Visa policy of Laos

Visa sticker

Entry and exit stamps

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   Brunei   Cambodia   Indonesia   Malaysia   Mongolia   Philippines   Russia   Singapore [3]   South Korea   Thailand   Vietnam 15 days   Japan   Luxembourg    Switzerland 14 days   Myanmar

Date of visa changes
2004: Vietnam [4] [5] 2004: Cambodia [6] 2004: Singapore [7] 2004: Malaysia [7] 2004: Thailand [8] 2005: Brunei [9] 12 July 2005: Philippines [10] 1 January 2007: Japan 1 September 2007: Russia 14 October 2007: Mongolia [11] 1 September 2008: South Korea 7 July 2009: Luxembourg and Switzerland 2009: Myanmar [12] 2011: Indonesia [13] 1 August 2018: Sri Lanka (visa on arrival) Cancelled: 1 January 2018 - 31 December 2018: Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden 1 July 2024 - 31 December 2024: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Norway, Spain and Sweden [14]

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]

ASEAN member states (except Indonesia)   Azerbaijan   Bangladesh   Belarus 1   Brazil   China   Hong Kong 2   Cuba 1   Czech Republic 1   Ecuador   Hungary 1   India   Indonesia 2   Japan 1   Kyrgyzstan   Kuwait   Mexico 1   Mongolia   North Korea   Norway D   Pakistan 1   Peru 1   Poland 1   Russia   Serbia 1   South Korea 1   Slovakia 1    Switzerland   Timor-Leste   Turkey D 1

_{D – Diplomatic passports only.
1 – 90 days
2 – 14 days}

Laos signed a visa-free agreement with Kazakhstan for holders of diplomatic and official passports in July 2024 and it is yet to come into force. ^[15]

Visa on arrival / Electronic Visa (e-Visa)

External image
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 citizens 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. ^{[16] [17]}

The Laos e-Visa service was launched in July 2019. ^{[18] [19]} It is valid for 60 days from the date of issuance and its holders may stay for up to 30 days in Laos. ^[20] 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: ^{[21] [22]}

Port of entry	Opposite side	VoA	eVisa
Luang Prabang International Airport	—
Pakse International Airport	—
Wattay International Airport (Vientiane)	—
Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge I (Vientiane)	Nong Khai, Thailand
Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge II (Savannakhet)	Mukdahan, Thailand
Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge III (Thakhek)	Nakhon Phanom province, Thailand
Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge IV (Houayxay)	Chiang Khong district, Thailand
Samliemkham	Thailand and Myanmar
Khamsavath railway station (Vientiane)	Nong Khai railway station, Thailand
Daensavan	Lao Bảo, Vietnam
Veunkham	Nong nok khian, Cambodia
Vang tao	Chong Mek, Thailand
Boten (road checkpoint)	Mohan, China
Boten railway station	Mohan railway station, China

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

Citizens of the following countries are ineligible to obtain a visa on arrival or an e-Visa. They must 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] [23]}

Afghanistan   Algeria   Bangladesh   Burundi   Cameroon   Congo   DR Congo   Eswatini

Ghana   Guinea-Bissau   Ivory Coast   Iran   Iraq   Jordan   Lebanon   Lesotho

Liberia   Libya   Mozambique   Nauru   Niger   Nigeria   Pakistan   Senegal

Sierra Leone   South Sudan   Sudan   Suriname   Syria   Tonga   Zambia   Zimbabwe

Visitor statistics

Most visitors arriving in Laos were from the following countries of nationality: ^[24]

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

• Laos portal

• Visa requirements for Laotian citizens

References

1. "Visa and passport". Timatic . International Air Transport Association through Emirates . Retrieved 1 April 2017.
2. "Visa exemption – ກົມຕຳຫຼວດກວດຄົນເຂົ້າ-ອອກເມືອງ". The Department of Immigration of Lao PDR . Retrieved 10 August 2023.
3. "Laos - Travel Page". www.mfa.gov.sg. Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Singapore). 12 July 2024. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
4. Under the Visa Agreement on 05 March 2004
5. "Lao Airlines". www.laoairlines.com. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
6. Under the Visa Agreement on 10 May 2004
7. Under the Visa Agreement on 1 July 2004
8. Under the Visa Agreement on 28 October 2004
9. Under the Visa Agreement on 1 April 2005
10. "Under the Visa Agreement on 10 April 2005" (PDF).
11. Under the Visa Agreement on 14 September 2007
12. Under the Visa Agreement on 20 November 2009
13. Under the Visa Agreement on 23 September 2011
14. Implementation of Visa exemption policy and determination of length of stay in Lao PDR for target country tourists during the Visit Laos Year 2024 - Reg. No. 2520/IMM - Ministry of Public Security General Department of Public Security Department of Immigration
15. Laos, Kazakhstan sign deal for visa exemption
16. "How to apply the visa extension". immigration.gov.la. Retrieved 17 July 2019.
17. "Law On EntryExit, And the Management of Foreigners in the Lao PDR Article 41 Section 5". Laoservicesportal.gov.la. Retrieved 17 July 2019.
18. "Laos launches e-Visa service in Vientiane". 9 July 2019.
19. "Lao E-visa launched for foreigners". Archived from the original on 2019-07-09.
20. eVisa Laos
21. "Checkpoints – ກົມຕຳຫຼວດກວດຄົນເຂົ້າ-ອອກເມືອງ". immigration.gov.la. Department of Immigration of Lao PDR. Retrieved 2023-04-29.
22. PDR, Consular Department-Ministry of Foreign Affairs LAO. "Lao e-Visa / Faq". laoevisa.gov.la. Retrieved 2023-04-16.
23. Who can Apply for Lao e-Visa
24. "Statistical Reports on Tourism in Laos".

External links

• Lao PDR Immigration Department
• Lao eVisa