Maya Chen
The Laos eVisa is a single entry tourist visa you apply for online at laoevisa.gov.la, the official portal of the Consular Department of the Lao Ministry of Foreign Affairs, before you travel. For most nationalities the fee is US$50, excluding the bank charge added at payment, processing usually takes three working days, and the approval letter is valid for entry for 60 days from issue. Once admitted, you may stay for up to 30 days. The catch that decides whether the eVisa works for a trip is geography: it is accepted only at a short list of designated entry points, including Wattay International Airport in Vientiane, Luang Prabang International Airport, Pakse International Airport, and the Lao Thai Friendship Bridges I, II, and IV. Arrive anywhere else and the eVisa will not be accepted, which is where the visa on arrival backup still matters. This guide explains the application, the full entry point list, and how to choose between the two routes.
Quick Facts: The Laos eVisa at a Glance
- Official website: laoevisa.gov.la only. Lookalike sites add service fees and are not the government portal.
- Fee: US$50 for most nationalities, excluding the bank charge. The portal fee calculator confirms the amount for your passport before you pay.
- Processing: Usually three working days after a complete application and payment, provided the information is accepted first time.
- Validity: The approval letter is valid for entry for 60 days from the date of issue.
- Stay: Up to 30 days in Laos, single entry, for tourism.
- Accepted at: Designated entry points only, listed in full below. The list includes three international airports, three Lao Thai Friendship Bridges, the Boten checkpoint and railway station, and Khamsavath Railway Station.
- Backup route: Visa on arrival remains available to many nationalities at selected airports and border crossings, paid in cash, with fees that vary by nationality.
- Refund rule: The eVisa fee is non-refundable, including if you arrive at the wrong entry point or your plans change.
- Facts checked: 13 November 2026, against the official eVisa portal information summarised below. Re-check your entry point on the portal before you book nonrefundable travel.
How Does the Laos eVisa Application Work?
The portal sets out the process in three steps. First, you provide the application details and upload the necessary documents. Second, you review the application and pay the fee online. Third, you download the eVisa approval letter once it is issued, and you carry that letter to your entry point, where the visa is completed on arrival. There is no embassy visit and no sticker in advance. The approval letter is the product, so save it in more than one place and bring a printed copy as well as the file on your phone, because a border post is a poor place to discover a dead battery or a missing download.
The document upload deserves care. The portal specifies a passport style photograph sized 4 by 6 centimetres, following the ICAO standard photograph specification, alongside your passport details. Type names and passport numbers exactly as they appear in the passport, and review the whole form before payment. Corrections and requests for further information slow the process beyond the usual three working days, and the fee is non-refundable once paid, so the cheapest quality control is the ten unhurried minutes you spend on the review screen.
How much does it cost for your passport?
The headline fee is US$50 for most nationalities, and the portal runs its own fee calculator by nationality, which is the figure that governs your application. A bank charge is added on top of the government fee at payment. Because the calculator is authoritative and nationality specific, travellers holding less common passports should run their nationality through it before budgeting, rather than relying on any guide, including this one. Pay through the portal payment step only, and keep the payment confirmation with the approval letter.
When should you apply?
Work backwards from the 60 day validity and the three working day processing time. Applying roughly two to four weeks before departure sits comfortably inside both windows: the approval letter will still be valid when you travel, and a slow application or a request for corrected information still leaves time to act. Applying months ahead risks the letter expiring before the trip, while applying inside the final week leaves no margin if the application is not accepted first time. Working days exclude weekends, so an application filed late in the week can naturally land the following week.
Which Entry Points Accept the Laos eVisa?
This is the section to check against your itinerary, line by line. The eVisa is valid only at the designated entry points named on the official portal. The current list covers nine checkpoints. The three airports are Wattay International Airport in Vientiane, Luang Prabang International Airport, and Pakse International Airport in Champasack Province. The three road bridges from Thailand are Lao Thai Friendship Bridge I at Vientiane, Lao Thai Friendship Bridge II in Savannakhet Province, and Lao Thai Friendship Bridge IV in Bokeo Province. The list is completed by the Boten International Checkpoint in Luang Namtha Province on the China border, Boten Railway Station, and Khamsavath Railway Station in Vientiane.
Most first time itineraries are covered by that list without any effort. Flying into Vientiane or Luang Prabang, arriving by train at Boten or Khamsavath, or crossing from Nong Khai, Mukdahan, or Huay Xai in Thailand all use designated checkpoints. The travellers who get caught are those arriving overland from Vietnam or Cambodia, or at smaller Thai crossings, because no Vietnam border checkpoint appears on the eVisa list. If your route enters Laos at any checkpoint not named above, the eVisa is the wrong product for that entry, however valid the letter looks. Change the route to a designated checkpoint, or use a different visa route for that entry.
