What are the current border crossing requirements and procedures for entering Myanmar from Thailand via Tachilek?

Mar 8, 2023
2 years ago
Mai ********
ORIGINAL POSTER
Okay,update:

For going to Tachilek, Myanmar.

At the border ( Mea Sai) they warned me that at Birmese side they require proof of vaccines or negative test.

Because I didn’t have that and I’m not vaccinated they said to go to the hospital.

So I went ,it’s 1.9 km from the border on the right side.

Kasemrad hospital .

The test costed 250 Baht and took one hour.

A test done outside,a nurse in a cabin who sticks her hand through a long kind of plastic glove and squeezes a stick into your nose.

Then I went back to immigration.

They needed 1 copy and the Birmese side also needed one.

So I had to get out again and directly right of the immigration is a copy shop.

2 copies : 6 Baht.

Back to immigration they stamped my passport and let me go.

Crossed the bridge and was awaited by 2 nurses and 3 guys who needed my proof of vaccines or the negative test at some testing area.

So they took one copy.

Next they stopped me and asked how long I was going to stay.

I said one week and they showed me in a small office where they took my passport and printed a Burmese permit of stay.

They also took a picture which ended up in that Birmese “ pasport”.

It costed 500 Baht.

Then I went out and a bit further I had to show my Birmese “ pasport”..

It was a bit messy and they took my suitcase through some kind of x ray portal,like they have in airports.

They asked me to open my suitcase and looked a bit in it,and was free to go.

The last part there were police in front of their office who wanted to see my “passport “….

again!

I gave my Burmese one,and they asked for my real one.

To my big shock I couldn’t find it.

They must have kept it in the office,i said.

Oh yeah,no problem.

Pfffft.

Then in the end ,I was in Myanmar.

Took like half an hour from Thai to Birma maximum.

Mingelaba!
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TLDR : Answer Summary
The user shares their experience crossing the border from Thailand to Tachilek, Myanmar. They encountered requirements for vaccination proof or a negative Covid test, which led them to take a test at a nearby hospital costing 250 Baht. After receiving the test result, they also made copies of important documents for immigration. Upon crossing, they had to obtain a Burmese permit for a one-week stay for 500 Baht. The post includes details about the process at the border, pandemic-related restrictions, and interactions with Burmese officials.
Twiggy ******
Thanks for the detailed post.
Mai ********
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Twiggy *****
you are very welcome
Twiggy ******
🙏
Margriet **********
Thank you for your post! You still in Burma right now?
Paul *******
@Mai *******
OK, good to know that you've been able to confirm this. Just need to hire a guide, right?

Karen state is where I want to go for business reasons but I know that it's not feasible right now. They might allow foreigners to visit Myawaddy from the Thai side soon but even Hpa-an, the state capital is unsafe and foreigners aren't allowed to visit except with special permission. The last time this was the case was pre 2010. Throughout the 2010s, Hpa-an was safe and accessible. The Myawaddy-Kawkareik corridor opened up on August 28, 2013 when the land borders started accepting Myanmar visas and thus opened up overland travel into the interior of the country for the first time.
Paul *******
Didn't know there was kayaking in those parts of Myanmar. I think I know where you are. Is this the beach along the Mekong north of the dilapidated casino?
Paul *******
Have you been up to Kengtung on this trip? I think you can go now and I'd be curious to know the procedure.
Mai ********
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Paul ******
i didn't because family from Kiangtung and Mung La came here to Tachilek.

It's possible, same procedure as before.

Wouldn't go to Karen state now though....
Mai ********
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Margriet *********
Jazeker,yep.

Driving around and having fun
Richard ******************
Covid 19 its finish just read international news more country begin to understand
Paul *******
What do you mean? Myanmar still has Covid requirements in place but I read that they may be reviewed and possibly lifted by the end of this month.
Viki **********
Did you get a visa on arrival in Burma or you had an e-visa?
Mai ********
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Viki *********
a permit I got,on arrival.

Crossed the border,with a single entry from Thailand.

