Laos entry requirements, by passport
Laos visa requirements at a glance: 170 of the 198 passports VisaRadar tracks can enter Laos without arranging a visa beforehand: visa-free, with a visa on arrival, or with an electronic travel authorisation. The other 28 must obtain a visa before they travel.
Which passport do you hold?
We'll take you straight to the entry requirements for Laos for your nationality.
What we've verified for Laos
Beyond the yes/no matrix, we've checked these against an official primary source (last checked 23 September 2026). The specifics depend on your nationality: open your passport's row in the table for the detail that applies to you.
- Typical processing time
- Required documents (4)
- Required vaccinations
- Health-insurance rules
- Customs limits (cash, alcohol, tobacco)
- Overstay penalties
- Stay and transit rules
Sources: exteriores.gob.es (travel advice of Spain's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation for Laos: visa required for Spanish citizens and its three routes, land crossings, arrival registration, vaccinations, risk areas, landmines, vaping, Buddha images); laoevisa.gov.la (Consular Department of the Lao Ministry of Foreign Affairs, electronic visa FAQs: processing time, validity, stay, ports, requirements); immigration.gov.la (Department of Immigration, "Visas" and the list of visa exemptions signed in Vientiane on 12 October 2022); gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/laos/entry-requirements (UK Government: blank pages, LDIF, extensions since 2025, fine for not extending); who.int (WHO) and sanidad.gob.es (Spain's Ministry of Health, "Listado de países"): yellow fever; whc.unesco.org (World Heritage List). All checked on 23 September 2026.
This table summarises the exact entry mechanism for every passport we track. The difference between entering visa-free, with an electronic authorisation, with an e-Visa, or with a traditional visa is explained in visa, e-Visa, and electronic authorisation: what's the difference. How we verify every row before publishing it is on methodology.
Base entry rules refreshed 12 October 2026. Published: 23 September 2026.
| Passport | Requirement | Max. stay |
|---|---|---|
| Visa-free | ||
| Albania | Visa on arrival | — |
| Andorra | Visa on arrival | — |
| Angola | Visa on arrival | — |
| Antigua and Barbuda | Visa on arrival | — |
| Argentina | Visa on arrival | — |
| Armenia | Visa on arrival | — |
| Australia | Visa on arrival | — |
| Austria | Visa on arrival | — |
| Azerbaijan | Visa on arrival | — |
| Bahamas | Visa on arrival | — |
| Bahrain | Visa on arrival | — |
| Barbados | Visa on arrival | — |
| Belarus | Visa on arrival | — |
| Belgium | Visa on arrival | — |
| Belize | Visa on arrival | — |
| Benin | Visa on arrival | — |
| Bhutan | Visa on arrival | — |
| Bolivia | Visa on arrival | — |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | Visa on arrival | — |
| Botswana | Visa on arrival | — |
| Brazil | Visa on arrival | — |
| Brunei | Visa-free | 14 days |
| Bulgaria | Visa on arrival | — |
| Burkina Faso | Visa on arrival | — |
| Cambodia | Visa-free | 30 days |
| Canada | Visa on arrival | — |
| Cape Verde | Visa on arrival | — |
| Central African Republic | Visa on arrival | — |
| Chad | Visa on arrival | — |
| Chile | Visa on arrival | — |
| China | Visa on arrival | — |
| Colombia | Visa on arrival | — |
| Comoros | Visa on arrival | — |
| Costa Rica | Visa on arrival | — |
| Croatia | Visa on arrival | — |
| Cuba | Visa on arrival | — |
| Cyprus | Visa on arrival | — |
| Czech Republic | Visa on arrival | — |
| Denmark | Visa on arrival | — |
| Djibouti | Visa on arrival | — |
| Dominica | Visa on arrival | — |
| Dominican Republic | Visa on arrival | — |
| Ecuador | Visa on arrival | — |
| Egypt | Visa on arrival | — |
| El Salvador | Visa on arrival | — |
| Equatorial Guinea | Visa on arrival | — |
| Eritrea | Visa on arrival | — |
| Estonia | Visa on arrival | — |
| Ethiopia | Visa on arrival | — |
| Fiji | Visa on arrival | — |
| Finland | Visa on arrival | — |
| France | Visa on arrival | — |
| Gabon | Visa on arrival | — |
| Gambia | Visa on arrival | — |
| Georgia | Visa on arrival | — |
| Germany | Visa on arrival | — |
| Greece | Visa on arrival | — |
| Grenada | Visa on arrival | — |
| Guatemala | Visa on arrival | — |
| Guinea | Visa on arrival | — |
| Guyana | Visa on arrival | — |
| Haiti | Visa on arrival | — |
| Honduras | Visa on arrival | — |
| Hong Kong | Visa on arrival | — |
| Hungary | Visa on arrival | — |
| Iceland | Visa on arrival | — |
| India | Visa on arrival | — |
| Indonesia | Visa-free | 30 days |
| Iraq | Visa on arrival | — |
| Ireland | Visa on arrival | — |
