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Southeast Asia · 17.98° N · 102.63° E

Laos visa and entry requirements

The Lao eVisa allows a single 30-day tourist stay, but only if you enter through one of nine designated airports, bridges or railway stations. Elsewhere, it is not recognised.

Verified on laoevisa.gov.la · October 21, 2026

Key facts

Authorisation
Lao PDR eVisa (Tourist, single entry, 30 days)
Stay
30 days · Single entry
Validity
60 days from issue
Authority processing
Up to 3 business days
Passport
6 months beyond arrival

The portal only accepts applications between 60 and 5 days before arrival. Allow 3 working days of processing; an application paid in the afternoon, Lao time, is counted from the next working day.

With your passport

E-visa or visa on arrival

Visa on arrival, or online before you fly

With a Macao passport you can get your visa at the border, or apply online before you fly and skip the visa counter on arrival.

Standard

Filed within 24 hours

Rush

Filed within 4 hours, front of the queue

Apply now

Your typical itinerary

  1. Today
  2. Filed on the official portal
  3. Authority decision
  4. Delivery

Dates calculated for the Standard service, from a payment made today.

The Lao PDR eVisa is issued by the Lao Department of Immigration on laoevisa.gov.la. It accepts ordinary passports only. You confirm your email with a 4-digit code, fill in the form, upload a 4 x 6 photo taken within the last 6 months and a scan of the whole passport bio page, and pay. The official fee calculator gives a total of USD 50 per applicant for French, British and US passports, excluding the bank charge added at payment; the amount depends on nationality. The approval letter is emailed as a PDF. Print it and use it within 60 days. At one of the nine eVisa checkpoints, the officer stamps you in for up to 30 days.

Most visited cities

  • 19.89° N · 102.13° E

    Luang Prabang

    The UNESCO-listed former royal capital is known for its temples, the morning alms round and its Mekong riverside.

  • 17.98° N · 102.63° E

    Vientiane

    The capital on the Mekong is visited for Pha That Luang, the Patuxai monument and its riverside markets.

  • 18.92° N · 102.45° E

    Vang Vieng

    The town on the Nam Song river is visited for its karst scenery, caves, kayaking and hot-air balloon flights.

Photo credits: Luang Prabang — Basile Morin, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Vientiane — Jakub Hałun, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Vang Vieng — Basile Morin, CC BY-SA 4.0

Documents you need

Your passport scan covers most of the form. These are the files the official portal asks for.

  • Passport-style photo

    Colour, taken within 6 months, plain white background, neutral expression, eyes open, no shadows/glare; ICAO 4x6 cm proportions (portal cropper); JPG/JPEG/PNG under 10 MB.

    Required
  • Passport bio-data page

    Full page including the two MRZ lines, no glare; JPG/JPEG/PNG under 10 MB.

    Required

How it works

From scan to payment in under 60 seconds.

  1. 01

    Scan your passport

    Point your phone at the photo page or upload it. We read it in seconds — nothing to type.

  2. 02

    See the full price, then pay

    Service fee and government fee are shown before you pay. No account needed, just your email.

  3. 03

    Answer what’s left

    Only the official questions your passport did not answer. Saved as you go; finishing them is what lets us file.

  4. 04

    Track it to your inbox

    We file on the official portal, follow up with the authority and send you the approved document.

Entry rules at the border

Passport
6 months beyond arrivalOrdinary passport valid more than 6 months from your arrival date. Diplomatic and official passports cannot use the eVisa.
Blank pages
1 blank pageThe eVisa terms require at least one blank page for the entry permission sticker; the UK government advises two blank pages, which airlines may check before boarding.
Onward ticket
May be askedNot uploaded, but the immigration officer may ask how and when you are leaving Laos.
Vaccinations
No vaccination requiredNo yellow fever certificate is required to enter Laos, whatever country you arrive from, and no other vaccination is required for entry. Visitors staying 4 weeks or more may be asked, when they leave, for proof of polio vaccination given 4 weeks to 12 months earlier; without it they may be vaccinated on departure.
Insurance
RecommendedNot required. Cover with medical evacuation is advised: serious cases are often transferred to Thailand.
Ports of entry
Only nine checkpoints accept the eVisa: Wattay (Vientiane), Luang Prabang and Pakse international airports; Lao–Thai Friendship Bridges I (Vientiane), II (Savannakhet) and IV (Bokeo); the Boten road checkpoint and Boten railway station (Luang Namtha); and Khamsavath railway station (Vientiane).

Carry a printed copy of your authorisation

Also good to know

  • Entering through any other checkpoint means buying a visa on arrival there; the eVisa fee is not refunded.
  • The Lao Digital Immigration Form (LDIF) replaces paper arrival and departure cards at Wattay, Luang Prabang and Pakse airports and Friendship Bridge I; complete it online within the 3 days before arrival and again before departure.

Why applications get refused — and what we check

Photo with shadows or a coloured background

The portal's cropper applies ICAO 4 x 6 proportions and expects a plain white background, neutral expression and no glare. Holiday snapshots and photos with shadows are sent back.

What we checkWe check the white background, the absence of shadows and reflections on glasses, and that the photo was taken within the last 6 months, before cropping it in the portal's format.

Passport scan without the MRZ

The scan must show the full bio page including both machine-readable lines. A cropped or glaring image prevents the data from being matched.