500 Baht only!
John *******
Latest member of the tin foil hat brigade has come to the surface
Paul *******
You mean yourself?
Mai ********
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Paul ******
not worth reacting…
Paul *******
@Mai *******
Can you provide us with more updates on your trip to Myanmar? You must be like the first westerner (or non-Thai foreigner for that matter) to visit Tachilek from Thailand since the end of major Covid restrictions.

I see cars are allowed to pass between the two countries; could you ask the Burmese side what documents they need? I know what's required from the Thai side already so no need to ask them.

Do drivers have to park their car in front of Burmese customs and then disembark from their vehicles, blocking the bridge? This is what it appears like to me, and that's how it's done at Myawaddy so I assume it's the same at Tachilek but just checking.
Mai ********
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Paul ******
I haven’t seen any foreigners yet,also not when I was at the Birmese immigration.

So I’m one of the first after the lockdown due to the pandemic.

Birmese can enter with their car into Thailand,it’s also a kind of permit that is 3000 Baht for them for 1 month.

As Thai or foreigner you must bring the book of your car and ask at customs for a permit.

If it’s not your car you need a copy of the owners ID and a written agreement that you can drive his or hers car.

It’s as polluted as chiangmai or the rest of s e Asia here.

But life is back in full swing and all is open.
Mai ********
ORIGINAL POSTER
Mai ********
ORIGINAL POSTER
Оливер *********
Why do you have a bright orange suitcase 🤔
Mai ********
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Оливер ********
I'm Dutch 😂
Riny ************
@Mai *******
Dat dacht ik al. 😄 Ik wilde ook een oranje koffer kopen, maar was niet beschikbaar in de maat die ik nodig had.
Оливер *********
@Mai *******
that makes sense👍😅
Ben ******
So fully vaccinated would have saved a lot of hassle.
Paul *******
@Lynnette ******
and you know this how? Millions of people have suffered side effects from these toxic shots. There have been thousands of different side effects recorded. It's not all heart issues, though those are the most widely reported on.
Yves *************
@Ben *****
But also you are in great danger when vaccinated fully, so I would prefer not ever to have taken this poison.
Yves *************
many thousands of people die from the after effects of this so called vaccines. But you go ahead and believe there are only a few side effects... in the end it will not change the truth.
Ben ******
Paul *******
@Ben *****
Not if you suffer a sudden heart attack and die. Moreover, a supervised Covid test, whereby you're the one doing the test over Skype or Zoom with a nurse or doctor in the US or somewhere else observing you then issuing a report, would have been an option. I did that to return to Thailand last August, when vaccination or testing was still a requirement. Easy peasy. Airline barely even looked at it and I was issued with my boarding pass.
Lynnette *******
@Paul ******
whats it got to do with heart attacks? Jeez, people still trawling out nonsense? Millions and millions vaccinated with less side effects than ( example ) the birth control pill.
Yves *************
@Lynnette ******
Many people die from Myokarditis or heart attacks because of these so called vaccines. The whole thing is a big scam, you are just writing what you write because you are vaccinated and don't want to hear the truth. For the next five years you are in great danger.
Lynnette *******
@Yves ************
I've no time for your nonsense. I have all the facts and medical information necessary to know when anti vax people are peddling misinformation. All because THEY don't want to be vaccinated and are desperate to try and stop others from being vaccinated.
John ******************
@Lynnette ******
I hope all liberals get vaccinated and several booster shots..

Don't listen to people advising you not to get vaccinated..
Yves *************
@John *****************
It would be extremely stupid to get vaccinated, only the sheep do and are the ones that die in this holocaust.
John ******************
@Yves ************
Please read again..I said "I hope all liberals....." I advise conservatives to avoid the jab...
Yves *************
John ******************
@Yves ************
take care and stay safe.
Yves *************
Yves *************
@Lynnette ******
,😂😂😂😂 you have all the information that THEY gave you. Priceless, how is someone like this sheep still out there?
Yves *************
@Lynnette ******
What a nonsense, just lie even longer to youself, you little sheep.
Mai ********
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Ben *****
not a lot of hassle,just a nose check,could have done it in chiangmai the day before but wasn’t sure what I needed.
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