Entry/Exit formalities
Entry
Assuming you have the necessary visa (see Travel Information section), entry
into Myanmar is much the same as anywhere else – but perhaps a little slower!
One piece of advice might help to speed up your passage through the arrival hall
and that is to arrive with hand baggage only.
Currently the first thing that happens on arrival is a health check. Since the
advent of SARS (of which there was not a single reported case in Myanmar)
passengers have been asked to fill out a health form and have their temperature
checked. Note that the authorities may visit you at your hotel for further
checks if something on the form gives them cause for concern, e.g. you have just
travelled from Beijing! While on the subject, the Myanmar authorities have
declared that all suspected SARS cases will be isolated in a special isolation
facility. Note that health care in Myanmar generally lags far behind most other
Asian countries.
There are two sets of paperwork to complete when entering Myanmar. One is the
normal arrival card; the other is the Customs Declaration. On the Customs
Declaration you should list all items of jewellery, electrical goods, laptop
computers and such like that you intend taking back out with you. If you are
carrying a mobile telephone, you are expected to declare it and you may be
requested to leave it the safe keeping of the Customs for collection on your
departure. Mobile phones do not work in Myanmar anyway so it may be best to just
leave it at home.
Assuming that you make it through the Health checks to the Immigration desk, you
will queue while three or four individuals shuffle the required paperwork and
stamp your passport with your entry stamp. The immigration authorities have
recently installed new computerised facilities but this does not seem to have
done anything to speed up the process. Note that there is little consistency
regarding the issue of visas from the various Myanmar embassies around the world
and standard practice in one embassy may be anathema to another. In any case the
length of the “stay period” issued on arrival is subject to the decree of the
Immigration Officer on duty and the fact that a particular “stay period” may
have been specified on your visa offers no guarantee that the same stay period
will be granted by Immigration on arrival.
After you clear Immigration someone will check your passport and will direct you
to a desk where you will be asked to change US$200 into FECs unless you had a
visa that exempts you from this process (see Money section). It is rumoured that
a suitable present may occasionally elicit a relaxation of this requirement but
let’s face it – you will probably spend the money anyway!
As you wait in the baggage reclaim area, you can browse through the three small
duty free shops – basically they sell a very limited selection of booze and fags
but they are reasonably cheap although you will need US Dollars to purchase
anything. Baggage reclaim can seem to take an eternity. Baggage is offloaded by
hand and every piece is x-rayed. It can often take 45 minutes before the baggage
starts to arrive in the hall. Hence the advice to arrive with hand carry only,
if at all possible.
You can expect to be requested to open some or all of your baggage as you come
through Customs even if you go through the Green Channel. Note that if there is
a white chalk cross on your checked baggage, it will invariably be inspected
because it indicates that something showed up on the x-ray, e.g. electrical
goods, telephone, fax machine, etc.
Now that you have been allowed to enter Myanmar, all you need to do is negotiate
your way past the taxi drivers and porters waiting to take your baggage the five
metres to the door of the building. It’s probably a good idea to arrange a
pick-up by your hotel since taxi drivers rarely speak English.
Departure Formalities
If the length of your visit to Myanmar is likely to take longer than the length
of the “stay period” issued by immigration on arrival, a “stay extension” permit
will be required and should be applied for as soon as practicably possible. Stay
extensions are generally issued for periods of a month and sometimes longer. Any
individual who remains in the country in excess of 30 days (no matter what
length of “stay period” was issued on arrival or what stay extensions were
subsequently granted) is required to obtain an “Exit Permit” (otherwise known as
a “D” Form) in advance of departure. The normal processing time is three days
and you will require two passport photographs. In cases of emergency, this exit
permit may be applied for and obtained at the airport. Please note that this
course of action generally proves to be time consuming and occasionally fraught
with difficulties – it is not unusual for formalities to be incomplete by
departure time, resulting in a missed flight. Departure after a stay of less
than 30 days is relatively straightforward.
Note that you should arrive at the airport at least one hour before flight
departure. Although Yangon is a small airport without much traffic, check-in
facilities and immigration usually close their desks 45 minutes before the
scheduled departure time of the flight – whether or not there are confirmed
passenger waiting. You will need to pay a departure tax of US$ 10 (or 10 FEC if
you still have them when you leave) at the check-in desk. You will then pass
through immigration and will proceed to customs where you should expect to show
all the items you declared upon arrival.
There are a couple of small duty free shops in the departure area selling some
tired souvenirs and the usual booze and fags. Again these are not expensive.
There isn’t much to occupy you in the departure area and, unless you are flying
business class and have access to a small cramped room, there are no food and
drink outlets. So bring a good book to read!
Bon voyage and I hope you all had a good time!!
Travel Advisories
Various foreign governments issue travel advisories for their citizens who might
wish to visit Myanmar. These are usually updated periodically and they reflect
the latest governmental concerns. As such, there may be some discrepancies
between the advice given by various countries although that may be as much to do
with their individual political stance towards Myanmar as anything else. However
most of the advice tends to be of a sound practical nature. Note that many
countries will request their citizens to register with their embassy in Yangon
and this precaution is probably worthwhile if you intend to stay for an extended
holiday. Note that consular services may be non existent for some nationalities
or may have to be obtained through an embassy of a country other than their own
where such agreements are in place.