India shares more than 1600 kilometres of border with Myanmar. It is said there are few checkpoints on the border used for crossing by the citizens of both the countries. Although Moreh-Tamu border checkpost is the only place where international tourists are allowed to cross. Moreh is a small town in the Indian territory and Tamu is in Myanmar. Although overland crossing of the India-Myanmar border from Moreh is not promoted by the Burmese embassy. They always recommend entering Myanmar by air. This is what I experienced while getting a visa for Myanmar in 2015.
Documents required to get Myanmar visa from India
- Filled up application form (Get it from the official website – http://myanmedelhi.com/visa/)
- Confirmed round trip flight tickets
- Confirmed hotel bookings
- Two photographs (Size 1½ x 2 inches, white colour background)
- Passport, in original [with 6 months validity ]
- Passport copy
- Visa fees – 2,800 INR, Only Demand draft acceptedTo get’ e-Visa’, Please visit Website Address: evisa.moip.gov.mm
Indians do not need a visa to visit Myanmar
Indians and Burmese citizens can cross the border without a visa. But this facility is available only for a day. Also, visitors have access only upto the nearest town, i.e. Moreh in India and Tamu in Myanmar. Visitors need to get a special permission which is very easy to obtain from the border checkpost. Watch this video to know How I crossed the India-Myanmar border to visit Tamu from Moreh for a day trip. This video was made in early 2015.
My experience: Crossing India-Myanmar border from Moreh
I attempted a trip to Myanmar in early 2015. Although I couldn’t enter Myanmar despite having a valid visa. The officials at the immigration office at the Moreh-Tamu border checkpost said that I was supposed to get a special permit called MTT. But there is no mention about such permit on the official website of the Myanmar embassy, New Delhi.
While planning this trip I came to know about this permit through information available on the internet. I called up the Embassy and emailed the officials of Tourism Ministry in Myanmar to get a confirmation on this matter. But none of them was answered. So I just tried my luck and started my journey. As anticipated, after reaching the border the officials checked my passport and visa. They were Ok with that. Then they denied entry when I couldn’t produce the so-called permit.
What is MTT permit
According to the information provided on the internet, MTT permit is needed to be produced while entering or exiting from Myanmar. MTT Permit can be obtained only through particular travel agencies based in Myanmar. They charge almost 100 USD to arrange for a permit. But to me, this seemed a little fishy. As there is no mention about this permit on the official platforms of the Government of Myanmar, it looks like a ‘scandal’ which involves few private travel agencies and probably some government officials.
MTT Permit Myanmar
I did not want to start my trip with promoting this act of corruption. So I dropped my plan to visit Myanmar. Although I visited Tamu on the next day.
Documents required to cross India-Myanmar border overland
- Valid Visa
- A Special permit called MTT (No official confirmation)
Contact address of Myanmar Embassy in India
3/50F, Nyaya Marg, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi 110021. Phone: +91 11 24678822, +91 11 24678823. Email: [email protected]