The Ministry of Hotel and Tourism has informed the travel and tour companies in Myanmar of the new regulations concerning Myanmar visa on arrival. Those tour and travel companies taking care of the Myanmar arrival visa were instructed to report to the Ministry of hotel and tourism as well as Ministry of immigration. The announcement, dated July 30, from the Ministry of hotel and tourism stated that tour companies must inform the two ministries at least six days in advanced before the arrival of the tourist.
The reason for this, according to the ministry announcement, is to check these tourists arriving on “Myanmar visa on arrival” with the lists of foreigners who are blacklisted by the immigration department. Those on the list of black listed foreigners will not get the arrival visa at the Yangon Airport and will be turned back, so tour and travel companies should not handle arrival visa to those foreigners whose status they cannot guarantee, said the ministry announcement.
Such a reporting to the immigration department was never done in the past, said one tour company to the Rangoon based The Voice Weekly journal, according to the journal report.
The order also said that the ‘Arrival Visa’ system has been introduced in order to make travelling to Burma easier and to provide maximum service to tourists. It is also to check that tour companies do not charge tourists extra for their services and prevent the companies from evading tax payment to the government, which is seven per cent.
“Tour agencies must understand that a country has the right to reject or welcome particular tourists, without giving any reason,” the order adds.
Apart from advanced reporting by the tour companies, other regulations concerning the foreign tourists remained the same, said the ministry announcement.
Source: The Voice Weekly Journal, Mizzima News
the French Consulate General in London
As from June the 1st 2009, nationals from Mauritius, Seychelles, Barbados, Bahamas, Antigua and Barbuda, Saint Christopher and Nevis are exempted from visa for stays up to 90 days in the Schengen States and the european territories of France. Visas are no more issued except if the destination of the travel is situated in a oversea territory of France or if the purpose of the travel in France is to have a paid activity.