Myanmar next week (well, I bought the plane tix, just need the visa) with my 3 children. Husband will join us in Thailand after our Myanmar segment. I am also getting and bringing a notarized letter stating his permission to allow our kids to travel without him.) I could either apply now with an on-line agency to the tune of $350, or do the same day application at the Myanmar Embassy in Bangkok for a total of $165. I arrive in BKK next Wed. Jan. 16 and the Myanmar plane tix are for the morning of Jan. 18. I’ve been to Thailand 3 times (we live in China, so it’s not far), so I think I can do what still does like a little bit tricky navigating to get to the embassy early (and return for pick-up). I think I’ll go for that option instead of 11:00 a.m., just because I’ll keep my vibe chill with all the waiting and put in that extra work, hoping that it pays off in a good ol’ set of visas – haha!
I will be traveling to Myanmar next week (well, I bought the plane tix, just need the visa) with my 3 children. Husband will join us in Thailand after our Myanmar segment. I am also getting and bringing a notarized letter stating his permission to allow our kids to travel without him.) I could either apply now with an on-line agency to the tune of $350, or do the same day application at the Myanmar Embassy in Bangkok for a total of $165 (we are traveling on a budget!).
I arrive in BKK next Wed. Jan. 16 and the Myanmar plane tix are for the morning of Jan. 18. I’ve been to Thailand 3 times (we live in China, so it’s not far), so I think I can do what still does like a little bit tricky navigating to get to the embassy early (and return for pick-up). I think I’ll go for that option instead of 11:00 a.m., just because I’ll keep my vibe chill with all the waiting and put in that extra work, hoping that it pays off in a good ol’ set of visas – haha! Thanks for this reassuring, informative post.
No problem Jane. That’s sounds like the best option. Good luck!
You dont need a airplane ticket then?? Im ging to Myanmar in two weeks, and Im travelling to Bangkok tomorrow
Obviously, if you have your flight booked than it wouldn’t hurt to bring the itinerary, but I did not bring mine nor was I asked to.
The posts on this forum have been really useful so we just wanted to add our recent experience of getting a Myanmar visa in Bangkok.
We decided to risk the queue and went to the office at 10am. There were approximately 30 people in the queue outside of the building and it took us just over an hour to reach the front.
Application forms were available from counter 4 so if you already have your photographs and copy of your passport then there is no need to go to the copy shop and pay the 5 baht as we did! Just go inside and get your form and then join the back of the queue.
Once at the counter the process was quick and easy. Just handed over the forms and paid our fee (810 baht 2 days, ? 1 day, ? same day). They want to see proof of a flight for a same day express application.
Collecting the visa was even easier. The office is open 3.30-4.30. We turned up at 3.30 and walked straight in, collected our visa and were out in 2 minutes.
Overall a really straightforward and organised process.
In addition to the visa we just wanted to share some information about changing baht into US dollars. We used Super Rich (www.superrich1965.com) as they had a good exchange rate, they deal soley in currency exchange and they have a few branches around Bangkok. We had to go the main branch near Central Mall (5 minutes walk to the nearest BST) as the branch near the Myanmar Embassy didn’t have suitable dollars. Again a very straight forward process. Take a number from the front desk and wait your turn. You pay 10 satang per dollar extra for pristine notes for Myanmar/Indonesia. They were fully aware of the requirements. They are also open on a Saturday.
One last thing. To avoid the 150 baht fee to take out money at ATMs find an AEON ATM. They are usually located in Tesco Lotus and there is also one in a supermarket near Khao San Road. You can google it and there’s a youtube video that shows you where it is!
Wow! Thanks for the updated information Graham. This will be very helpful
I would like to fill in the application form in advance. Is that possible? If yes, do you know where I can get it from in the web?
You can fill out the form in advance. The only problem is getting a hold of one. I’m not aware of anywhere they are available online for download. I got mine from the little shop down the street.
Hi! I was wondering which hostel you stayed at in Bangkok? You mentioned it was close to the embassy.. If so, what was the name and do you recommend it?
