Visa Exemption

Laos visa exemption is granted to many countries including all ASEAN member countries and some non-ASEAN nations that have entered into mutual agreements as well as some former USSR countries.

In an effort to promote tourism during the Visit Laos Year 2018, the Government of Lao PDR announced that it will grant visa exemption to citizens of the following Scandinavian countries, Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden.

The exemption is effective for a period of one year, from January 1 to December 31, 2018. The ordinary passport holders of these countries can enter Lao visa free and can stay in Laos for up to 15 days. 

Laos also extends privileges to Laotians (Lao people) residing abroad who hold foreign passports by lowering the visa fee or in some case charging no fee, and allowing them to stay longer. Read more >>

For some countries the visa free scheme applies to all type of passports (Diplomatic, Official and Ordinary passport), while for others it only applicable to certain type of passports. The length of stay ranges from 14-90 days depending on the countries.



Followings are lists of countries with which Laos has reached mutual agreements on Laos visa exemption. (Lao passport holders can enter these countries visa-free and these countries' passport holders can enter Laos visa-free, same conditions apply)

Passport holders of the following countries are entitled Lao visa exemption

.. Country Passport Type Days of stay (Max)

ASEAN Countries
1   Brunei Diplomatic/Official 14
Ordinary 14
2   Cambodia Diplomatic/Official 90
Ordinary 30
3   Indonesia Diplomatic/Official 14
Ordinary 30
4   Laos - -
5   Malaysia Diplomatic/Official 30
Ordinary 30
6   Myanmar Diplomatic/Official 30
Ordinary 14
7   Philippines Diplomatic/Official 30
Ordinary 30
8   Singapore Diplomatic/Official 30
Ordinary 30
9   Thailand Diplomatic/Official 30
Ordinary 30
10   Vietnam Diplomatic/Official 30
Ordinary 30

Non-ASEAN Countries
11   Bangladesh Diplomatic/Official 30
Ordinary (Visa required)
12   Brazil Diplomatic/Official 90
Ordinary (Visa required)
13   China Diplomatic/Official Not set*
Ordinary (Visa required)
14   Cuba Diplomatic/Official 90
Ordinary (Visa required)
15   DPR Korea Diplomatic/Official Not set*
Ordinary (Visa required)
16   Hungary Diplomatic/Official 90
Ordinary (Visa required)
17   India Diplomatic/Official 30
Ordinary (Visa required)
18   Japan** Diplomatic/Official 90
Ordinary 15
19   Mongolia Diplomatic/Official 30
Ordinary 30
20   Peru Diplomatic/Official 90
Ordinary (Visa required)
21   Poland Diplomatic/Official 90
Ordinary (Visa required)
22   Russia** Diplomatic/Official 30
Ordinary 15
23   South Korea** Diplomatic/Official 90
Ordinary 15
24   Timor Leste Diplomatic/Official 30
Ordinary (Visa required)

Former USSR countries
25   Armenia Diplomatic/Official 30
26   Azerbaijan
27   Belarus
28   Estonia
29   Georgia
30   Kazakhstan
31   Kyrgyzstan
32   Latvia
33   Lithuania
34   Moldova
35   Tajikistan
36   Turkmenistan
37   Ukraine
38   Uzbekistan
39   Luxembourg Ordinary 15
40   Switzerland

*The length of stay can be as long as the length of an assignment

**Ordinary passport holders of these countries can enter Laos without a visa, but Lao ordinary passport holders don’t get the same privilege in return (they still need to get a visa to enter those countries).

If you are a citizen of one of these countries with a right passport type, you can enter Laos without having to obtain a visa. The length of stay varies as shown above.

Be reminded that in all cases your passport must not expire within the next six months from the date you enter Laos.

Natives of Laos residing abroad

Apart from the lists above, Laotians holding passports of other countries are exempt from Lao visa fee, regardless of their current nationality or citizenship status.

This program has been in place since 1 January 2011. More details below.



90-day visa 

FREE of charge (you still need to get the visa, but you are not charged a visa fee), provided that you are:

  1. 65+ years of age, or
  2. Under 15 years of age, or
  3. Monk/priest (all ages), or
  4. Physically and/or mentally disabled (all ages)
Passport with immigration stamp

If you are a Lao person and fall into one of the groups (1-4) above, you can apply for a visa FOR FREE either at Lao embassies/consulates outside Laos or at Lao international airports, or Lao international border checkpoints where visa on arrival is available.

Furthermore you can get your visa extended at immigration office in Laos FREE OF CHARGE when your 90-day visa expires should you want to stay longer.

60-day visa

FREE of charge for ALL Laotians, no age constrain, but you need to apply for the visa at Lao embassy/consulate abroad.

You can get Laos visa extension FOR FREE (at the immigration offices in Laos) should want to stay longer. Visit immigration department website

60-day visa (on arrival) - NOT FREE 

If you are a native of Laos but not fall into any of the groups (1-4) above, you'll be given 60 days permit (not the usual 30 days) when applying for Laos visa-on-arrival. Though you still need to pay the usual fee. This ranges from $20-$42 depending on your current citizenship.

However, if or when you get your visa extended at the immigration offices in Laos you will only be charged half of the fee (10,000kip/day). The full fee is 20,000kip/day (around $2.5).

Whether you chose to get your visa at the embassy or at your port of entry, you need to hold a valid passport with at least 6 months of remaining validity and provide two passport-type photos for visa processing.

Have an enjoyable trip. I hope you enjoy your privilege.


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