| Israel | Visa on arrival | — |
| Italy | Visa on arrival | — |
| Jamaica | Visa on arrival | — |
| Japan | Visa-free | 15 days |
| Kazakhstan | Visa on arrival | — |
| Kenya | Visa on arrival | — |
| Kiribati | Visa on arrival | — |
| Kosovo | Visa on arrival | — |
| Kuwait | Visa on arrival | — |
| Kyrgyzstan | Visa on arrival | — |
| Latvia | Visa on arrival | — |
| Lebanon | Visa on arrival | — |
| Liechtenstein | Visa on arrival | — |
| Lithuania | Visa on arrival | — |
| Luxembourg | Visa-free | 15 days |
| Macao | Visa on arrival | — |
| Madagascar | Visa on arrival | — |
| Malawi | Visa on arrival | — |
| Malaysia | Visa-free | 30 days |
| Maldives | Visa on arrival | — |
| Mali | Visa on arrival | — |
| Malta | Visa on arrival | — |
| Marshall Islands | Visa on arrival | — |
| Mauritania | Visa on arrival | — |
| Mauritius | Visa on arrival | — |
| Mexico | Visa on arrival | — |
| Micronesia | Visa on arrival | — |
| Moldova | Visa on arrival | — |
| Monaco | Visa on arrival | — |
| Mongolia | Visa-free | 30 days |
| Montenegro | Visa on arrival | — |
| Morocco | Visa on arrival | — |
| Myanmar | Visa-free | 14 days |
| Namibia | Visa on arrival | — |
| Nepal | Visa on arrival | — |
| Netherlands | Visa on arrival | — |
| New Zealand | Visa on arrival | — |
| Nicaragua | Visa on arrival | — |
| North Korea | Visa on arrival | — |
| North Macedonia | Visa on arrival | — |
| Norway | Visa on arrival | — |
| Oman | Visa on arrival | — |
| Palau | Visa on arrival | — |
| Palestine | Visa on arrival | — |
| Panama | Visa on arrival | — |
| Papua New Guinea | Visa on arrival | — |
| Paraguay | Visa on arrival | — |
| Peru | Visa on arrival | — |
| Philippines | Visa-free | 30 days |
| Poland | Visa on arrival | — |
| Portugal | Visa on arrival | — |
| Qatar | Visa on arrival | — |
| Romania | Visa on arrival | — |
| Russia | Visa-free | 30 days |
| Rwanda | Visa on arrival | — |
| Saint Kitts and Nevis | Visa on arrival | — |
| Saint Lucia | Visa on arrival | — |
| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | Visa on arrival | — |
| Samoa | Visa on arrival | — |
| San Marino | Visa on arrival | — |
| Sao Tome and Principe | Visa on arrival | — |
| Saudi Arabia | Visa on arrival | — |
| Serbia | Visa on arrival | — |
| Seychelles | Visa on arrival | — |
| Singapore | Visa-free | 30 days |
| Slovakia | Visa on arrival | — |
| Slovenia | Visa on arrival | — |
| Solomon Islands | Visa on arrival | — |
| Somalia | Visa on arrival | — |
| South Africa | Visa on arrival | — |
| South Korea | Visa-free | 30 days |
| South Sudan | Visa on arrival | — |
| Spain | Visa on arrival | — |
| Sri Lanka | Visa on arrival | — |
| Sudan | Visa on arrival | — |
| Sweden | Visa on arrival | — |
| Switzerland | Visa-free | 15 days |
| Taiwan | Visa on arrival | — |
| Tajikistan | Visa on arrival | — |
| Tanzania | Visa on arrival | — |
| Thailand | Visa-free | 30 days |
| Timor-Leste | Visa on arrival | — |
| Togo | Visa on arrival | — |
| Trinidad and Tobago | Visa on arrival | — |
| Tunisia | Visa on arrival | — |
| Turkey | Visa on arrival | — |
| Turkmenistan | Visa on arrival | — |
| Tuvalu | Visa on arrival | — |
| Uganda | Visa on arrival | — |
| Ukraine | Visa on arrival | — |
| United Arab Emirates | Visa on arrival | — |
| United Kingdom | Visa on arrival | — |
| United States | Visa on arrival | — |
| Uruguay | Visa on arrival | — |
| Uzbekistan | Visa on arrival | — |
| Vanuatu | Visa on arrival | — |
| Vatican | Visa on arrival | — |
| Venezuela | Visa on arrival | — |
| Vietnam | Visa-free | 30 days |
| Yemen | Visa on arrival | — |
| Visa required | ||
| Afghanistan | Visa required | — |
| Algeria | Visa required | — |
| Bangladesh | Visa required | — |
| Burundi | Visa required | — |
| Cameroon | Visa required | — |
| DR Congo | Visa required | — |
| Eswatini | Visa required | — |
| Ghana | Visa required | — |
| Guinea-Bissau | Visa required | — |
| Iran | Visa required | — |
| Ivory Coast | Visa required | — |
| Jordan | Visa required | — |
| Lesotho | Visa required | — |
| Liberia | Visa required | — |
| Libya | Visa required | — |
| Mozambique | Visa required | — |
| Nauru | Visa required | — |
| Niger | Visa required | — |
| Nigeria | Visa required | — |
| Pakistan | Visa required | — |
| Republic of the Congo | Visa required | — |
| Senegal | Visa required | — |
| Sierra Leone | Visa required | — |
| Suriname | Visa required | — |
| Syria | Visa required | — |
| Tonga | Visa required | — |
| Zambia | Visa required | — |
| Zimbabwe | Visa required | — |
Laos rules for every passport
Vaccinations, customs limits and penalties are the same for every traveller. Grounds for refusal depend on how you enter.
