Visa & Formalities
Visa & Formalities
Passport
Your passport must be valid for more than 6 months beyond the expiration date of the requested visa. It should be in good condition. Additionally, it must contain at least three blank pages, with two of them facing each other.
Visa
Visa Exemption Only Swiss and Luxembourgish citizens are eligible for a visa exemption for stays of 15 days or less (including the day of entry and exit), single entry. For stays longer than 15 days, a visa is mandatory at a cost of 50 Swiss francs. For other nationalities, a visa is required.
Visa on Arrival at International Airports: An Easy and Common Option You can easily obtain a visa on arrival at most international airports for approximately 35 to 50 USD, depending on your nationality (prepare an additional 5 USD for possible miscellaneous fees). Upon arrival at the international airport in Laos, you must fill out an immigration form, present your passport, provide two passport-sized photos, and pay the visa stamp fee.
E-visa You can also apply for a Laos visa yourself through this site: https://laoevisa.gov.la Note: The e-visa allows entry only at the following 8 points:
- Wattay International Airport (Vientiane)
- Lao-Thai Friendship Bridge 1 (Vientiane)
- Luang Prabang International Airport
- Lao-Thai Friendship Bridge 2 (Savannakhet Province)
- Pakse International Airport (Champassak Province)
- Lao-Thai Friendship Bridge 4 (Bokeo Province)
- Boten International Checkpoint (Luang Nam Tha Province)
- Boten Railway Station Checkpoint (Luang Nam Tha Province)
Payment is made online at the time of application. E-visa fees are non-refundable. You will need:
- A scan of your passport and a recent color passport photo (without glasses, taken within the last 6 months).
- Fill out the form.
- Pay the visa fee. Once the application is completed, a response will be sent to the applicant by email within 3 business days. You must print the approval letter and present it upon arrival. The electronic visa for Laos is valid for 60 days from the date of approval; the online application cannot be made more than two months before the return date. The authorized stay duration is a maximum of 30 days.
Classic Visa
You can obtain a classic tourist visa from the Laos embassies or the nearest consular authority. Click here for the contact details of the consular authorities in France, Belgium, Switzerland, Canada, Luxembourg, etc. (Link to useful addresses section). If you enter Laos via a land border post from Vietnam, Cambodia, or Thailand, you must obtain your visa affixed in your passport before departing for Laos. Normally, the visa costs 40 euros, and you need to provide one or two passport-sized photos, depending on the case. You can obtain the visa within 4 to 10 days after submitting the application if you go directly to the embassy to receive your passport and visa. If you choose to receive the passport by mail, it takes 7 to 15 days to receive your passport and visa. The trip must take place within 3 months following the date of visa issuance.