Laos visa and entry requirements 2026: e-visa, visa on arrival, borders and how to get there

Of all the countries we travel to, Laos has the most out-of-date advice online. Blogs still say Spain and Sweden are visa-free, lookalike sites sell the e-visa at a mark-up, and guides still describe the paper arrival card that went in 2025. Where even official sources disagree, this page says so.

Visa rules by nationality

None of these 13 nationalities is visa-exempt. You choose between the e-visa and a visa on arrival (VOA), and both give a single-entry, 30-day tourist stay.

The e-visa fees come from the official portal's fee calculator (read 24 September 2026), plus bank charges. The VOA figures are softer. Neither the Lao Immigration Department nor the e-visa portal publishes a VOA fee table, and an old table by nationality (US$30 to US$42) still circulates. Germany's Foreign Office gives US$40 (September 2026), and recent traveller reports from Huay Xai and Vientiane's train station also say US$40. Carry US$40 in clean notes plus a little spare.

Spain and Sweden had a temporary 15-day exemption for "Visit Laos Year", which ended on 31 December 2024. Both need a visa now.

The official e-visa portal's country list flags India (and Nepal) as "watchlist", which Western countries don't carry. The portal doesn't say what the flag means, and we found no official explanation. Indian travellers can still use either route. Apply early (or use a VOA at an airport) and carry a hotel booking and return ticket.

The e-visa, step by step

The only official site is laoevisa.gov.la, run by the Consular Department of the Lao Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Scam warning: lookalike sites such as laos-evisa.com and evisagov.la charge more than the official US$50. Type the address in yourself rather than clicking a search result.

1. Go to laoevisa.gov.la and click "Apply eVisa".
2. Fill in the form. Upload a 4x6 cm colour photo taken in the last 6 months (plain white background, neutral expression, passport style) and a scan of your passport photo page with the two machine-readable lines at the bottom clearly visible.
3. Pay online by card (Visa, Mastercard, JCB, Amex, UnionPay) or WeChat Pay or Alipay. The fee is non-refundable "under any circumstances", so check your passport number twice.
4. The approval letter arrives by email. Processing takes 3 working days, and morning applications (Lao time, GMT+7) can be processed the same day. The UK Foreign Office suggests applying at least 5 days ahead.
5. Print the letter. Black and white is fine if the QR code is readable.
6. Show it at one of the 9 entry points below.

The portal's FAQ still says approval letters are valid for 60 days. Since around April 2026, though, approval emails have reportedly carried a notice from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs extending this to 180 days as a temporary measure that can change without notice (VisasNews, September 2026). Go by the date on your own letter. The stay is still 30 days.

Where the e-visa works

Most e-visa problems happen at borders that don't accept it. Only these 9 do:

It does not work at Friendship Bridge III (Nakhon Phanom to Thakhek), Vang Tao (Chong Mek to Pakse), or any Vietnam or Cambodia crossing. Khamsavath station has accepted the e-visa since February 2025 (Seat61), and the Lao Immigration Department's checkpoint list shows both the e-visa and the VOA there.

Visa on arrival

You can get a VOA at the three international airports (Vientiane, Luang Prabang, Pakse) and at most main land borders. The Lao Immigration Department's checkpoint list at immigration.gov.la shows which crossings offer it.

• Fill in the visa form at the counter, with your first hotel's name and address. We found no official rule that you must show a booking, but keep your first night's confirmation on your phone.
• Hand over your passport (6+ months' validity), a passport photo and the fee. Sources differ on 1 or 2 photos, so bring 2. If you have none, you'll usually pay about US$1 to have one scanned.
• Pay in clean US dollar notes. Thai baht (around 1,800 to 2,000 THB) works out worse.
• There's an "overtime" fee of about US$1 on weekends, public holidays, and before 8am or after 4pm on weekdays. Some land borders charge 10,000 kip after 4pm instead.

There's no VOA at Boten railway station. The Lao Immigration Department lists only the e-visa at its Laos-China Railway checkpoint, and Seat61 (June 2026) agrees, so get the e-visa before you board in China. The Boten road checkpoint does list a VOA.

How long you can stay, and extensions

You get 30 days from arrival (the rule since 1 January 2025). The UK Foreign Office says you can extend twice while in Laos, for up to 60 extra days in total, at the Immigration Department in Vientiane or a provincial immigration office. The Immigration Department's own fees are 20,000 kip a day plus 40,000 kip for the form and service each time. Apply at least 3 days before your stay runs out, bring your passport and a 3x4 cm photo, and allow 1 to 2 working days. Agents charge more. Visa-exempt visitors normally can't extend.

