Visa & Travel Permission

Note: In an effort to promote tourism during the Visit Laos Year 2018, the Lao government will provide VISA exemptions for citizens of four Scandinavian countries: Finland, Denmark, Sweden and Norway for 15 day temporary stay. The visa waiver will take effect from 1 January and will cease at the end of December 2018.

Getting Lao visa is easy and much easier than before. Apart from getting visa of Lao PDR through traditional ways at Embassy or Consulates, travelers of most nationals can obtain Lao visa upon arrival – at International airport of Vientiane, Luang Prabang, Pakse, Savanakhet and at various border crossing points with the neighboring countries such as Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and China.

Except some countries from Africa and Asia (Muslim countries), the visa on arrival is allowed for most of tourists and is not required for citizens of some countries from Southeast Asia, Russia, Switzerland, Brazil…

There are 2 options to choose from to obtain a visa for Laos.

1. Directly on arriving at the international airports of Vientiane and Luang Prabang.

The visa is then valid for 30 days and may be extended for a further 15 days only through a travel agency in Vientiane.

Requested documents:

– The visa request form, available before departure

– 1 photo of less than 6 months

– 31 dollars US in cash (this fee is subject to specific nationality: British: 36US$, American: 36US$, Canadian: 43US$, Sweden: 32US$)

Time for delivery: between 10 and 40 min depending on the number of people requesting it.

Please note that on weekends (Saturday and Sunday) and Laos’ public holidays, $1 is added to the fee.

2. Directly from a Laotian embassy abroad before departure.

The visa is valid for 30 days.

Requested documents:

– the visa request form, available before departure

– 1 photo of less than 6 months

– 31 dollars US in cash (or more depending on the nationality)

Notes:

-     Your Passport must be valid for six months beyond the intended stay with at least 1 empty page for visa stamp.

-     Quick visa service on arrival is available at Vientiane, Luang Prabang and Pakse airport but not official and subject to change without prior notice. Quick visa service at land crossing border is rarely available and unofficial. Please contact with your agent in case you have any request.