Thanks
I actually staying in a few different hostels in the Silom area. Lub d Silom is the nicest and most social but it’s also the most expensive. For a little less, WE Bangkok is a great hostel with lots of services and lots of good street food nearby. Finally, I stayed YHA Bangkok Downtown which is a much more simple hostel but meets the basic needs. Hope that helps!
Great post with very accurate information. Helped to make this painless, and I spent less than 40 mins in the embassy all up. Even managed to get to the Vietnam embassy and drop my passport in there too – 2 visas in 2 days! Thanks!!
Nice, glad to help. Happy travels Mike!
Hey Phil,
I just discovered this website – as I saw your ideas and reasons for quitting your job I felt like you could have been reading my mind! I am quitting my job as a fashion slave, working in the relentless industry in London, and leaving for Asia in Sept. I’m starting in Japan then working my way down through SE East. At first I was going to try and be really organised and arrange my visas for Vietnam and Myanmar in London before I leave, but the more I’ve looked into it it seems getting them whilst you’re away is the easier and cheaper option – would you agree?
I also have 2 questions for you if you would be so kind to help… My plan is to go Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, (back to Bangkok to get flight to Myanmar… as the flights seem cheaper than from Vietnam) then back to Thailand as I have some family who’ll be in the country at that point. – places in that order.
1. Is it possible to keep re-entering Thailand on the standard tourist visa? I heard that its ok as long as you don’t stay for more than 90 days total within a 6 month period?
2. If I get the visa for Myanmar in Bangkok BEFORE I go to Vietnam will it still be valid? Its just I won’t be hanging around in Bangkok for long enough to do it when I return from Vietnam…
Hey Caroline!
Your trip sounds like a blast. I want to join you haha. If you like to have every detail planned out beforehand, you can get your Visas early, but I’d just wait until you get over there. It’s really not that bad.
I was in Thailand on four different occasions and never had a problem. I also ran into a guy would has been renewing his two week visa for something like 7 years so they’re obviously not that strict about it.
If I remember correctly, your Myanmar visa is good for 90 days from the time it’s issued so as long as you’re not in Vietnam for that amount of time, you should be fine.
Good luck!
I am planning a last minute trip to Myanmar – I am working in India and have 9 days off.
Has anyone in the last 2 weeks gotten a visa? I have heard that some people have been rejected due to riots and killings…
If you had 5 days in Myanmar, what would you do?
Cheers,
Brad
Five days definitely isn’t much time. I think Yangon and Bagan are musts, but getting to Bagan and back will be tight if you want to take a bus. Flying is much more pricey but a lot faster.
Also, has anyone gotten the Visa on Arrival?
This appears to be a link to the application as of July 2013. http://www.myanmarembassybkk.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/APPLICATION-FOR-ENTRY-TOURIST-VISA.pdf
Surprised you don’t need an air ticket – but on the other hand that makes a lot of sense – don’t want to get your air ticket only to find out your Visa is denied for some reason.
Thanks for the link Shane. I’ve added it to the body of the post
So….has anyone recently tried to get a meditation visa in BKK? And if so how ling did that take? I need to get one in Bangkok but am concerned that it may take a long time…
Hi Phil,
I will try to get a Myanmar express 1-day visa next week in Bangkok, but I have only my Yangon flight ticket. Do I need to show a round-ticket, or would it be ok just one way? Many thanks!
Hey Muge,
I never got the express Visa but when I was there they made it sound like you needed to show the full round trip ticket. Good luck!
As an alternative, we used an agent in Rambuttri village TM Travel just 2 weeks ago.
She was brilliant.
We paid her 100 baht for the service (cheaper than taxis back and forth to the embassy) and it was delivered back to our hotel exactly when she said it would be.
My partner had the 1 day service and I opted for the 5 day as I was staying on in Bangkok a bit longer than he was.
We filled in the paperwork in her office, and supplied 1 photo with a white background
Easy.
No queues, no running around, no hassle, no stress
We had heard rumours that it couldn’t be done through agents but this proved the rumours wrong.
I would recommend doing it this way
Great alternate option. Sounds like you can save a lot of hassle. Thanks for sharing