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What is the process for a border run from Ranong to Kawthaung, Myanmar?
Ranong border runKawthaung border crossingMyanmar visa regulationsThai immigration processTM6 cardCivil unrest in MyanmarTravel safety in MyanmarRecent border crossing experiencesCOVID-19 vaccination requirementsOverland travel restrictions
Apr 30, 2023
3 years ago
Sascha **********
ORIGINAL POSTERFor the people that were asking about the Ranong - Kawthaung (Myanmar) border run, here’s my experience of today:
Arrived at the pier by car, were driving around slowly looking for a sign to confirm we were in the correct location and a parking spot. A guy knocked on my window, asked if we were going to Burma and we agreed then and there to go on his boat (THB500 return trip per person), he helped us park, make copies of our passports and guided us to immigration.
Stamped out, got on the boat, it stops at 2 additional checkpoints on the Thai side and one on the Myanmar side. Docked in front of immigration, had to pay US$10 plus THB100 (the $ has to be new and unfolded). We decided we wanted to have a look around town so immigration kept our passports (“pick them up on your way out”) and agreed an additional THB500 with the boat guy for his time waiting for us.
Walked around a bit, bought some refreshments using THB, no problem. After an hour went back, got our passports, went back by boat (stopping again at 2 out of 3 checkpoints).
Upon arrival in Ranong, you have to ‘buy’ a TM6 (arrival) card for THB100, fill it in and hand your passport to immigration. Got stamped in no questions asked (despite a gazillion stamps, (covid) extensions, etc) and off we went.
On the Myanmar side I asked some questions about staying/going further into the country, this is what they told me:
You can stay for up to 2 weeks, but are limited to a 20km radius from the immigration office.
You CAN go further into Myanmar, including the Mergui archipelago but only with a visa. At the moment there is no diving, only snorkeling possible. There is fighting ongoing about 60km from Kawthaung, so caution is required.
He also said a liveaboard boat has illegally entered the Mergui archipelago and was apprehended by the navy and is now chained there with 19 ppl on board.
Any questions, let me know!! 🙏🏼🙏🏼
Arrived at the pier by car, were driving around slowly looking for a sign to confirm we were in the correct location and a parking spot. A guy knocked on my window, asked if we were going to Burma and we agreed then and there to go on his boat (THB500 return trip per person), he helped us park, make copies of our passports and guided us to immigration.
Stamped out, got on the boat, it stops at 2 additional checkpoints on the Thai side and one on the Myanmar side. Docked in front of immigration, had to pay US$10 plus THB100 (the $ has to be new and unfolded). We decided we wanted to have a look around town so immigration kept our passports (“pick them up on your way out”) and agreed an additional THB500 with the boat guy for his time waiting for us.
Walked around a bit, bought some refreshments using THB, no problem. After an hour went back, got our passports, went back by boat (stopping again at 2 out of 3 checkpoints).
Upon arrival in Ranong, you have to ‘buy’ a TM6 (arrival) card for THB100, fill it in and hand your passport to immigration. Got stamped in no questions asked (despite a gazillion stamps, (covid) extensions, etc) and off we went.
On the Myanmar side I asked some questions about staying/going further into the country, this is what they told me:
You can stay for up to 2 weeks, but are limited to a 20km radius from the immigration office.
You CAN go further into Myanmar, including the Mergui archipelago but only with a visa. At the moment there is no diving, only snorkeling possible. There is fighting ongoing about 60km from Kawthaung, so caution is required.
He also said a liveaboard boat has illegally entered the Mergui archipelago and was apprehended by the navy and is now chained there with 19 ppl on board.
Any questions, let me know!! 🙏🏼🙏🏼
TLDR : Answer Summary
This post details a recent border run from Ranong, Thailand to Kawthaung, Myanmar, including the immigration procedures, costs involved (THB500 for the boat and other fees), and tips for travelers. The author highlights their experience with a local boat operator, the checks they encountered, prices for entry into Myanmar, and the regulations in place for staying in the country. Additional commentary in the comments discusses experiences with other border runs, traveling during civil unrest in Myanmar, and queries about COVID-19 requirements for travelers.
