To visit Laos, you can apply for a visa on arrival. What are the conditions for obtaining this visa? Are there any disadvantages to applying for a visa on arrival? What are they?
Applying for a visa on arrival for Laos
Obtaining a visa on arrival for Laos is a practical and inexpensive way of obtaining a visa and visiting the country. It's also a good solution for people who can't go to an embassy in their home country, or who don't have the means to obtain a traditional visa for Laos.
To apply for a visa on arrival in Laos, you need to go to one of the following visa issuing points:
- Wattay International Airport
- Pakse international airport
- Savannakhet international airport.
- Louangprabang International Airport
- Frontiers by Bo Ten / Bo Hane (China)
- Golden Triangle border (Thailand/Burma)
- Houay Xay / Chiengkhong border (Thailand)
- Friendship Bridge 1 (Thailand border)
- Thanaleng station (Thailand border)
- Thakhek / Nakornopanom border (Thailand)
- Densavanh / Lao Bao border (Vietnam)
- Friendship Bridge 2 (Thailand)
- Vang Tao / Song Mek border (Thailand)
- Nong Nok Khiene / tra Preng Kriene (Cambodia)
To obtain a visa on arrival, you will need a passport valid for at least another 6 months after your stay in Laos and which has at least one blank page.
You must then complete a visa application form and take two recent passport-size photographs. Finally, you must pay the visa fee in cash on the spot.
What are the disadvantages of this method?
First and foremost, even if this method seems practical, you should expect to queue for a long time to obtain your visa on arrival. In fact, you waste a lot of time (easily an hour!) getting your visa stamped in your passport.
There are also some airlines that do not accept travellers who do not yet have a visa stamped in their passport (although this is relatively rare, especially if you are able to present a letter of invitation in person).
If you have a problem, you don't necessarily have the option of making a complaint, especially if you haven't gone through an approved travel agency. If you enter Laos via a land border crossing, from Cambodia or Vietnam for example, you will need to collect your visa from the customs office, which is also quite time-consuming and inconvenient.
What's more, you need to carry cash with you to pay the visa fee, and you don't always have the exact amount with you. This can lead to delays and unwelcome complications.
Visa on arrival VS electronic visa
Since the beginning of July, it has been possible to apply for an electronic visa or e-Visa for Laos directly from the Internet (on the official website set up by the Laotian authorities). It's a simple process (which can even be outsourced to a specialist agency).
You fill in a form (often in English) and you can even pay online! There's no need to stand in a long queue: you receive your e-visa directly by e-mail. All you have to do is print it out and present it, along with your passport, to the relevant authorities or when you board your flight.
An agency service 