Vaccinations
- Yellow fever: an international vaccination certificate is required from travellers arriving from a country with risk of transmission.
- Spain's Ministry of Foreign Affairs recommends vaccination against tetanus, Japanese encephalitis, typhoid and hepatitis A and B. Dengue and malaria are present in some areas, and rabies is endemic.
Customs limits
- Tobacco
- We have not found the tobacco allowance in an official source. What is prohibited are e-cigarettes and vaping: the authorities confiscate them at airports and stations and issue fines. Buddha images may not be taken out of the country either.
Overstay penalties
According to the UK Government, anyone who fails to extend their visa within 90 days faces a fine in kip equivalent to 2,000 US dollars, deportation to their home country and a ban on returning to Laos. We have not been able to confirm this against an official Lao text.
Grounds for refusal
Apply to: Visa-free
- A passport with 180 days' validity or less, or without two blank pages.
- A passport reported lost or stolen.
Apply to: Visa on arrival, Visa required
- A passport with 180 days' validity or less, or without two blank pages.
- Presenting a different passport from the one used to apply for the electronic visa.
- Arriving with an electronic visa at a post that does not accept it, or without a visa at a land crossing that does not issue visas on arrival.
- A passport reported lost or stolen.
Travel insurance
Each destination decides whether to require insurance, and some check it at the border. If yours does, make sure the policy covers the whole trip.
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Do you need a different visa for Vientiane, Luang Prabang, or Pakse?
No. Laos sets the requirements, so entering through Vientiane asks for the same as entering through Luang Prabang or Pakse. If you're arriving overland or through a small border post, check that separately: some countries apply their own rules to specific crossings.
What does change is where you file the application when a visa is needed, and that depends on the country you live in rather than the city you're travelling to.
What draws travellers to Laos
In Laos the Mekong shapes almost every route. Luang Prabang, on the World Heritage List since 1995, blends Buddhist temples and colonial houses on a peninsula between the Mekong and the Nam Khan. In the south, Vat Phou and the settlements of the Champasak cultural landscape (2001) preserve a Khmer sanctuary older than Angkor. On the Xieng Khouang plateau, the Plain of Jars (2019) gathers hundreds of megalithic stone jars, and Hin Nam No National Park has shared an inscription since 2025 with Vietnam's Phong Nha-Ke Bang, a vast karst massif riddled with caves. Spain's Ministry of Foreign Affairs warns that rural areas, especially along the border with Vietnam and in Xieng Khouang, still hold unexploded mines and ordnance: stick to marked paths or go with a local guide. It also urges caution in Xaisomboun province and on the border with Myanmar, and recalls the accidents that happen every year in adventure sports around Vang Vieng. From May to October the rains cut roads.
Sources for this section: whc.unesco.org (World Heritage List: Town of Luang Prabang, 1995; Vat Phou and Associated Ancient Settlements within the Champasak Cultural Landscape, 2001; Megalithic Jar Sites in Xiengkhuang, 2019; Phong Nha-Ke Bang and Hin Nam No National Parks, 2003, 2015 and 2025); Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs travel advice for Laos (landmines, Xaisomboun, Myanmar border, Vang Vieng, rainy season). Accessed 23 September 2026.
Things to see and do in Laos
Tours, skip-the-line tickets and day trips, most with free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
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Where can Laos passport holders travel visa-free? →
Informational only. Always verify requirements with the official embassy or consulate before you travel.