I was just about to snail mail my visa application to the Myanmar Embassy in Washington D.C. until I realized that one of their permanent missions/consulates in NYC was only 2 blocks away from me. AWESOME. Thinking it was going to be a simple endeavor, I walked over and attempted to get it done right then and there. Unfortunately they made me take 3 trips back and forth. There are a few rules they stand by:
- You must attach a outgoing ticket that proves that you won’t indefinitely stay in the country. Seeing that I usually don’t buy my tickets until the last moment on these kind of trips, I asked if I could instead attach an itinerary typed up on Excel that showed I wasn’t planning to stay longer than 7 days. That sufficed.
- For U.S. citizens, it’s a mere $20 (“mere” when you compare it to India’s $130+, Vietnam’s $100+, or China’s $160+), but they only take money orders or secured bank checks. Despite the relatively low visa cost, cash, personal checks, or plastics are not allowed.
- Even if it’s just one application form, they want 2 passport-sized photos of your lovely face.
- You need to bring the entire application, including the instructional cover sheet (because of which I had to walk back home again and print it out!).
- You have to fill out a completed work history form to show you’re not a human rights activist or journalist. I was also told that they’ll Google me to see if I was legit. No joke.
And I guess since it’s the Myanmar consulate, it was funny to see so many surprised looks when I walked in. Apparently they don’t get a lot of visitors desperate to get into their country.- At time of posting in NYC, it was 60.8 °F -
Humidity: 41% | Wind Speed: 8km/hr | Cloud Cover: clear
Recent Comments