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Pascal *****
so today in june, border run in Ranong is possible?
Paul *******
@Asia ******
Yes it is.Reply to
Paul *******
Reply
Giorgio ******
thanks for sharing a clear info with real experienced details .
Lee **********
Hi, Did they ask for Covid vaccinations?
Sascha **********
ORIGINAL POSTER@Lee *********
nope they didn’tReply to
Sascha **********
Reply
Paul *******
Like mentioned in my post, I assume that if there's fighting 60km north of Kawthoung, land based travel is prohibited so if you arrive with a visa you must fly north from Kawthoung airport.
Only land border where you can travel by land (up to 160km north of the border) is Tachilek, from where you can reach Kengtung by road. Even there, further travel by road is restricted so to reach places further to the west, a domestic flight is required. This is not a coup specific rule, in fact, it's always been this way going back years.
Whereas, since August 28, 2013 up until the borders closed as part of Covid restrictions on March 19, 2020, overland travel between Kawthoung and points further north including Dawei and Yangon was permitted, except perhaps briefly at the beginning when local officials weren't yet aware of the new rules. This generally affected only travel between Kawthoung and Myeik, North of there no problem from the beginning. Now is a different story though.
Only land border where you can travel by land (up to 160km north of the border) is Tachilek, from where you can reach Kengtung by road. Even there, further travel by road is restricted so to reach places further to the west, a domestic flight is required. This is not a coup specific rule, in fact, it's always been this way going back years.
Whereas, since August 28, 2013 up until the borders closed as part of Covid restrictions on March 19, 2020, overland travel between Kawthoung and points further north including Dawei and Yangon was permitted, except perhaps briefly at the beginning when local officials weren't yet aware of the new rules. This generally affected only travel between Kawthoung and Myeik, North of there no problem from the beginning. Now is a different story though.
Paul *******
@John ************
Even Mandalay city? I thought it was considered relatively safe there now. Unlike a year or two ago.John *************
@Paul ******
that’s what she said. I saw her last week.Reply to
John *************
Reply
John *************
@Paul ******
A good Burmese friend of mine says that Mandalay, where she is from, is basically a free fighting zone these days. What a mess.Reply to
John *************
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Malcolm *******
Good read , thx 😊
Mina *******
Andrew *********
Great information. Thank you
Brook ********
Is it lawful for US Citizens to engage in commerce with a military junta under international sanctions?
Todd *********
@Brook *******
US citizens are owned by their govt. sad reallySascha **********
ORIGINAL POSTER@Brook *******
relevance?Ruth *******
@Brook *******
If you're asking whether U.S. citizens can do business in Burma, yes, we can. The sanctions are very specific. Anything else?Paul *******
@Ruth ******
The US has imposed a number of sanctions though and it may be difficult if not inadvisable to operate a business there under present circumstances. Difficult, if the business somehow involves exports to, or dealings with the US. A simple hotel or restaurant would be fine and not subjected to any sanctions.Reply to
Paul *******
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Todd *********
Great update!!! Thx 🙏 very much
Ruth *******
Thank you for the information,
@Sas***
. I don't know why so many people feel a need to criticize, rather than simply accepting the information for what it is...personal experience.Nigel *********
@Ruth ******
bored and lonely.Ruth *******
@Nigel ********
yeah, I actually did know 🙂 and you're spot on.Reply to
Ruth *******
Reply
David *********
It's actually been my only ever land border run , but when you do it on the mini bus they've already done all of that ..
Don't need these days , and wouldn't fancy turning up at a war zone , I remember some Farang bringing in piles of cigarettes ( everyone took 2 cartons for them ) and those little kids in ties ( guides ) on the other side ..
An immaculately dress Army guy with an AK-47 , checking though your bags on the boat .
Interesting experience ..
