Visa policy of Laos
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 Laos portal |
Visitors to Laos must obtain a visa from one of the Laotian diplomatic missions or online unless they come from one of the visa exempt countries or qualify for visa on arrival. All visitors must hold a passport valid for 6 months.[1]
Visa policy map
Visa exemption
Citizens of the following 15 countries can visit Laos without a visa (allowed length of stay in days is shown in parentheses):[2]
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| Date of visa changes | ||
|---|---|---|
Former:
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Diplomatic and service category passports
Holders of diplomatic and/or service category passports do not require a visa to visit Laos up to 30 days (unless otherwise noted).[2]
|
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D — diplomatic passports only
Visa waiver agreement for diplomatic passports was signed with Turkey in November 2018 and it is yet to come into force.[15]
Visa on arrival
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 Map of entry points with Visa on Arrival facility |
Visitors of other nationalities may obtain a visa on arrival valid for 30 days for a fee at most of the 27 ports of entry to the country, except:[16]
There have been reports that between January and June 2020 visa on arrival facility will be shut down at 9 border crossings.[17]
The visa on arrival is extendable twice, not exceeding 90 days of stay in Laos. Extensions are handled by the province immigration office inside Laos for a fee.[18][19]
Nationals of the following countries are ineligible to obtain a visa on arrival, and they can only obtain a visa on arrival if they are traveling on an official visit and are holding an official letter of guarantee issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Laos:[1]
eVisa
Laos launched an eVisa service in July 2019.[20][21]
eVisa for Laos is available to citizens of all countries except countries whose citizens are ineligible for visa on arrival.[22] eVisa is valid for 60 days from the date of issuance and its holders may stay for up to 30 days in Laos.[23] eVisa costs varies depending on the country and can be issued with 3 business days.
eVisa may be used to enter Laos through the following entry points:
- Wattay International Airport
- Thai–Lao Friendship Bridge
- Luang Prabang International Airport (became available as of October 15, 2019)[24]
Statistics
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
References
- ^ a b "Visa and passport". Timatic. International Air Transport Association through Emirates. Retrieved 1 April 2017.
- ^ a b "DEPARTMENT OF IMMIGRATION OF LAO PDR". www.immigration.gov.la. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
- ^ Ross, Don. "Laos drops visa for Koreans - TTR Weekly". Retrieved 17 June 2019.
- ^ 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
- ^ Under the Visa Agreement on 14 September 2007
- ^ Under the Visa Agreement on 20 November 2009
- ^ Under the Visa Agreement on 23 September 2011
- ^ Under visa exemption agreement on 20 July 2011; from 7 November 2011 [1]
- ^ "From Rep. of Turkey Ministry of Foreign Affairs". Republic of Turkey Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
- ^ "DEPARTMENT OF IMMIGRATION OF LAO PDR". www.immigration.gov.la. Retrieved 17 June 2019.
- ^ "Laos : Fin du visa à l'arrivée pour certains points d'entrée".
- ^ "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
- ^ Lao E-visa launched for foreigners
- ^ Who can Apply for Lao eVisa
- ^ eVisa Laos
- ^ PDR, Consular Department-Ministry of Foreign Affairs LAO. "Lao EVisa / Faq". laoevisa.gov.la. Retrieved 15 October 2019.
- ^ "Statistical Reports on Tourism in Laos".