후니의 이야기 공장-Hoony's Story Factory

1. 2016.11.16 Myanmar Travel - The preparing Part 5, Making photos for passport by myself
2. 2016.11.15 Myanmar Travel - The preparing Part 2 again, Passport and VISA, the VISA arrived
3. 2016.11.13 Myanmar Travel - The preparing Part 4, Currency Exchange
4. 2016.11.13 Myanmar Travel - The preparing Part 3, Roaming
5. 2016.11.10 Myanmar Travel - The preparing Part 2, Passport and VISA
6. 2016.11.05 Myanmar Travel - The preparing Part 1, Flight ticket and seat number

Myanmar Travel - The preparing Part 2, Passport and VISA

 : Even buying a flight ticket was not that simple... Just simply purchase and go... It was more complicated... I guess this is why people prefer to use a travel agency to buy that... because it's more simple.

 Yes, right poor people should do anything from the start.

: Making a passport is a kind of easy and fast process here in Korea. The problem is that the phone with special requirements and the application.

 The requirements for the passport are:

 ① Passport(re) Issuance application(This is to be given to an agency.)

 ② Rights authorization(In case other person apply for you)

 ③ Your ID card 
 ④ A photo for passport

 Taking a photo for passport is not that easy work in Korea if you want to save some time and energy. Here is the easiest way I think. You can take the photo if you visit any Gu-office nearest you. 

 Procedures: Preparing documents -> Visiting the City Hall of Busan -> Visiting the City Hall store on the 1st floor of the City Hall -> Waiting for about 20 minutes -> Visit Passport booth at the Civil Service Department on the 2nd floor and submit prepared document -> Just wait for a short duration.

This is the City Hall store

: It costs about 10,000 won for the passport photos as of March 17, 2016. It's not 6,000 won. You are going to get 6 photos and a CD containing your digital image.

 And there is a professional photo studio near the City Hall. It costs about 15,000 won. The number of the photos is 12. If you care about the results... I recommend to go to a professional studio...

Documents required for issuing your passport

① Simplified Application for passport(For domestic passport agency)

※ Need to print out in color

② Application for passport(For government office located outside of Korea) 
※ Need to print out in color

③ Rights authorization agreement

④ ID guarantee agreement

⑤ Rights authorization

⑥ Application for English Name of Passport Modification

⑦ Modification of the contents in your passport(For electronic passport)
※ Need to print out in color

⑧ Passport Loss Report
⑨ Passport Obtain Report
⑩ Report of obtaining lost passport
⑪ Application for Passport validity check
⑫ VISA note application(For Foreign affair officer, Official Passport applicants)

: There are several ways of issuing a VISA, but the fee is about 25,000 won. Therefore if you live in Seoul area, you'd better visit and apply by yourself. 

 If you live in other cities far from Seoul, you'd better use an travel agency. Nowadays it costs about 50,000 to 100,000 won for commuting between Busan and Seoul. Thinking of the time and money you are going to spend just for the VISA.... Wow.... Just sending your passport including 2 photos... and giving them basic information, and making a payment... that's all what you have to do... 

 I used the agency called '에어비자'. I paid 43,000 won for this. Of course, some agency takes about 40,000 won.... It's up to you. As long as I checked from the agency, the photo for application are not necessary to following the strict requirements for the passport.... I sent some photos... not in the criteria for the passport... but it was OK.

 Summary

 Documents: Passport(without the protective cover), 2 photos(for passport), Air flight ticket copy

 Method: Send the above mentioned documents to the AirVISA by registered mail, your phone number also should be included(If you visit the post office, you can find a envelop for this. It costs about 40 won). -> Waiting for contact -> they call you -> Contact after application -> Making payment.

Here is the price for passport

Some agency asks about 40,000 won.

If you want to apply by yourself, click below to see information

: What about On Arrival VISA? You can apply on the official homepage... and send and make payment... That's all but it costs about 50 dollars... which means more than 50,000 won in Korea.... Not that different from using an Agency in Korea....

