Getting Laos visa is easy! Apply Laos visa online and get visa stamp at arrival, or at Laos Embassy.
Although the Laos Authority is more liberalized in issuing the Laos visa to the foreign tourists, you might feel the process is very complicated if you wish to obtain the Laos visa by yourself.
Do not be surprise if you called a Laos Embassy, and they inform you to contact a travel agent to arrange the visa stamp for you. This is because they do not accept direct visa application from individual travelers (at least at the time of writing – in good faith, we believe that in the future, the Laos Embassy will accept direct application).
In the past, the Laos visa could be issued to the foreign tourists only if the package tours were purchased through one of its authorized travel agencies. Nowadays, it is not necessary to buy a package tour in order to obtain the Laos visa, but the procedures remain almost unchanged.
Many travelers or travel agents, unacquainted with the system or procedure, seem to be confused on how to get the Laos visa, and the process had been lying ambiguous for years. Here is our explanation on the procedures, costs, and validity
IT INVOLVES 2 STEPS TO OBTAIN THE LAOS VISA
Step 1: You need to have a visa approval letter that is approved by the Foreign Ministry of Laos.
Step 2: The Laos visa will be stamped onto your Passport only if you submit your application with a letter of visa approval
In other words, you need to have a letter of visa approval before you could get the Laos visa stamp from the Laos Embassy.
HOW TO GET LAO VISA:
1) Application for Letter of Visa Approval
You can do it by sending us your Passport details either by e-mail or by fax with the following information:
Last Name and First Name
Sex
Nationality
Passport Number
Date of Passport Issued
Date of Passport Expiry
Date of Birth
Occupation
Date of Arrival
We will forward your details to the Laos Authority to get the approval.
2) Getting Laos visa stamp into your Passport after receiving approval
After your Laos visa has been approved, there are 3 ways you can get the Laos visa stamp into your Passport.
2.1) Obtaining the visa stamp in your country
When your visa is approved, we will fax a copy of visa authorization to you and another copy to the Laos Embassy in your country. You can then submit your Passport, 2 photos, and 2 application forms together with our fax of visa approval to get the visa stamp. Here, the visa stamp fee is about USD 12-16 varying in different countries.
2.2) Obtaining the Laos Visa Stamp in Bangkok
Phnom Penh, Cambodia was once the Gateway to Indochina. If you were visiting Phnom Penh before your trip to Laos, you can deliver your Passport and 2 photos to us. We will submit them to the Laos Embassy to get the visa stamp for you.
2.3) Obtaining the Laos visa stamp upon Arrival in Laos
In case you do not have sufficient time to obtain the visa stamp either in your country or in Phnom Penh, you can get it upon arrival, provided you present the letter of approval to the Laos Immigration. The visa fee issued upon arrival is USD 50 per person. A return or onward ticket might also be requested.
Note: You have to be specific on where you would like to obtain the visa stamp before you start with step 1. For example, if you requested an approval with visa stamp to be done in USA, you have to stamp your visa in USA and not anywhere else.
The number of required photos and application forms and also visa fees can be varied in different country. Please check with the Laos Embassy for definite requirement.
HOW LONG IT TAKES TO GET THE LETTER OF VISA APPROVAL
Normally it takes us 2-3 working days to approve your visa after we officially submit your Passport details to the Laos Authority in Vientiane. In urgent cases, we could do it within 1 working day.
Once approved, we will fax this letter of visa approval to you; then you can obtain the visa stamp from the embassy in your country with the other required documents described above. It normally takes another 2-3 working days.
For those obtaining the visa stamp in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, it takes another 2 working days to get the visa stamp.
COST OF VISA ARRANGEMENT & FEES
There are two separated costs – Visa approval letter & Visa stamp fees
1. Costs for Visa Approval Letter
Our arrangement fee for getting the Visa Approval Letter is USD 50 per person including services and fax communications. We require pre-payment before we start visa processing, and kindly note that it is non-refundable if you change your mind not to obtain it later.
2. Cost for Laos Visa Stamp Fee
This fee has to paid separately and additional to the Embassy (or to the Immigration) for issuing the visa stamp.
In Phnom Penh, Cambodia, US$ 12 per person to Embassy
In other countries – between USD 12-16 per person to Embassy
Upon arrival at Airport/Bridge or Border points in Laos: USD 50 per person to Immigration
Note: If you have booked the package tour with us, the costs of visa approval and visa stamp fee are already included, except the one issue upon arrival.
VISA VALIDITY
You can stay up to 15 days after entry. One visa extension for another 15 days in Laos is possible.
Please note that you have to utilize the Laos visa within 2 months from the issued date, otherwise, it is expired.