Readers combining Laos with Vietnam should compare the two systems carefully, because they work differently. Our guide to Vietnam’s 90 day eVisa, its rules, and its entry points covers the neighbouring scheme, which allows a much longer stay. Once your Laos entry is settled, our first visit guide to Luang Prabang, the slow Mekong town, is the planning read for the destination most eVisa holders are heading to first.
eVisa or Visa on Arrival: Which Should You Use?
When the eVisa is the better choice
Choose the eVisa when you are arriving at a designated checkpoint and you want the paperwork settled before you travel. You pay online in advance, you arrive with an approval letter, and your exposure to cash handling, queues, and on the spot eligibility questions is reduced. It is the predictable option for fly in trips through Vientiane, Luang Prabang, or Pakse, for rail arrivals at Boten or Khamsavath, and for travellers who simply prefer to know their visa position before they board.
When visa on arrival still applies
Visa on arrival remains the backup, and for some routes the only practical route. It is available to many, but not all, nationalities at selected international airports and land borders, and it is granted for a tourist stay of up to 30 days. In practice it means arriving with a passport photograph, a completed arrival process, and the fee in cash, with US dollars the standard currency for payment. Fees vary by nationality, so carry more than the amount you expect rather than the exact sum. Some nationalities are outside the visa on arrival scheme altogether and need a visa arranged through a Lao embassy or consulate in advance, and the eVisa eligibility list and the visa on arrival list are not identical. Check your own nationality against both before you rely on either.
The decision in one pass
Start with your entry point. If it is on the designated eVisa list and your nationality is eligible, the eVisa is usually the cleanest route. If your entry point is not on the list, check whether visa on arrival operates there for your nationality, and be ready with cash and a photograph. If neither route covers your entry point and passport combination, the embassy visa is the remaining route, and it needs lead time. Making that decision at the planning stage costs nothing. Making it at a border costs the trip.
What Goes Wrong Most Often?
Four mistakes account for nearly every Laos visa problem. The first is applying on a lookalike commercial site and paying an inflated fee for the same letter, which is why the address matters: laoevisa.gov.la is the whole test. The second is arriving at a non-designated checkpoint with an eVisa, most often on an overland route from Vietnam, and discovering the letter cannot be used there and the fee cannot be refunded. The third is timing: applying so early that the 60 day validity runs down before the trip, or so late that three working days plus a correction request overruns departure. The fourth is document mismatch, where a name order, passport number, or photograph problem triggers a review the traveller has no time left to answer. Every one of these is avoidable at the application stage, and almost none of them is fixable at the border.
One more habit protects the whole trip. Screenshot or print the entry point list from the official portal on the day you apply, and keep it with your approval letter. Rules and checkpoint lists are updated from time to time, and travelling with the version you relied on, dated, makes any conversation at a checkpoint shorter and calmer.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Laos eVisa
How much does the Laos eVisa cost?
US$50 for most nationalities, excluding the bank charge added at payment. The fee calculator on laoevisa.gov.la confirms the exact amount for your passport before you pay, and the fee is non-refundable.
How long does Laos eVisa processing take?
Usually three working days after you submit a complete application and pay the fee, provided the information is accepted first time. Applications needing correction or further review take longer, so apply two to four weeks before departure.
How long can I stay in Laos on an eVisa?
Up to 30 days, on a single entry, for tourism. The approval letter itself is valid for entry for 60 days from the date of issue, so your arrival must fall inside that 60 day window.
Can I enter Laos from Vietnam using an eVisa?
Not at the checkpoints currently listed. The designated eVisa entry points cover three airports, three Lao Thai Friendship Bridges, the Boten checkpoint and railway station, and Khamsavath Railway Station, and none of them is on the Vietnam border. Travellers entering from Vietnam need a route that works at their checkpoint, such as visa on arrival where it operates for their nationality, or an embassy visa.
Is visa on arrival still available in Laos?
Yes, for many nationalities, at selected airports and border crossings. It grants a tourist stay of up to 30 days, is paid in cash, usually in US dollars, and fees vary by nationality. Some nationalities are not eligible and must arrange a visa in advance, so verify your passport position before you travel.
What happens if I arrive at an entry point that does not accept the eVisa?
The eVisa cannot be used there, and its fee is not refunded. You would need another valid route at that checkpoint, such as visa on arrival if it operates there for your nationality, or you would need to reroute to a designated eVisa checkpoint. Checking the list before you book is the whole defence.
Visa rules, fees, and entry point lists change. This guide was checked on 13 November 2026 against the official Laos eVisa portal, laoevisa.gov.la, and it is general information, not immigration advice. Confirm your fee, eligibility, and entry point on the portal before you travel.
