Flying Into Laos

[~G~]

I am planning to fly into Luang Prabang from Bangkok or Chiang Mai for a short stay of about one week. The idea was to get Visa on arrival.

I have spaces in my passport, for say, around 6 average size stamps, however the spaces are on different pages and none of the passport pages is completely empty.

I recall from a previous visit to Laos that the visa and the related stamps took a full passport page. Do I have to get a new passport just for that short visit (adding pages in not an option), or do they also have a visa that does not occupy the full page?

[PREM-R]

I am planning to fly into Luang Prabang from Bangkok or Chiang Mai for a short stay of about one week. The idea was to get Visa on arrival.

I have spaces in my passport, for say, around 6 average size stamps, however the spaces are on different pages and none of the passport pages is completely empty.

I recall from a previous visit to Laos that the visa and the related stamps took a full passport page. Do I have to get a new passport just for that short visit (adding pages in not an option), or do they also have a visa that does not occupy the full page?

I think you need a new passport. The Laos visa is a sticker that takes up the whole of one page and then you have the entry stamp and exit stamp from Laos plus the re-entry to Thailand.

[~G~]

The Laos visa is a sticker that takes up the whole of one page and then you have the entry stamp and exit stamp from Laos plus the re-entry to Thailand.

I have seen also non-sticker visas (I found the attached photo online), but they still take a very big space.

[sutnyod]

There is no smaller stamp (or sticker). They always take up one page. Except of course you happen to have a multiple-entry visa for Laos that is still valid?

[~G~]

Nope.

Seems like I have to get a new passport issued then. Then move my Thai Visa to the new passport in Immigration after that.

[fallingoffthemap]

I went to Laos about 5/6 months ago via Nong Khai and the couple in front of me was turned away due to lack of visa pages.

Get some extra pages inserted into your passport first - no need for a whole new one, most likely. Depending on your nationality, it's not too hard to get extra pages inserted - just plan on spending a few hours in Bangkok and stop off at your embassy.

[~G~]

I went to Laos about 5/6 months ago via Nong Khai and the couple in front of me was turned away due to lack of visa pages.

Yeah, I heard similar stories. I didn't like "The Terminal", and don't want to play the main part in real life!

Get some extra pages inserted into your passport first - no need for a whole new one, most likely. Depending on your nationality, it's not too hard to get extra pages inserted - just plan on spending a few hours in Bangkok and stop off at your embassy.

I checked it with my Embassy - impossible for my nationality. Thanks for the reply anyway.

Edited March 3, 2008 by ~G~

[Crossy]

Depending on your nationality, it's not too hard to get extra pages inserted

If you're a Brit it's totally impossible, I think the rest of Europe is the same.

Actually I think the US is one of the few countries that still do this, rather odd considering the security paranoia of the US govenment

Edited March 4, 2008 by Crossy