Don't need these days , and wouldn't fancy turning up at a war zone , I remember some Farang bringing in piles of cigarettes ( everyone took 2 cartons for them ) and those little kids in ties ( guides ) on the other side ..
An immaculately dress Army guy with an AK-47 , checking though your bags on the boat .
Interesting experience ..
Frank **********
Who would want to travel into Myanmar with a civil war going on.
Paul *******
@Frank *********
Foreigners are prohibited from entering any area that the government considers to be dangerous. Myanmar has always been paranoid about westerners running into trouble so you don't have to worry about ending up in the wrong places. Checkpoints will deny your entry to such areas.Mma *******
@Frank *********
Yeah I would lean into civil war shit, a dolop of danger makes the Medicine go down.Todd *********
@Mma ******
fear owns many people. They had best stay in bedReply to
Todd *********
Reply
Todd *********
@Frank *********
just for the awesomeness.Reply to
Todd *********
Reply
Richard *********
wow>:
pre covid it was 500 baht /boat NOT person< seat in a shared boat 50 baht/way
they took you as a newbie
pre covid it was 500 baht /boat NOT person< seat in a shared boat 50 baht/way
they took you as a newbie
Michael ********
@John ************
you know anything about this dive boatMichael ********
@Paul ******
I was on a free trip as advisor. Not setting anything up. Was very impressed with there ideas and very impressed with the area. This was way before Suu Kyi was released first time.John *************
@Michael *******
What did you advise on? Resorts opening?Michael ********
@John ************
Yes the fesability of it. John was invited but refused to go as suu kyi was still in Jail. There idea then was to build resort fully eco friendly the top technology for the day and then have someone "like the hilton" manage it.Paul *******
@Michael *******
If Myanmar were just a little more developed and/or didn't have any or at least fewer political problems, I think they'd manage the islands far worse than Thailand would. By sheer luck, Myanmar's extreme poverty and lack of infrastructure/technology, as well as the country being embroiled in a decade's long war has meant that the southern islands have largely remained unvisited and many, if not most, are also uninhabited.
This is of course great for the environment. However, for tourists and visitors who would love to check out the area, I'd much rather just be allowed to go there and visit some of the most pristine beaches and islands in all of Asia.
I realize that if I can go, so will the masses and thus the beaches won't be so pristine for much longer. Of course, with the political situation being what it is, I think in this case, we're not likely to see a return to the sudden popularity the country experience between 2013 and March 2020, when the borders closed anytime in the foreseeable future.
Michael ********
@Paul ******
They had very good plans for development at that time better than anything i have seen in Thailand.Paul *******
@Michael *******
What were the plans being considered?John *************
@Michael *******
John Gray? Yes, he and I had long discussions about the morality of going there. He was dead set against it. I'm glad we tried but in the end he was probably right in his decision. I'm just glad I had 30 years of awesome diving up there.Michael ********
@John ************
yes John Gray i should go and see him might be down there in couple of weeks need come down help Simon Warrens widow sell house so if you know anyone wants an amazing rai with two houses overlooking the rice fields in koh yao noi, contact usJohn *************
@Michael *******
I haven't seen John in many years. I don't know where he's hiding out these days. I just don't come across we old timers very often anymore unless they're on FB. I see posts from his canoeing company but they don't seem like they are coming from him, maybe from staff. That house sounds amazing.
Reply to
John *************
Reply
John *************
@Michael *******
nope. Haven’t heard of any boats being placed under arrest but it’s no huge surprise. There is/ was a licensing procedure but under military rule this would no doubt have changed. All old licenses have been cancelled.John *************
I was on the first trip in 1994, it was sponsored by the owner of the Jansom Tara Resort near the hot springs in Ranong. He also set up Phuket Air (I think that was the name of it) to fly into Ranong but they went bankrupt and it never worked. Sometimes there were flights into Ranong like there are now, but often there were not so we had to drive people up from Phuket Airport. No one liked that drive except for me. Ha.
