369DIRECTORY A–ZTRAVELLERS WITH DISABILITIES^of Hotels & Tourism and the
main ‘tourist information’
service in the country. Those
who want to avoid using
government services should
avoid the tours and services
off ered here, including train
or plane ticket sales. MTT
offi ces are located in Yangon,
Mandalay, New Bagan and
Inle Lake. Other than at Yan-
gon, these offi ces are pretty
quiet, and often the staff
have sketchy knowledge on
restricted areas. There are no
MTT offi ces abroad.
Much of the tourist indus-
try in Myanmar is now priva-
tised. Travellers who want to
arrange a driver, or have hotel
reservations awaiting them,
would do well to arrange a trip
with the help of private travel
agents in Yangon. Many Myan-
mar ‘travel agents’ outside
Yangon only sell air tickets.
Travellers with
Disabilities
With its lack of paved roads
or footpaths (even when
present the latter are often
uneven), Myanmar presents
many physical obstacles
for the mobility-impaired.
Rarely do public buildings
(or transport) feature ramps
or other access points for
wheelchairs, and hotels
make inconsistent eff orts to
provide access for the dis-
abled (exceptions include the
Strand Hotel and the Traders
Hotel in Yangon, which both
have some ramping).
For wheelchair travellers,
any trip to Myanmar will re-
quire a good deal of planning.
Before setting off , get in touch
with your national support
organisation (preferably with
the travel offi cer, if there is
one). Also try the following:
Accessible Journeys
(%800-846 4537; http://www.dis
abilitytravel.com) In the US.
Mobility International
USA (%541-343 1284; http://www.
miusa.org) In the US.
Nican (%02-6241 1220; http://www.
nican.com.au) In Australia.
Tourism for All (%0845 124
9971; http://www.tourismforall.org.uk)
In the UK.Visas
All nationalities require a visa
to visit Myanmar, and to get
one your passport must be
valid for six months beyond
the date of your arrival.
See p 375 for more infor-
mation on entering Myan-
mar overland from Thailand
or China, including details of
short-term visas (with very
limited access to Myanmar)
available at the borders.
Special permission is re-
quired to leave the country
overland from Tachileik to
Thailand.
Note that Myanmar
doesn’t recognise dual
nationalities.Applications
Don’t apply too early, as all
visas are valid for up to three
months from the date of
issue. However, don’t leave it
till the last minute either, as
most embassies and consul-
ates need at least two weeks
to process an application.
Starting the process a month
in advance is the safe bet.
There are slight diff erenc-
es between the applicationprocedures at Myanmar em-
bassies in diff erent countries.
Some require two forms to
be fi lled out – the general
application and a work his-
tory form – others just the
general application. Some
require two passport photos,
others only one. Postal ap-
plications are usually OK, but
it’s best to check fi rst with
your nearest embassy about
its specifi c application rules.
It’s best to proceed on the
assumption that embassies
will scrupulously check the
background of anyone ap-
plying for a tourist visa. It’s
unwise to list your occupa-
tion as any of the following:
journalist, photographer,
editor, publisher, motion-
picture director or producer,
cameraperson, videographer
or writer. Of course, plenty
of media professionals (even
high-profi le ones) do get into
the country – usually by de-
claring a diff erent profession
on the visa application; we’ve
found ‘consultant’ works.
Myanmar foreign mis-
sions may also be suspicious
of anyone whose passport
shows two or more previous
visits to Myanmar in a fi ve-
year period. Obviously the
government can’t believe
anyone would want to visit
Myanmar more than onceVISA FEESThe vast majority of visitors should apply for a tourist
visa. Former Myanmar citizens and their blood relatives
are eligible for ‘Social’ visas, which can be extended at
the Immigration Department in Yangon for $36 for up
to six months. The following table lists fees, which are
converted into local currency depending on which em-
bassy you apply at.VISA TYPE FEE VALIDITY OF VISA
tourist (single entry) $20 28 days
social (single entry) $30 28 days
social (multiple entry) $150 6 months
work (single entry) $30 10 weeks
work (multiple entry) $150 10 weeks
meditation (single entry) $30 3 months