Visa For Laos

[007]

How can one apply for a Tourist (or Transit) visa to Laos? On the official webpage of the Lao embassy Bangkok they state that one has to apply for a visa via a travel agency. Can't one do it in person?

I would like to get the visa before travelling to Laos. Or should I just get it at the Thailand-Laos border (Nong Khai)?

[Thanyaburi Mac]

How can one apply for a Tourist (or Transit) visa to Laos? On the official webpage of the Lao embassy Bangkok they state that one has to apply for a visa via a travel agency. Can't one do it in person?

I would like to get the visa before travelling to Laos. Or should I just get it at the Thailand-Laos border (Nong Khai)?

Might just as well get it at the Friendship Bridge, the Lao Visa On Arrival window on the Lao side of the bridge.  I did Sunday last week, $36 since it was a Sunday.  No problem. Don't forget one photo.

Mac

[007]

Might just as well get it at the Friendship Bridge, the Lao Visa On Arrival window on the Lao side of the bridge. I did Sunday last week, $36 since it was a Sunday. No problem. Don't forget one photo.

Mac

Cheers, Mac. Tried to find out by emailing the embassy, but no reply yet, so I guess I'll just join the queue...

[Thanyaburi Mac]

Might just as well get it at the Friendship Bridge, the Lao Visa On Arrival window on the Lao side of the bridge. I did Sunday last week, $36 since it was a Sunday. No problem. Don't forget one photo.

Mac

Cheers, Mac. Tried to find out by emailing the embassy, but no reply yet, so I guess I'll just join the queue...

queue?  Sort of depends on luck, whether or not you arrive before or after a bus load or three of folks arrive from Nong Khai or Udorn.  I was semi lucky, zero queue at the Visa On Arrival window but then three buses showed up for the walk-through visa lines.

Got sort of lucky, tho, there were four of us for the ride into Vientiane.  One of the taxi touts came up and said baht 400 for the run, whereas I usually pay baht 250, but then there's usually just the wife & I.  He said he had a van, I said OK.  He grabbed our passports and split across the road to the Lao immigration booth that handles the folks going through via car.  Wow, five minutes we were on our way downtown via the new semi 4-lane road past Chinamo.

Mac

[cali4995]

How can one apply for a Tourist (or Transit) visa to Laos? On the official webpage of the Lao embassy Bangkok they state that one has to apply for a visa via a travel agency. Can't one do it in person?

I would like to get the visa before travelling to Laos. Or should I just get it at the Thailand-Laos border (Nong Khai)?

007, I think you may have misread that. The embassy can issue you a

visa directly but according to the website there is a 200 baht express

fee for same hour service. The other advantage to this is that you can

take the udon-vientiane international bus if you already have a visa.

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Visa processing should be made through an eligible tour company which

has a contract with a tour company in the Lao PDR or directly through

the Lao Embassy or Consulate in many countries such as France, Russia,

Sweden, USA, Poland, Germany, Cuba, Japan, Singapore, Brunei,

The Philippines, China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, Indonesia,

Thailand, India, Australia and USA.

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The other thing, they're currently giving 30 days not 15 on the tourist visas.

I think "technocracy" is our Laos specialist. He's got some pinned stuff in the

southeast asia forum. I'm going right after the new year and I just might stay

a few months. Apparently, you can just cross over the border and repeat for

the visa, much like the old days in Thailand. I'm ready for a little change.

Edited December 22, 2007 by cali4995

[altman]

The other thing, they're currently giving 30 days not 15 on the tourist visas.

I think "technocracy" is our Laos specialist. He's got some pinned stuff in the

southeast asia forum. I'm going right after the new year and I just might stay

a few months. Apparently, you can just cross over the border and repeat for

the visa, much like the old days in Thailand. I'm ready for a little change.

i was thinking of doing this 30 day and renew process in laos for a long term stay but then i thought that if you have to cross over into thailand wouldn't you just bump up against the thai 90 days in 6 months rule for VOA? but then i thought that it is, 90 days and not 3 stamps, so maybe it will work.

while i may not have made my point clearly, does anyone have experience with the current thai VOA rules and lao visa renewals? multiple crossings over a multi month period for the purpose of extending a lao stay?

[cali4995]

To my knowledge, Laos does not have multi-entry tourist visas. I think it

is possible to get a two month extension on this 30 day visa. Yes, as you

pointed out, you need to allow yourself some remaining visa exempt days

in Thailand, even if only for the silly border crossings. But then Laos has

borders with other countries doesn't it? So I guess you always have options.

[sjaak327]

visa on arrival indeed is 30 days, fee depends on nationality. To extend your stay in Laos, just cross the border with Thailand, come right back and get another 30 days. No such thing as multiple entry tourists visas for Laos, you could try and get a business visa, those have multiple entry, but requires additional paper work.

Regarding other countries and doing border runs, this might work, but for Vietnam and China you do need to have a visa in advance, Cambodia might work, but then you will need a Lao visa on advance as well, as at that border, visa on arrival are not available.