What we checkWe upload a full-page scan with both MRZ lines readable and compare the typed data with it character by character.

Ineligible passport

Only ordinary passports of eligible nationalities can use the eVisa. Diplomatic, service and some travel documents are refused regardless of the rest of the file.

What we checkWe check the passport type and your nationality against the portal's list before filing, and send you to the embassy route when the eVisa is not open to you.

Dates outside the application window

An arrival more than 60 days away, or less than 5 days away, falls outside what the portal accepts. A wrong arrival date can also make the approval letter expire before the trip.

What we checkWe time the filing between 60 and 5 days before arrival and check that the letter will still be within its 60-day validity on the day you enter.

What if…

Real situations our agents handle, and what to do.

I plan to cross from Vietnam overland.
None of the land crossings with Vietnam is on the eVisa list. Either obtain a visa on arrival at that border, paying its fee in cash, or route your trip through one of the nine eVisa checkpoints. An unused eVisa is not refunded.
I take the train from Kunming to Luang Prabang.
The eVisa is accepted at Boten railway station, where trains from China clear Lao immigration. Keep the printed approval letter and your passport at hand on the train: the check happens at Boten, before you continue south.
I want to stay longer than 30 days.
Since January 2025, a tourist stay can be extended twice inside Laos, for up to 60 extra days in total, at the Immigration Department in Vientiane or at provincial immigration offices, before your stay expires. Overstay is charged per day when you leave, so apply before your 30 days end.
I paid late in the afternoon and my flight is in four working days.
Payments made in the afternoon, Lao time, are counted from the next working day, so the 3 working days may end just before your departure. Keep the status page open and prepare to buy a visa on arrival if you enter through a checkpoint that offers it.
We are a family of six.
Each person, infants included, needs their own eVisa with their own photo and passport scan. The portal lets you group up to 20 applications under one payment, which keeps the family's files together.

Questions travellers ask

Where can I enter Laos with the eVisa?
Only at Wattay, Luang Prabang and Pakse airports, Friendship Bridges I, II and IV with Thailand, the Boten road checkpoint and railway station, and Khamsavath railway station in Vientiane. Every other border requires a visa on arrival.
Can I use the eVisa on the Laos–China railway?
Yes. Boten railway station, on the China border, is an eVisa checkpoint for trains arriving from Kunming. Khamsavath station in Vientiane is also on the list for trains from Nong Khai in Thailand.
How much is the government fee?
It depends on your passport. The official calculator on laoevisa.gov.la gives USD 50 per applicant for French, British and US passports, excluding the bank charge added at payment. Check the calculator for your own nationality before paying; the fee is not refundable.
When can I submit my application?
No earlier than 60 days and no later than 5 days before your arrival date. Within that window, allow 3 working days of processing, plus a day if you pay in the afternoon, Lao time.
How long is the approval letter valid?
You must enter Laos within 60 days of the approval. Your 30 days of stay then run from the date you are stamped in, not from the issue date.
Why does the form not open after I enter my email?
The portal first sends a 4-digit verification code to your email address. The form only unlocks once you enter it, so check your spam folder if the code does not arrive.
Can I pay for the whole family at once?
Yes. Up to 20 applicants can be grouped in one payment. Each person, including infants, still receives an individual eVisa linked to their own passport.
Should I print the approval letter?
Yes. The letter arrives as a PDF by email. Print it and show it with your passport at the checkpoint, whether you arrive at Wattay airport or by road across Friendship Bridge I. Keep a digital copy as a backup.
Is a visa on arrival still possible?
Yes, at most international checkpoints, with a fee paid in cash that depends on your nationality. The eVisa avoids the queue at Wattay or Luang Prabang and is the only option prepared before travel.
Can I extend my eVisa stay?
Yes. Since January 2025, tourist stays can be extended twice, for up to 60 extra days in total, at the Immigration Department in Vientiane or at provincial immigration offices, before the 30 days run out. Do it before your last day: overstay fines are counted per day at exit.
Can I use the eVisa with a diplomatic passport?
No. The Lao eVisa is limited to ordinary passports. Diplomatic and service passport holders must contact a Lao embassy or check the bilateral agreements that apply to them.

Other passports

The requirements above are for a Macao passport. For another passport, change it in the price column or see the list.

Entry without a visaSee the 22 passportsPassports22Stay14 to 30 daysGovernment feeNoneProcessingNone

22 passports enter Laos without a visa, for stays of 14 to 30 days. Nothing has to be filed before the flight to Laos: the passport is stamped at the border. What trips people up: Laos wants the passport valid 6 more months from the arrival date.

Visa on arrivalSee the 148 passportsPassports148StayUp to 30 daysGovernment fee$50ProcessingUp to 3 business days
Your passport is in this group

148 passports get the visa at the border in Laos. The e-visa can be filed online instead, to skip the visa counter when landing in Laos. What trips people up: border officers in Laos can ask for a return or onward ticket.

Visa from an embassySee the 28 passportsPassports28Stay—Government fee—ProcessingSet by the consulate

28 passports need a visa from an embassy or consulate of Laos before travelling. Visaska does not file these visas: each consulate of Laos sets its own documents and delays, so book the appointment early.

Visaska is a private company, unaffiliated with any government. You can apply directly with the authorities at laoevisa.gov.la.

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