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visa run burma


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I just came to and back from the closest Burma land crossing. They do not have "visa on arrival" so you will need to get your visa at the Myanmar embassy in Bangkok. That itself is a colossal hassle. The line begins forming well before the 9 am open time, and at 11 they just lock the gate. Tough luck if you did not get in line early enough. The border crossing is very easy to find. It's 66 Km outside of Katchnaburi. The Thai immigration is set up with two modular containers and they are fully linked to the computer immigration system. I drove my motorcycle up there and as soon as I had my departure stamp they just let me through. You will drive for 2 kilometers or so in a kind of no mans land. You will pass an army outpost as well as a Myanmar police outpost. Neither of them will care one bit and just wave your through. You will then come to a military base and gas station of the KNLA (Karen Nation Liberation Army) They will be in full army fatigues and fully armed. They wont bother you at all and you can get gas if you like. A half kilometer or so past them in the Burmese immigration. They were helpful and nice actually. You can catch a van into Burma and that will cost you 1,000 THB. The 160KM trip will take 6-12 hours depending on the traffic and condition of the temporary bridges. You will pass many KNU and KNLA check points, and you again have nothing to fear from them. Very few foreigners are going through this check point at this time. You really need to have your own transportation to use this crossing. Don't be alarmed when the beautifully paved Thai road instantly turns into a pretty nasty dirt road. I was in Burma one week and stored my motorcycle in a KNLA military outpost 2 KM in from the Burma official crossing.

One thing I have to say is that everyone will bend over backwards to be helpful to you at this crossing. It's not really feasible unless you have your own transportation, but I recommend it if you can use a visa agency to get your visa for you hassle free.

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