Paul *******
@John ************
Was the drive that bad back then? I drove from Ao Nang via Khao Lak and Ranong to Bangkok a few months back. Enjoyed the drive. The huge number of mosques greatly outnumbering Buddhist temples, until 20km south of Ranong continues to strike me as odd, given that everywhere north of there Buddhism is by far the most common religion. I guess I'm not used to thinking of Thailand as having a lot of Muslims, but boy, there hardly seem to be any Buddhists there! Just an observation, that's all.Reply to
Paul *******
Reply
John *************
And this.
Siamese White
Siamese White
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Paul *******
@John ************
I think some of the southern islands off the Burmese coast should be under Thai rule, but don't think the Burmese would give them up so easily.John *************
@Paul ******
and another. The River of Lost Footsteps: A Personal History of Burma
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Michael ********
@Paul ******
Better not under thai rule, they are pristine ecosystems not destroyed.I went there 25 years ago with the burmese goverment looking at some islands with a view to goverment turning them into enviromentally friendly resorts.
Under Thai rule they would be destroyed by fishing industry and resorts pumping sewage into the ecosystem and no building control.
Paul *******
@Michael *******
I presume you didn't get very far? The Burmese government is very xenophobic and doesn't like the idea of westerners doing business on pristine islands down south. For many years they prevented foreigners from even stepping foot on most of them. It was only on August 28, 2013 that the then administration finally permitted greater access but I believe a permit was still required to visit certain islands even throughout the Aung San Suu Kyi government.John *************
@Paul ******
Dive boats have been visiting Mergui since 1994, then we received full permission to go everywhere in 1997. Some boats entered Mergui Harbor and did A-B trips from there but flights in and out of Mergui were inconsistent and mostly used for oil workers. A friend of mine opened a guesthouse in Mergui in 1996 and we hoping more people would visit through that port but it never really opened up. So it's been a while now. Some islands would be closed now and then as someone claimed "ownership" like at Clara Island. Some were military areas that would change periodically from one area to another. Yes, looking back on it now, had Thailand owned these islands they would have been better managed for sure. But that's not the way it is so it's a moot point.
Moken were all over Mergui for many years, then the government moved them mostly to Lampi Island.
I've been as far north as West Cannister which is north of Mergui town. Once in a while they would close the border islands south of Western Rocky. I know people who have sailed to the Moscos Islands but I never made it up that far. It's a long way by power boat with no place to refuel.
Yes, I have some stories. 🙂
Paul *******
John B WilliamsThanks for sharing. I knew you could visit some areas but had to come by boat from Thailand and with restrictions on landing on the mainland. Myeik, as it's known as now was only permitting foreigners to roam within a 10-15km radius of town until 2013. No wonder no one came, since the only permitted access was by plane (flights often canceled during the rainy season) or a now suspended ferry service operating the route between Kawthoung-Myeik-Dawei. In earlier days, this ferry even serviced Mawlamyine, but all such services were suspended once the road became good enough. Moreover, like flights, these services would barely run during the rainy season.
I've been to Myeik twice, in 2018 and 2019. Very quiet place. Even then, hardly any westerners. Many more up in Dawei, from where stunning beaches are within easy reach and don't require a permit or expensive tours to visit. Currently, with the resurgence in violence in many areas including towns near Myeik and Dawei, it looks like foreigners can access both towns only by air at the moment.
I've been to Myeik twice, in 2018 and 2019. Very quiet place. Even then, hardly any westerners. Many more up in Dawei, from where stunning beaches are within easy reach and don't require a permit or expensive tours to visit. Currently, with the resurgence in violence in many areas including towns near Myeik and Dawei, it looks like foreigners can access both towns only by air at the moment.
John *************
@Paul ******
Yes, they call it Myeik now, part of the whole Myanmar renaming of places. It's hard to pronounce, it's only one syllable. I always wanted to take that ferry up to Dawei (Tavoy) but never got to do it before they stopped it. When we ran the diving tours we entered with the boat permit system and most of the time we couldn't get off the boat and continue the journey without the dive boat. It changed all the time.I'm very sad it's all closed up now. I don't expect it to open again for quite a while. We shall see. Very few foreign tourists will visit it now because of the coup and the killings and the jet fighter attacks. So sad.
