Visa policy of Laos
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 Laos portal |
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
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Visa exemption
[edit]Ordinary passports
[edit]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]
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30 days 15 days
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# - Temporary visa exemption policy from 1 July 2024 to 31 December 2024.
| Date of visa changes |
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Cancelled:
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Tour groups
[edit]From 1 July to 31 December 2024, Laos is implementing a 15-day visa-free policy for visitors with documents of following jurisdictions who are visiting Laos through approved tour groups:[15]
Non-Ordinary passports
[edit]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]
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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.[16]
Visa on arrival and e-Visa
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 Map of entry points with Visa on Arrival facility |
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.[17][18]
The Laos e-Visa service was launched in July 2019.[19][20] It is valid for 60 days from the date of issuance and its holders may stay for up to 30 days in Laos.[21] 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:[22][23]
| Port of entry | Opposite side | VoA | eVisa |
|---|---|---|---|
| Luang Prabang International Airport | — |  |
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| Pakse International Airport | — | |
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| Wattay International Airport (Vientiane) | — | |
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| Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge I (Vientiane) | Nong Khai, Thailand | |
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| Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge II (Savannakhet) | Mukdahan, Thailand | |
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| Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge III (Thakhek) | Nakhon Phanom province, Thailand | |
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| Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge IV (Houayxay) | Chiang Khong district, Thailand | |
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| Samliemkham | Thailand and Myanmar | |
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| Khamsavath railway station (Vientiane) | Nong Khai railway station, Thailand | |
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| Daensavan | Lao Bảo, Vietnam | |
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| Veunkham | Nong nok khian, Cambodia | |
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| Vang tao | Chong Mek, Thailand | |
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| Boten (road checkpoint) | Mohan, China | |
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| Boten railway station | Mohan railway station, China | |
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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
[edit]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][24]
Statistics
[edit]Most visitors arriving to Laos were from the following countries of nationality:[25]
| 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
[edit]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Visa and passport". Timatic. International Air Transport Association through Emirates. Retrieved 1 April 2017.
- ^ a b "Visa exemption – ກົມຕຳຫຼວດກວດຄົນເຂົ້າ-ອອກເມືອງ". The Department of Immigration of Lao PDR. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
- ^ "Laos - Travel Page". www.mfa.gov.sg. Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Singapore). 12 July 2024. Retrieved 20 July 2024.
- ^ Under the Visa Agreement on 05 March 2004
- ^ "Lao Airlines". www.laoairlines.com. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
- ^ Under the Visa Agreement on 10 May 2004
- ^ a b Under the Visa Agreement on 1 July 2004
- ^ Under the Visa Agreement on 28 October 2004
- ^ Under the Visa Agreement on 1 April 2005
- ^ "Under the Visa Agreement on 10 April 2005" (PDF).
- ^ Under the Visa Agreement on 14 September 2007
- ^ Under the Visa Agreement on 20 November 2009
- ^ Under the Visa Agreement on 23 September 2011
- ^ [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1biBWE9Y026IOQDWpBybsjvPQIo5yrLPr/view 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]
- ^ Laos to grant visa-free entry for Chinese tourists starting in July
- ^ Laos, Kazakhstan sign deal for visa exemption
- ^ "How to apply the visa extension". immigration.gov.la. Retrieved 17 July 2019.
- ^ "Law On EntryExit, And the Management of Foreigners in the Lao PDR Article 41 Section 5". Laoservicesportal.gov.la. Retrieved 17 July 2019.
- ^ "Laos launches e-Visa service in Vientiane". 9 July 2019.
- ^ "Lao E-visa launched for foreigners". Archived from the original on 2019-07-09.
- ^ eVisa Laos
- ^ "Checkpoints – ກົມຕຳຫຼວດກວດຄົນເຂົ້າ-ອອກເມືອງ". immigration.gov.la. Department of Immigration of Lao PDR. Retrieved 2023-04-29.
- ^ PDR, Consular Department-Ministry of Foreign Affairs LAO. "Lao e-Visa / Faq". laoevisa.gov.la. Retrieved 2023-04-16.
- ^ Who can Apply for Lao e-Visa
- ^ "Statistical Reports on Tourism in Laos".