Entering Myanmar from Mae Sot

[cmsally]

Does anyone know if you can enter Myanmar at Mae Sot crossing and make onward travel from there through the country. Visa on arrival or need to get visa ahead ?

[troglodyke]

before the there were reports of this being possible but i think you might need a bkk issued Myanmar visa . try a search of the forum.

[stickylies]

u can travel onwards with VISA. nice part of the country. kawkareik, hpa'an, moulmein, etc

loads of Karen and Mon.

[1FinickyOne]

Last time i asked, maybe a couple of years ago and I do not think it has changed, at the border, after you walk across the bridge you can enter but just on a day pass - so, no to onward travel.

[ghworker2010]

try lonely planet forum

[Kasset Tak]

I wanted to use Mae Sod for a border run earlier this year (problem with documents and living in Tak so I just needed the time to get new documents) but they told me that I could not enter Myanmar without a visa.

[jacko45k]

I wanted to use Mae Sod for a border run earlier this year (problem with documents and living in Tak so I just needed the time to get new documents) but they told me that I could not enter Myanmar without a visa.

As also said above, I did enter there but it was only a day pass and valid for the town on the Burmese side. Beware this is a rather old experience.

[gregk0543]

You will need a visa from bangkok. Can enter from 4 land routes into myanmar. I have been in there that way.

The road from myawaddy to kawkareik is one way on alternating days. So you may have to spend a day waiting in myawaddy to be in sync. It is a great scenic bumpy route.

There are other posts about it made last year when the routes were opened.

[danglars]

what is the current max stay possible for non-business type activities these days.? then border run to bkk for new visa? is this type of precarious resident arrangement feasible?

is it possible/feasible to do land visa runs to kunming?

perhaps just stay on the thai border or chinese border inside myanmar?

Edited June 19, 2014 by danglars

[onthemoon]

I wanted to use Mae Sod for a border run earlier this year (problem with documents and living in Tak so I just needed the time to get new documents) but they told me that I could not enter Myanmar without a visa.

That's new, thanks for the info. Last year, I still went to Mayawaddy on a day-pass.

[Kasset Tak]

I wanted to use Mae Sod for a border run earlier this year (problem with documents and living in Tak so I just needed the time to get new documents) but they told me that I could not enter Myanmar without a visa.

That's new, thanks for the info. Last year, I still went to Mayawaddy on a day-pass.

I checked Myanmars embassy web page about visa today because my college are planing a field trip to Myanmar and I could read that you can get the one day-pass at Mae Sod but as I said earlier, they said that I could not enter without a visa when I was there in the end of March!? So it leaves me a little perplexed!?!?

[onthemoon]

I wanted to use Mae Sod for a border run earlier this year (problem with documents and living in Tak so I just needed the time to get new documents) but they told me that I could not enter Myanmar without a visa.

That's new, thanks for the info. Last year, I still went to Mayawaddy on a day-pass.

I checked Myanmars embassy web page about visa today because my college are planing a field trip to Myanmar and I could read that you can get the one day-pass at Mae Sod but as I said earlier, they said that I could not enter without a visa when I was there in the end of March!? So it leaves me a little perplexed!?!?

The day-pass allows you to cross the border and go into Myawaddy only. For some reason, they do not consider this "entering" the country.

Sent from my A 8+ using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[Tomtomtom69]

Last time i asked, maybe a couple of years ago and I do not think it has changed, at the border, after you walk across the bridge you can enter but just on a day pass - so, no to onward travel.

A couple of years is a long time in Myanmar. Obviously you were to lazy to search the many news stories and trip reports on this very forum that confirm that 4 land borders with Thailand have opened. I have been across the Mae Sot border with a Myanmar visa 3 times, all late last year.

FYI the land borders opened on Aug 28, 2013 so it's been almost a year now. The bypass road is apparently nearing completion, meaning it will no longer be necessary to take the treacherous mountain pass between Myawady and Kawkareik, that BTW was closed to all traffic in both directions for about 3 weeks last July due to heavy rains that caused landslides (before the official opening of the land border to foreigners, although at the time foreigners that entered Myanmar by air were allowed to travel to Myawady and back though very few probably bothered knowing that a permit would have still be required to exit the country there that of course has now changed). Similarly, I believe the actual border crossing was also closed for a few days as the immigration checkpoint was inundated. This year the region is affected by an El Nino weather cycle so it should be a rather dry wet season by comparison. In any case the sooner the bypass road is open, the better as that will allow certain year-round travel on what is the most important overland route for trade and tourism between Myanmar and Thailand.

[Tomtomtom69]

what is the current max stay possible for non-business type activities these days.? then border run to bkk for new visa? is this type of precarious resident arrangement feasible?

is it possible/feasible to do land visa runs to kunming?

perhaps just stay on the thai border or chinese border inside myanmar?

Border runs to Kunming, not yet. The Muse/Ruili border has been reported as opening soon as early as October of last year, even on the news here. I remember a 107 FM broadcast about this back in October of last year but nothing has happened so far. If you fly out of the country or get a permit to enter/exit Myanmar there, no problem. Otherwise, visa runs from Myanmar to Thailand would need to be done overland crossing over at one of the 4 Thai-Myanmar crossings that have opened since last August last year.

[onthemoon]

Last time i asked, maybe a couple of years ago and I do not think it has changed, at the border, after you walk across the bridge you can enter but just on a day pass - so, no to onward travel.