Paul *******
@John ************
Very easy to pronounce: "Mee aek" or "Mee ek".Paul *******
@Michael *******
I see what you mean but I still think they'd be better under Thai rule. The infrastructure would be better, Thailand would be able to attract more visitors and designate some islands at least as national parks.Michael ********
@Paul ******
They havent done a very good job of maintaining marine parks. I went to the similians in the late eighties not the same now. I think its good there is a place where the wildlife can thrive without tourists. You open it up and its destroyed look at Phang Nga bay we used to do low impact trips with sea canoe and now its a circus. Another one I was on the first ever kayaking trip to Halong bay in 1992 before it ever been opened up, again was invited by goverment i think john gray was appointed as ecotourism advisor. Was amazing now its another madhouse
John *************
Pretty good diving around Boulder Bay but the best is at Black Rock and Western Rocky and an underwater pinnacle north of North Twin.
John *************
@Paul ******
Some areas are national parks but like with Thailand, enforcement of rules are an issue. Lampi is a national park but they allow the Moken to live there. But they didn't really understand that marine parks needed to be in certain open ocean areas and not just one or two islands. We petitioned in 2001 to have them designate the whole area protected but they ignored us. There was pressure from the Thai government for them to do the same. It's obvious now they never took any of it seriously. They just wanted to exploit the area for fishing.
I do know at least two foreigners who leased two islands. One is American and one is Norwegian. The Norwegian leased Boulder Island and has bungalows and an eco-resort there.
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1&entry=tt@https://www.facebook.c**********************
John *************
John *************
@Paul ******
Ohh. That’s a long history there. Blame the British and the French and their colonial games. It was all part of Siam up to the town of Mergui. This is a good read.
Reply to
John *************
Reply
Us *****
Do they require this much work on the Cambodia side of the border?
Paul *******
@Sascha *********
I've been across nearly all land border crossings Thailand has with its neighbors and never heard of there being a charge for a TM6 form. It's been 19 years since I've been across the Ranong border crossing though. The other 3 Burmese borders I would cross on a very regular basis (pre Covid). Anyway, I see what you mean it's just unbelievable. Regarding overtime charges, no problem to pay those though just this fee is something else.Sascha **********
ORIGINAL POSTER@Paul ******
and the most stupid thing is, why do land borders even require the TM.6? You don’t need it anymore when you fly in? One of the many things here that makes no sense 😏Paul *******
@Sascha *********
Hence my outrage at the 100 Baht fee, for something that has been scrapped at airports.Reply to
Paul *******
Reply
Paul *******
@Us ****
No, it's much easier there. No bribery or extra fees on the Thai side unless you show up during off peak hours in which case a 25 Baht fee is sometimes levied but I've never seen someone not arriving by car pay this. I often find myself paying such fees but I always come by car.Sascha **********
ORIGINAL POSTER@Us ****
how do you mean?Us *****
@Sascha *********
like taking a boat and 2-3 stops?Sascha **********
ORIGINAL POSTER@Us ****
the stops are literally a minute, you don’t even get out of the boat, the driver runs up to the window to show your passport and off you go. The borders with Cambodia are roads, so no boats involved, but from what I read in this group and others, the Thai immigration officers can be very difficult there
Paul *******
@Sascha *********
Ranong charging 100 Baht for a TM6 form is illegal and a form of bribery. The forms are supposed to be handed out for free. Unbelievable they can charge for this.Sascha **********
ORIGINAL POSTER@Paul ******
they charge for this because they can. What else would I do, say no and run the risk of being denied entry? Other land borders would allow you to go back into Lao/Cambodia/Malaysia and find another way to get to TH, this one they know you’re literally backed into a corner, so they can charge whatever they want 🤷🏻♀️I was just happy to be able to enter TH again and also happy not to have to spend 14+ hours in a minivan driving up and down to Malaysia 😏
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Sascha **********
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