Germany's Foreign Office puts the overstay fine at US$10 a day and warns of possible arrest or deportation. The UK Foreign Office also warns that if you don't extend within 90 days, you face a fine worth US$2,000 in kip, deportation and a ban on returning.

The LDIF digital arrival form

The Lao Digital Immigration Form (LDIF) replaced paper arrival and departure cards on 1 September 2025. It's free, and it isn't a visa, so you need one of those as well.

1. Within 3 days before you arrive, go to the official immigration portal, immigration.gov.la, click "Submit Online" and choose "Arrival Register".
2. Pick your arrival checkpoint and date, then enter your personal details, phone number and passport details, and upload a photo of your passport. It also asks your purpose of visit, how you're travelling and from where, and if you're on a group tour. Visa details and a few extra questions follow on later screens.
3. Submit and save the QR code (a screenshot works; a printout is a good backup).
4. Immigration scans the code when you arrive.
5. Fill it in again within 3 days before you leave Laos.

It's enforced at Vientiane, Luang Prabang and Pakse airports and Friendship Bridge I. On 24 September 2026 these were still the only four arrival checkpoints the form offered, so at other crossings follow what the immigration officers ask for. The real form is free; paid lookalike sites exist.

Passport, onward ticket and hotel bookings

Your passport needs at least 6 months' validity from arrival and 2 blank pages, and the UK Foreign Office says airlines enforce the blank-page rule at check-in. Canada's advice counts the six months from your departure date instead, so a passport with more than six months left when you leave covers both. You need a valid entry stamp to leave, so check it at the counter. An onward ticket isn't on the UK or Canadian government lists, but airlines set their own check-in rules and some ask for proof of onward travel, so keep your onward ticket and first hotel booking on your phone. Hotels register guests with the police, you should carry your passport at all times, and you should never leave it as a motorbike rental deposit.

On 12 May 2026 the Tourism Police Department told tour operators to attach confirmed hotel bookings for every night to group entry applications. Despite some headlines, it doesn't apply to independent travellers.

Laos-China Railway tickets and security

The Laos-China Railway runs from Vientiane through Vang Vieng, Luang Prabang, Muang Xay and Luang Namtha to Boten. The Vientiane to Luang Prabang express takes about 2 hours. A few rules catch people out:

• Tickets carry your name and passport number. Bring the original passport, because ID is checked at the gate.
• Domestic tickets are released only a few days ahead (reports say 3 to 7, and opening times vary, so check the app). Fares rose about 9% on 1 April 2026. High-season trains sell out, so book as soon as sales open.
• Buy on the LCR Ticket app (Seat61 says you can now register with an email address and pay by Visa card), at stations and town ticket offices, or via resellers such as 12go, Baolau and Bookaway.
• Security is like an airport's. Knives, lighters, aerosol deodorant and hand sanitiser get confiscated. Arrive 45 to 60 minutes early.
• Since the 1 April 2026 rise, Tourism Laos lists the Vientiane to Luang Prabang fast train at about 360,000 kip in 2nd class, 569,000 kip in 1st and 1,063,000 kip in business. Fares change, so check the LCR Ticket app or the station before you go.

The international Kunming to Vientiane train (D887 and D888) takes about 10 and a half hours, with border checks at Mohan and Boten and all luggage off the train. Our Laos itinerary guide shows how the railway fits into a route.

How to get to Laos: flights

There are no direct long-haul flights from Europe, North America, Australia or India. The main airports are Vientiane (VTE), Luang Prabang (LPQ) and Pakse (PKZ).

Bangkok is the easiest hub, about 1 to 2 hours away. Typical one-way fares on Kayak (indicative, checked 24 Sep 2026):

Kayak lists Kunming to Vientiane as the busiest direct route to Vientiane, but it showed no fare summary for it. Prices move with dates and demand.

Thai Smile is now part of Thai Airways, so book under the Thai name.

Overland from Thailand, including the slow boat

Crossing from Thailand is the classic way in, and usually the cheapest. Start with the Thai side. All the passports above get 30 days visa-free in Thailand for entries from 15 September 2026 (it was 60 days before), and Thailand now limits visa-exempt entries by land to 2 per calendar year. If you're planning a Thailand, Laos and back to Thailand loop, count your land crossings or fly back in. You also need Thailand's free digital arrival card (TDAC), filled in within 3 days before you enter. Our Thailand visa guide has the details.

