Getting Visas to Lao People's Democratic Republic

Nationals of the following countries are not required to get a visa to enter Laos: Brunei , Cambodia , China , East European, Korea , Malaysia , Mongolia , Philippines , Republic of Cuba , Russian Federation , Singapore , Vietnam, and Thailand .

The Embassy fees for every visa that is valid for 2 months are $50.00 for tourist single entry, $35.00 for business single entry and $65.00 single entry for those applicants who has a Laotian parent. Requirements for U.S. citizens acquiring a tourist visa are visa application form, valid passport (6 months validity), photographs passport size, copy of airlines itinerary. Tourist visa is valid for more than 15 days. For those who desire to stay up to 15 days, tourist visa can be acquired at Vientiane Airport only.

For business visa, the requirements are application form, photographs passport size, valid passport, round trip tickets, forms of credit card authorization, letter from employer stating the purpose and period of business trip, copy of evidence of travel and accommodation in the country and invitation letter from the host company in the country provided with the letter approval from the Department of Immigration in Vientiane.

The Embassy of Laos is not accepting visa applications that are applied directly by the travelers. Instead, they will call a travel agent to organize the visa stamp for the tourist. If you wish to travel to the country by land, the visa should acquire in advance and it is not obtainable upon arrival at the borders.