Burma forum

It's been almost 3 weeks now...and I'm going away on 21/12. With post working as they do, I'm really worried now. I emailed them and they got back to me with a very unhelpful email, saying that 'my turn will be soon'.
Should I go there and inquiry in person?
no on picks up phones there....What should i do??

This is standard operating procedure for Burmese embassies. We are travelling tomorrow (Dec 17), sent our passports and visa applications to the embassy in Canberra, Australia, on October 18 and received them back two weeks ago (6 weeks of processing). During that period we were unable to get a telephone call or email answered despite repeated attempts, and this seems to be the case with Myanmar embassies everywhere.

We resorted to contacting our national Department of Foreign Affairs, as we needed our passports urgently for a flight to assist one of our sons who had been injured in Thailand (another story). DFAT told me the backlog of visa applications at Myanmar's Canberra embassy was more than 1600 from a smallish population such as Australia, due to recent travel demand.

The visas do apparently get out a couple of weeks ahead of the departure date, but the processing is also complicated by the fact the Myanmar republic won't issue tourist visas more than 90 days ahead of departure, and they're only good for 28 days from date of arrival in Myanmar.

It's all very bureaucratic. Good luck.

Hi Joanna,

Jeez, they're cutting it mighty fine. I take it there's no update on Royal Mail Tracking then?

Fingers crossed...........!!

I've crossed my toes too.......!!

Where should I start?
So, I went there yesterday. Because I'd already sent the papers etc, I could actually skip the queue. The lady then asked me about my name and she said that she thought she'd seen my passport somewhere, but wasn't sure. She said she was 90% sure that she'd sent it in the morning. OMG! I thought I'd fall down! They don't have a log of passports, nothing.
So, I came back and checked the royal mail and she actually had sent it.
The passport came in this morning. Unfortunately, I wasn't at home and my husband signed for it. He didn't open it (why would he?!) and just tried to feel through the envelope if there were 2 or 1 passports. he said he thinks that there was only 1. So, now I'm sitting at work, biting off my finger nails and trying not to stress.
One hour to go!

He's not at home, so I need to wait until I get in and check it myself.
It's not very clever of him not to open it and then inform me that there might be something missing inside! This will probably cause a small argument.
Anyway, you're lucky. You should get it on time.I heard they don't give out visas until the very last moment, so I'll keep my fingers crossed for you too.

Thanks
So, I've got my passport, but my sister's passport is missing! Another visit to the embassy awaits tomorrow!

Well, it depends.
I think I did a wrong thing, and assumed that they will keep both of the passports together.
Thing is that my sis lives in Poland and on the application form we put her address there. I put my London one on mine and we sent a return envelope with my contact details.
I think (and I really, really hope) that they just separated the two passports, matched mine with the envelope and didn't know where to send my sister's, so they're keeping it and waiting for her to turn up and collect it.

Maybe I'm just unlucky...
I read TripAdvisor, but don't use it as a member. Why?

Good idea! Yes, you can.
I'll let you know how tomorrow goes.
Fingers crossed it will be fine.

Ok, so I got it back! Finally, the drama is over!
By the way, if you ever want to steal someone's identity, go to the Burmese embassy. They give passports away.
I explained to the guy why I was there and he gave me my sister's passport back without any further questions. Nothing!It's quite scary!

Thank you! I will keep my fingers crossed for you!

Wow what a tense post!

Is the visa valid for 3 months from date of issue? I'm going in May but getting to South East Asia 27th March and going through Vietnam & Cambodia first then planning on flying from Siem Reap. So im not sure If i should get the visa here first or get it in Phnom Penh which I've read is possible to do but would prefer to do here (London) if possible.

Have a great trip!

I read on different websites (like Mizzima) that in the last months Myanmar/Burma issued visa on arrival at the airport... does anybody know if it's true or not? If anybody had the experience to enter the country getting a visa on arrival or found an official communication, please share the news! Thank you.

Hi ilariaopaque,
No VOA for tourists. Websites that 'advertise' VOA are actually pre-arranging a Visa for you for a hefty fee. Your better off sorting it out yourself.

Lost vagabond, yes, timing is of the essence, but you'd have plenty of time. If you got your Visa stamp on the 25th March (for example) you'd have till the 25th June to enter Burma before the Visa Stamp expired.

Thank you for the replies! Articles on Newspapers confused me. I already had a positive experience at the Burmese Embassy in Bangkok, so I will repeat it.