Bangkok to Vientiane by train

A direct sleeper has run since 19 July 2024. Train 133 leaves Bangkok Krung Thep Aphiwat at 21:25 and reaches Khamsavath at 09:05. Train 134 leaves Khamsavath at 18:25 and gets to Bangkok at 07:20 the next morning. Seat61 (2026) lists 2nd-class sleeper berths at 574 to 874 baht, a 2nd-class air-con seat at 574 baht and 3rd class at 281 baht. Book on the SRT D-Ticket app up to 180 days ahead, or through resellers.

Lao immigration is at Khamsavath station, not on the bridge, and travellers report the VOA taking about 10 minutes at US$40 cash. There's no exchange booth, so arrive with dollars. Leaving by train, you pay a 10,000 kip exit fee in cash (Seat61). Vientiane is about 7 km away by tuk-tuk or taxi.

The other easy option is an international bus from Nong Khai or Udon Thani over Friendship Bridge I, where the e-visa, VOA and LDIF all apply.

Chiang Khong to Huay Xai and the slow boat

This is what most people mean by "the slow boat to Laos". You cross Friendship Bridge IV from Chiang Khong, where both the e-visa and the VOA are accepted. The bridge is about 10 km from Huay Xai town and the pier, so you'll need a tuk-tuk.

The boat then spends two days on the Mekong to Luang Prabang. It leaves Huay Xai in the morning (reported times range from about 09:00 to 11:00, so check the day before), and each day is 6 to 8 hours on the river, with a night in Pakbeng that isn't included in the fare. Recent 2026 sources give about 400,000 to 500,000 kip for the full trip, and one reports prices rising with fuel costs. Payment is cash only, and Pakbeng has few or no ATMs.

Huay Xai and the bridge are in Bokeo province, where Canada advises avoiding non-essential travel within 10 km of the Thai and Myanmar borders, the UK asks for extreme caution and Germany advises against travel to Bokeo and Sainyabuli. Read the health and safety section below before you book.

Our Thailand & Laos Slow Boat trip flies from Chiang Mai to Luang Prabang instead of taking the boat.

From Vietnam, the Lao Immigration Department lists a VOA only at Dansavanh (Lao Bao). Its list shows neither the VOA nor the e-visa at the other Vietnam crossings, including Nam Phao (Cau Treo), Nam Kan (Nam Can), Namsoy (Na Meo) and Panghok (Tay Trang), so get a visa from a Lao embassy before using them. From China, take the Kunming train with your e-visa already approved.

Health and safety

UK travel health advice recommends routine vaccines, hepatitis A and typhoid for everyone, and sometimes hepatitis B, Japanese encephalitis or rabies. The US CDC and the Canadian government say no yellow fever vaccine is needed to enter Laos. Some older lists say a certificate is needed if you arrive from a country with yellow fever risk, so carry proof if that applies to you. The UK Foreign Office suggests seeing a clinic at least 8 weeks before you go.

Malaria isn't transmitted in Vientiane or Luang Prabang cities. The risk is in the southern provinces of Attapeu, Champasak, Khammouane, Salavan, Savannakhet and Sekong (including the Thakhek Loop and 4,000 Islands), where the US CDC recommends antimalarial tablets. In the north, bite avoidance is usually enough, though UK and US advice differ, so ask your clinic. Dengue is present all year.

Unexploded ordnance (UXO) still kills and injures people every year, especially in Xieng Khouang (the Plain of Jars), Houaphanh and along the old Ho Chi Minh Trail in the south. Stay on main routes and marked paths, and never pick up metal objects.

In November 2024, six foreign tourists died after a night out in Vang Vieng, in a case linked to methanol in spirits. Lao authorities have banned the sale of Tiger Vodka and Tiger Whisky (UK Foreign Office), and in July 2026 they said they couldn't formally establish the cause of death because the families hadn't allowed autopsies. Skip free shots and unbranded spirits.

Medical care can be basic, with no reliable facilities outside the capital (UK Foreign Office). Serious cases go to Thailand (Udon Thani, Nong Khai or Bangkok) and hospitals may want payment upfront, so get insurance that covers medical evacuation and repatriation. The ambulance number is 1195; bogus services have been reported, so check responders wear official uniform.