1. 2016.11.16 Myanmar Travel - The preparing Part 5, Making photos for passport by myself
2. 2016.11.15 Myanmar Travel - The preparing Part 2 again, Passport and VISA, the VISA arrived
3. 2016.11.13 Myanmar Travel - The preparing Part 4, Currency Exchange
4. 2016.11.13 Myanmar Travel - The preparing Part 3, Roaming
5. 2016.11.10 Myanmar Travel - The preparing Part 2, Passport and VISA
6. 2016.11.05 Myanmar Travel - The preparing Part 1, Flight ticket and seat number

1. 2016.11.16 Myanmar Travel - The preparing Part 5, Making photos for passport by myself
2. 2016.11.15 Myanmar Travel - The preparing Part 2 again, Passport and VISA, the VISA arrived
3. 2016.11.13 Myanmar Travel - The preparing Part 4, Currency Exchange
4. 2016.11.13 Myanmar Travel - The preparing Part 3, Roaming
5. 2016.11.10 Myanmar Travel - The preparing Part 2, Passport and VISA
6. 2016.11.05 Myanmar Travel - The preparing Part 1, Flight ticket and seat number

Myanmar Travel - The preparing Part 1, Flight ticket and seat number

 : Before deciding to go to Myanmar, I've never thought of visiting other countries.. While researching on the traveling preparation, I found some program so called 'laid over' by which I can stay in a country where I am going to transfer to another airplane just before going to destination... I will write about it later... 

 Anyway preparation never ends... And even it's not easy. There are so many things to be done, including exercising for my health.

 Myanmar is a buddhist country. It has the famous human rights political activist, Aung San Sukiy... I've met several people from Myanmar who were so nice. This was the main factor for me to decide to go there.

: How do Koreans buy a ticket.... Usually they buy through a travel agency, which is very convenient but costly...  The preparation for this trip started by searching on information on air ticket. More than 600 USD it costs... Therefore I cannot decide easily... I had to see the date and conditions.... Of course there was cheaper tickets... but the myanmar friends who would go there with me already bought the ticket... And I didn't have much choices....

The search result....by Skyscanner

Selected ticket.

: Important points here

 Procedures

 - Reservation -> Register passport -> Payment -> Issuing -> Ensuring seat.

 - If you buy a ticket departing from Korea, you can buy ticket only with Korean won, not with other currency.... There must be an agreement between stake holders.

 - As payment methods, bank transfer, credit card are possible. And I couldn't make payment as soon as I reserve. I had a phone call from an agency who sold the ticket... and asked me several questions... and I could proceed... I guess this is to be sure on the schedule... not to be a problem later....

 - You don't need to be a member of the website to buy a ticket.

 - FYI, Thai airline is a member company of the Star Alliance including Aisana airline which I like. And Vietnam Airline is a member of Skypass.... including Korean Airline. And thai and Thai smile was separate companies.... International air is done by Thai airline and domestic flight is done by Thaie Smile.  

 - Ticket printing is anytime possible. No worries. And you don't need a paper ticket for checking in. What you need is just your passport.. That's enough.

I got the emails like followings....

Travel Itinerary by Thai Smile

: And here I see the price by Thai Baht... And it.. was so cheap....

Only about 100 USD...

: I've checked several times... but it was sure.... I couldn't understand... why it's so cheap... I got curious... but I find that that must be the price just for domestic flight... Bangkok to Yangon... If it is not... so much profit, where does it go?

: Seat researving is kind of easy. What you have to do is just click on a seat you like by seeing a picture, the seat map And the picture seat reservation couldn't be done in iexplorer... but it worked very well in chrome browser. 

Even if you reserve the ticket through the Thai airline, you are going to pay it with Korean won..

Reserving seat is like following. Click on the "Go".

And then the next page is about seat reserving.

After you select, the selected seat will be highlighted purple.

Like following... the domestic flight was not possible to book a seat.

: I guess buying a ticket is not that different in case you buy it online.... The world is getting closer...