Visa policy of Laos

Policy on permits required to enter Laos
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Visitors to Laos must obtain a visa from one of the Laotian diplomatic missions unless they are citizens of one of the visa-exempt countries or citizens eligible for a visa on arrival or an e-Visa. All visitors must hold a passport valid for 6 months.[1]

Visa policy map

  Lao People's Democratic Republic
  Visa not required (30 days)
  Visa not required (15 days) or eVisa (30 days)
  Visa not required (14 days) or eVisa (30 days)
  Visa on arrival or eVisa (30 days)
  Visa required in advance

Visa exemption

Ordinary passports

According to the Ministry of Public Security of Laos, holders of ordinary passports of the following countries (including all ASEAN member states) may enter Laos without a visa for stays up to the duration listed below:[2]

30 days

15 days

14 days

Date of visa changes
  • 2004: Vietnam[3][4]
  • 2004: Cambodia[5]
  • 2004: Singapore[6]
  • 2004: Malaysia[6]
  • 2004: Thailand[7]
  • 2005: Brunei[8]
  • 12 July 2005: Philippines[9]
  • 1 January 2007: Japan
  • 1 September 2007: Russia
  • 14 October 2007: Mongolia[10]
  • 1 September 2008: South Korea
  • 7 July 2009: Luxembourg and Switzerland
  • 2009: Myanmar[11]
  • 2011: Indonesia[12]
  • 1 August 2018: Sri Lanka (visa on arrival)

Cancelled:

  • 1 January 2018 - 31 December 2018: Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden

Non-Ordinary passports

Holders of diplomatic, official or service passports issued by following countries may enter Laos without a visa for up to 30 days (unless otherwise noted):[2]

D - Diplomatic passports only.
1 - 90 days
2 - 14 days

Visa on arrival and e-Visa

External image
image icon Map of entry points with Visa on Arrival facility
The official Lao e-Visa logo
e-Visa Approval Letter
Visa on arrival for Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone

Most nationals of other countries may obtain a visa on arrival in Laos or an e-Visa online for a fee, except those who are ineligible for either facility.

The duration of stay of a visa obtained upon arrival in Laos is 30 days, but can be extended twice, for a maximum stay of 90 days. Visa extensions are handled by the province immigration office inside Laos for a fee.[13][14]

The Laos e-Visa service was launched in July 2019.[15][16] It is valid for 60 days from the date of issuance and its holders may stay for up to 30 days in Laos.[17] e-Visa can be issued within 3 business days.

Travellers eligible for a visa on arrival or an e-Visa can enter Laos through one of the following ports of entry:[18][19]

Port of entry Opposite side VoA eVisa
Luang Prabang International Airport — Yes Yes
Pakse International Airport — Yes Yes
Wattay International Airport — Yes Yes
Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge I (Vientiane) Nong Khai province, Thailand Yes Yes
Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge II (Savannakhet) Mukdahan, Thailand Yes Yes
Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge III (Thakhek) Nakhon Phanom province, Thailand Yes No
Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge IV (Houayxay) Chiang Khong district, Thailand Yes Yes
Samliemkham Thailand and Myanmar Yes No
Thanaleng railway station Nong Khai railway station, Thailand Yes No
Daensavan Lao Bảo, Vietnam Yes No
Veunkham Nong nok khian, Cambodia Yes No
Vang tao Chong Mek, Thailand Yes No
Boten (road checkpoint) Mohan, China Yes Yes
Boten railway station Mohan railway station, China No Yes

All other ports of entry not listed above neither accept visa on arrival nor e-Visa. Some of them are closed to third-country visitors, while others require visitors from non-visa-exempt countries to present visas obtained in advance from one of the Laotian diplomatic missions around the world.

Visa required in advance

Nationals of the following countries are ineligible to obtain a visa on arrival nor an e-Visa. They must thus obtain a visa from one of the Laotian diplomatic missions in advance. However, if they are traveling on an official visit, they may still obtain a visa on arrival, provided they are holding an official letter of guarantee issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Laos:[1][20]

Statistics

Most visitors arriving to Laos were from the following countries of nationality:[21]

Country 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011
 Thailand 1,797,803 2,009,605 2,321,352 2,043,761 2,059,434 1,937,612 1,579,941
 Vietnam 891,643 998,400 1,187,954 1,108,332 910,164 705,596 561,586
 China 639,185 545,493 511,436 422,440 245,033 199,857 150,791
 South Korea 170,571 173,260 165,328 96,085 81,799 53,829 34,707
 United States 38,765 58,094 63,058 61,460 61,608 53,380 50,092
 France 36,760 54,953 55,151 52,146 52,411 46,903 44,399
 Japan 32,064 49,191 43,826 44,877 48,644 42,026 37,883
 United Kingdom 27,723 39,170 41,508 39,061 41,741 35,964 35,622
 Germany 23,776 34,018 31,897 29,800 29,250 23,417 21,280
 Australia 20,886 33,077 34,655 44,964 35,441 33,878 31,874
Total 3,868,838 4,239,047 4,684,429 4,158,719 3,779,490 3,330,072 3,330,072

See also

  • flagLaos portal
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Laos.

References

  1. ^ a b "Visa and passport". Timatic. International Air Transport Association through Emirates. Retrieved 1 April 2017.
  2. ^ a b "Visa exemption – ກົມຕຳຫຼວດກວດຄົນເຂົ້າ-ອອກເມືອງ". The Department of Immigration of Lao PDR. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  3. ^ Under the Visa Agreement on 05 March 2004
  4. ^ "Lao Airlines". www.laoairlines.com. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
  5. ^ Under the Visa Agreement on 10 May 2004
  6. ^ a b Under the Visa Agreement on 1 July 2004
  7. ^ Under the Visa Agreement on 28 October 2004
  8. ^ Under the Visa Agreement on 1 April 2005
  9. ^ "Under the Visa Agreement on 10 April 2005" (PDF).
  10. ^ Under the Visa Agreement on 14 September 2007
  11. ^ Under the Visa Agreement on 20 November 2009
  12. ^ Under the Visa Agreement on 23 September 2011
  13. ^ "How to apply the visa extension". immigration.gov.la. Retrieved 17 July 2019.
  14. ^ "Law On EntryExit, And the Management of Foreigners in the Lao PDR Article 41 Section 5". Laoservicesportal.gov.la. Retrieved 17 July 2019.
  15. ^ "Laos launches e-Visa service in Vientiane".
  16. ^ "Lao E-visa launched for foreigners".
  17. ^ eVisa Laos
  18. ^ "Checkpoints – ກົມຕຳຫຼວດກວດຄົນເຂົ້າ-ອອກເມືອງ". immigration.gov.la. Department of Immigration of Lao PDR. Retrieved 2023-04-29.
  19. ^ PDR, Consular Department-Ministry of Foreign Affairs LAO. "Lao e-Visa / Faq". laoevisa.gov.la. Retrieved 2023-04-16.
  20. ^ Who can Apply for Lao e-Visa
  21. ^ "Statistical Reports on Tourism in Laos".

External links

  • Lao PDR Immigration Department
  • Lao eVisa
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Visa policy by country
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1 British Overseas Territories. 2 Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey, Kazakhstan, Russia and the partially recognised republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia each span the conventional boundary between Europe and Asia. 3 Cyprus, Armenia, and the partially recognised republic of Northern Cyprus are entirely in Western Asia but have socio-political connections with Europe. 4 Egypt spans the boundary between Africa and Asia. 5 Partially recognized.

Immigration law