Government advice differs by region and by country, so read your own:

• UK (page updated 13 August 2026): against all but essential travel to Xaisomboun Province. Be extremely cautious in Bokeo, especially near the Myanmar and Thai borders and around the Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone (SEZ).
• Canada (page last updated 26 May 2026; checked 6 October 2026): avoid non-essential travel to Xaisomboun, and to anywhere in Bokeo within 10 km of the Myanmar and Thai borders (except Bokeo International Airport and Road 3) or in the Golden Triangle SEZ. The advisory doesn't name Huay Xai or the Friendship Bridge IV crossing, so read it against a map before you go.
• Germany (as of 6 October 2026): avoid trips into Bokeo and Sainyabuli provinces, and trips near the border strip with Cambodia.
• Australia: exercise a high degree of caution in Laos overall, citing crime and the risk of methanol poisoning, with higher levels in some areas (from search results; the page timed out on our check).
• US (advisory issued 28 July 2026): Level 2, "exercise increased caution", with Xaisomboun at Level 3. It warns against the SEZs, especially the Golden Triangle SEZ in Bokeo and the Boten SEZ (scam centres, trafficking, kidnapping). The US site blocked our checks, so this comes from search results; check it yourself.
• Ireland: against all but essential travel to Xaisomboun, and care along the Lao-Thai border and on some roads (Routes 6, 7 and 13) after armed attacks (from search results; the site blocked our checks).

In the May to October monsoon, floods and landslides make river trips and tubing riskier.

Customs and what not to bring

Laos has zero tolerance for drugs, cannabis and Vang Vieng's "happy" menu items included. Possession can mean a long prison sentence, and trafficking can carry the death penalty.

Each adult can bring in 2 litres of spirits, 3 litres of wine, 5 litres of beer, 200 cigarettes (or 50 cigars or 250 g of tobacco) and perfume for personal use.

Since March 2026 you can bring in or take out up to US$10,000 in cash (or the equivalent) without declaring it. Above that, declare it to customs on arrival, and you need Bank of the Lao PDR approval to take more out (Bank decision 140/BOL, reported by the law firm VDB Loi). Germany's Foreign Office gives the same US$10,000 figure and says you can't take kip in or out of the country.

The UK Foreign Office says some medicines have a different legal status in Laos, and we found no published Lao list of controlled medicines or a permit process for travellers. Codeine, pseudoephedrine, strong painkillers and ADHD stimulants may be controlled. Bring only what you need, with a prescription listing generic names, and ask a Lao embassy before you travel.

Drones over 200 g need a licence. The government's Lao Trade Portal says you first get a frequency certificate, then a permit from the Department of Civil Aviation, with fees of 50,000 and 100,000 kip. It's a paper process, so unless you've arranged it well ahead, leave the drone at home.

Vapes, e-cigarettes, heated tobacco and shisha have been banned in Laos since the 2021 amendments to the tobacco control law, and you can be fined or jailed for having or importing them (UK Foreign Office; Canada and Germany say the same). Thailand bans them too, so leave vapes at home.

Buddha images and antiques over 50 years old need an export permit.

Money, plugs and SIM cards

The currency is the Lao kip (LAK), which traded at about 22,000 to 22,700 to US$1 in 2026 (check the day's rate). Bring clean US dollar notes for the visa and some Thai baht, which is taken in Vientiane and near the border at poor rates. Cards often carry a 2 to 5% surcharge, so pay mostly in cash.

BCEL ATMs allow about 2,000,000 to 2,500,000 kip per withdrawal for a fee of about 30,000 kip. Other banks charge 20,000 to 50,000 kip, on top of your home bank's fees. Pakbeng, Nong Khiaw and the 4,000 Islands have few or no ATMs, so take out cash before the slow boat.

Power is 230 V, 50 Hz. Sockets take plug types A, B and C, so UK travellers need an adapter.

Unitel has the best coverage (others are Lao Telecom, TPLUS and ETL). Airport SIM desks in Vientiane and Luang Prabang scan your physical passport and take your photo, and about 30 GB for 30 days costs around 125,000 kip. eSIMs such as Airalo, Saily and Yesim start at about US$5.

For the rest of your bag, see our Southeast Asia packing list.

Recent changes

See Laos in a small group

Our Laos trips are for solo travellers aged 18 to 40. I host every departure in person as your Trip Host, with a licensed local agency and licensed local guide on the ground. You still arrange your own Laos visa and LDIF form before you travel.

See all Laos group trips.

Keep planning

• Laos travel guide
• Laos itinerary
• Luang Prabang
• Vang Vieng
• Thailand visa guide