A couple of years is a long time in Myanmar. Obviously you were to lazy to search the many news stories and trip reports on this very forum that confirm that 4 land borders with Thailand have opened. I have been across the Mae Sot border with a Myanmar visa 3 times, all late last year.

FYI the land borders opened on Aug 28, 2013 so it's been almost a year now. The bypass road is apparently nearing completion, meaning it will no longer be necessary to take the treacherous mountain pass between Myawady and Kawkareik, that BTW was closed to all traffic in both directions for about 3 weeks last July due to heavy rains that caused landslides (before the official opening of the land border to foreigners, although at the time foreigners that entered Myanmar by air were allowed to travel to Myawady and back though very few probably bothered knowing that a permit would have still be required to exit the country there that of course has now changed). Similarly, I believe the actual border crossing was also closed for a few days as the immigration checkpoint was inundated. This year the region is affected by an El Nino weather cycle so it should be a rather dry wet season by comparison. In any case the sooner the bypass road is open, the better as that will allow certain year-round travel on what is the most important overland route for trade and tourism between Myanmar and Thailand.

There are two questions here:

1.) Do you need a visa from Bangkok in order to cross into the country at Myawaddy and go to, for example, Yangon? - I believe you do, I believe there is no visa-on-arrival at the land border.

2.) Is a day-pass without visa still possible? - I haven't heard that this options was cancelled.

Good to hear that the bypass is almost finished. From a personal POV, I still want to take the old an adventurous road, before it is opened, though. My multiple-entry business visa is still good until October, so I hope I'll find the time.

[oldsailor35]

Are there any restrictions to me driving my Thai registered car from Mae Sot to Yangon

[SeaVisionBurma]

Are there any restrictions to me driving my Thai registered car from Mae Sot to Yangon

Yes, and a lot of prior preparation and applications are required to do this.

Suggest you read this topic in the Myanmar Travel forum:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/542813-driving-own-car-in-burma/

[Ace of Pop]

When we sent Lo Loaders over the border with a Thai driver, they had to have a fluent English speaker with them.Not just pigeon english,they were adamant for some reason.

[score keeper]

what is the current max stay possible for non-business type activities these days.? then border run to bkk for new visa? is this type of precarious resident arrangement feasible?

is it possible/feasible to do land visa runs to kunming?

perhaps just stay on the thai border or chinese border inside myanmar?

Border runs to Kunming, not yet. The Muse/Ruili border has been reported as opening soon as early as October of last year, even on the news here. I remember a 107 FM broadcast about this back in October of last year but nothing has happened so far. If you fly out of the country or get a permit to enter/exit Myanmar there, no problem. Otherwise, visa runs from Myanmar to Thailand would need to be done overland crossing over at one of the 4 Thai-Myanmar crossings that have opened since last August last year.

yes but how often do you need to go out of Myanmar? any sort of visa extension possible in the Myanmar border towns without having to travell further inland? or extension at which major inside cities possible? trying to figure how much travelling is absolutely required in a year? perhaps some cost figures too.

Edited July 9, 2014 by score keeper

[SeaVisionBurma]

yes but how often do you need to go out of Myanmar? any sort of visa extension possible in the Myanmar border towns without having to travell further inland? or extension at which major inside cities possible? trying to figure how much travelling is absolutely required in a year? perhaps some cost figures too.

Start a new topic please with the above questions

[Tomtomtom69]

Last time i asked, maybe a couple of years ago and I do not think it has changed, at the border, after you walk across the bridge you can enter but just on a day pass - so, no to onward travel.

A couple of years is a long time in Myanmar. Obviously you were to lazy to search the many news stories and trip reports on this very forum that confirm that 4 land borders with Thailand have opened. I have been across the Mae Sot border with a Myanmar visa 3 times, all late last year.

FYI the land borders opened on Aug 28, 2013 so it's been almost a year now. The bypass road is apparently nearing completion, meaning it will no longer be necessary to take the treacherous mountain pass between Myawady and Kawkareik, that BTW was closed to all traffic in both directions for about 3 weeks last July due to heavy rains that caused landslides (before the official opening of the land border to foreigners, although at the time foreigners that entered Myanmar by air were allowed to travel to Myawady and back though very few probably bothered knowing that a permit would have still be required to exit the country there that of course has now changed). Similarly, I believe the actual border crossing was also closed for a few days as the immigration checkpoint was inundated. This year the region is affected by an El Nino weather cycle so it should be a rather dry wet season by comparison. In any case the sooner the bypass road is open, the better as that will allow certain year-round travel on what is the most important overland route for trade and tourism between Myanmar and Thailand.

There are two questions here:

1.) Do you need a visa from Bangkok in order to cross into the country at Myawaddy and go to, for example, Yangon? - I believe you do, I believe there is no visa-on-arrival at the land border.

2.) Is a day-pass without visa still possible? - I haven't heard that this options was cancelled.

Good to hear that the bypass is almost finished. From a personal POV, I still want to take the old an adventurous road, before it is opened, though. My multiple-entry business visa is still good until October, so I hope I'll find the time.

1) yes

2) neither have I but Myanmar recently cancelled the visa on arrival at Htee Khee, opposite Phu Nam Ron in Kanchanaburi province, now necessitating a visa to enter there. There is a small chance they may do the same at Myawady. i would therefore recommend arriving with a full visa.