Visa for Laos

Laos visa law requires all travelers to have an approved visa to enter the country and a passport valid for at least 6 months. You can obtain an eVisa, visa on arrival or go to an embassy to obtain a visa for entry.

The electronic visa to Laos (eVisa) is available for about 160 foreign nationals. To obtain it, you need to fill out a simple online application form on our website. For a list of documents and countries to which the eVisa is available, please see the eVisa page.

An approved e-visa is usually emailed to the applicant within 3 working days. It allows short-term stays for tourist purposes.

Citizens of the countries listed above need to apply for a Laos visa online or on arrival to stay longer than the permitted visa-free period.

According to Laos visa policy, citizens of some countries do not have the option to apply electronically and instead must go to the embassy regardless of the planned length of stay and duration of travel. A visa through the embassy will also be required for travelers who plan to stay in the country longer than the permitted visa-free period or e-visa validity, as well as for those traveling to Laos for other purposes, such as work or study.

Laos currently has three types of tourist visas available for foreign nationals wishing to visit this Southeast Asian country. The online visa application process eliminates the need to appear in person or wait in long lines at the border. More than 160 countries can now apply for a visa online.

Laos tourist e-visas are single-entry permits that allow tourists to stay in the country for up to 30 consecutive days. In order to apply for a visa by this method, applicants must comply with Laos' visa policy.

It is recommended to apply for tourist visa in advance to avoid delays and inconvenience.

Laos visa regulations require some foreign travelers to apply for a visa on arrival at the port of entry. Currently, a visa on arrival in Laos is required for nationals of fewer than 10 countries for short-term stays.

A single entry visa on arrival to Laos is issued to approved individuals and allows them to stay in the country for up to 30 days. However, the process of obtaining a visa on arrival can take a long time at the border post.

To apply, eligible travelers arriving in Laos must go directly to an immigration checkpoint and wait for their turn to receive their visa on arrival from the border authorities. They then need to fill out the appropriate form with their personal details, tourist travel information and passport details.

Citizens who are eligible for a visa on arrival can obtain one at all points of entry except:

• Napao-Chalo
• Subhun
• Paksan-Bueng Kan
• Sieng Kok River Port

Under Laos visa laws, every foreign national from about 80 countries must apply for a visa through an embassy to visit Laos, regardless of the purpose of the visit or the planned length of stay. Most of the countries whose nationals need to apply for a visa through an embassy to travel to Laos are in Africa and the Middle East. The process of obtaining an approved embassy visa begins by making an appointment at the nearest Laos government diplomatic mission. You then need to fill out and print out a visa application form, providing personal details, passport information and selecting the appropriate visa type depending on the purpose of travel: tourism, business, transit, work or study. The procedure for obtaining a consular visa depends on the nationality and type of visa required by the embassy.