Cocos (Keeling) Islands → Laos: Short-stay tourist

If your nationality isn't on Laos' visa-exemption list (see the exemption note, where it applies), you need a visa. The Department of Immigration says most travellers can get a visa on arrival at major entry points such as international airports and border crossings, up to 30 days, extendable once, or can apply in advance at a Lao embassy or consulate (its page says a tourist visa there can allow up to 60 days). If your nationality is eligible you can also apply online, for tourism only, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' e-visa portal at laoevisa.gov.la. The pages this checklist draws on don't list the documents or fee for a visa on arrival or an embassy visa, so the rest of this checklist follows the e-visa route, the one whose requirements are published in detail.

Source: Department of Immigration, Lao PDR

A photo 4 x 6 cm, in colour, taken within the last 6 months, on a plain white background with no shadows, facing the camera with a neutral expression and both eyes open.

Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Lao PDR (Lao eVisa portal)

Upload a colour scan of your passport's photo page, the whole page, including the two machine-readable lines at the bottom.

Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Lao PDR (Lao eVisa portal)

An ordinary passport (the e-visa portal doesn't accept temporary, emergency, special or other passport types), valid for at least 6 months from the day you arrive in Laos, the portal's FAQ words it as more than 180 days, with at least one blank page for the entry sticker and the immigration stamp, and space for your return trip.

Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Lao PDR (Lao eVisa portal)

Paid online as the last step of your application. The portal has a fee calculator: choose your nationality as shown in your passport to see the fee per applicant (it excludes bank charges). The fee is non-refundable under any circumstances. Accepted payment methods: Visa, MasterCard, JCB, American Express, WeChat Pay, Alipay and UnionPay.

Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Lao PDR (Lao eVisa portal)

The Department of Immigration doesn't list a fee or documents for a visa on arrival. The Lao Embassy in Tokyo's visa page says a visa on arrival costs US$50 and needs two photos (5 cm tall by 3 cm wide). That page is written for travellers from Japan, so confirm the current fee for your own nationality with a Lao embassy or at the checkpoint.

Source: Embassy of the Lao PDR in Japan

Apply at laoevisa.gov.la: enter your email and the security code, type in the verification code the site emails you, then fill in your personal and travel details, upload your documents, review and pay. Only tourist visas are available online. The e-visa is single-entry, allows a 30-day stay counted from the day you arrive, and its approval letter is valid for entry for up to 60 days after you receive it. Children and infants need a visa too, and a group of up to 20 people can apply on one invoice. The portal says additional documents may be required but doesn't say which.

Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Lao PDR (Lao eVisa portal)

The e-visa is currently available for tourist visas only. You must obey Lao law and may not do any other kind of work, paid or unpaid, during your visit.

Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Lao PDR (Lao eVisa portal)

An e-visa works only at nine ports: Wattay International Airport and Lao-Thai Friendship Bridge I (both Vientiane); Luang Prabang International Airport; Lao-Thai Friendship Bridge II (Savannakhet); Pakse International Airport; Lao-Thai Friendship Bridge IV (Bokeo); Boten International Checkpoint and Boten Railway Station (Luang Namtha); and Khamsavath Railway Station (Vientiane). You can use any of them, not only the one on your application. If you arrive at any other port you must apply for a visa on arrival instead, and the e-visa fee isn't refunded.

Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Lao PDR (Lao eVisa portal)

Register online through the Lao Digital Immigration Form at immigration.gov.la before you enter or leave Laos. The Department of Immigration says all foreign nationals and stateless people travelling on a passport must do this, starting on 1 September 2025 at Wattay, Luang Prabang and Pakse airports and Lao-Thai Friendship Bridge I. It applies to visa-exempt travellers too.

Source: Department of Immigration, Lao PDR

When your application is approved, an approval letter from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is emailed to you. Print it (one copy is enough, and black and white is fine if the QR code is legible) and show it with your passport at the immigration desk, without it, your entry will be denied. Your visa sticker is issued on arrival, in the dedicated e-visa lane.

Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Lao PDR (Lao eVisa portal)

An e-visa usually takes 3 working days after you submit the application and pay, if your information meets the criteria, otherwise longer. Applications made in the morning (Lao time, GMT+7) are handled the same day, afternoon ones the next day, and processing can take longer around Lao public holidays, when the Consular Department is closed.

Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Lao PDR (Lao eVisa portal)

The portal is available in English and Chinese, but everything you enter must be in English. Answers in another language can delay approval or lead to rejection.

Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Lao PDR (Lao eVisa portal)

The Department of Immigration's visa-exemption list is dated 12 October 2022, and Laos has changed some arrangements since, for example, the Lao Embassy in Tokyo says Japanese nationals can stay up to 30 days without a visa from 1 June 2025. If you think your country might now be exempt, ask a Lao embassy or consulate before you pay for a visa.

Source: Embassy of the Lao PDR in Japan

The Lao e-visa FAQ says all applicants, including children and infants, must have a visa to enter the Lao PDR.

Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Lao PDR (Lao eVisa portal)