Laos visa for US citizens: e-Visa, visa on arrival and border crossings

Do US citizens need a visa for Laos?

Yes. US citizens need a tourist visa: an e-Visa, a visa on arrival at certain ports, or a visa issued in advance by a Lao embassy^[9]. The Lao embassy in Washington charges $50 for that embassy visa, single entry, with a 30-day stay and about 10 business days of processing^[11]. For most trips, the e-Visa or the visa on arrival is simpler.

The Visit Laos Year 2024 measures, which raised the stay to 60 days, ended on January 1, 2025: the pre-2024 rules apply again^[13]. No new change for US citizens had been announced as of October 12, 2026.

The Laos e-Visa, step by step

Apply only on the Lao Ministry of Foreign Affairs portal, laoevisa.gov.la: any other site is a middleman and usually costs more. The visa costs $50 for a US citizen, plus bank fees, payable by Visa, Mastercard or American Express, and it is not refunded under any circumstances^[3][2]. Processing takes about three business days, longer around Lao public holidays; British travelers are told to apply at least five days ahead, a sensible margin for anyone^[1][12].

You need a 4 × 6 cm photo on a white background taken within six months, and a scan of your passport photo page including the two machine-readable lines^[1]. Every traveler, children and babies included, needs their own visa^[2]. The approved e-Visa is a letter you must print: a copy on your phone is not accepted^[2]. It lets you enter within 60 days, on any date you like, for a 30-day single-entry stay, with the same passport used to apply^[2].

Where the Laos e-Visa is accepted, and where it isn't

This is the catch: the e-Visa only works at nine entry points^[1]. Anywhere else you must buy a visa on arrival, and the $50 e-Visa fee is lost^[2]. On the Mekong, Friendship Bridges I, II and IV accept it; Bridge III at Thakhek and Vang Tao near Pakse do not^[6].

Laos visa on arrival: price and paperwork

Fourteen entry points issue a visa on arrival, valid for 30 days^[6][4]. No official Lao source publishes its price. In 2026, travelers report paying about $40, in US dollars cash, with the amount varying by nationality^[15][16]. Bring a passport photo, or pay a small fee, and banknotes in good condition: damaged bills get refused^[16][14]. On weekends and outside office hours, expect an extra dollar or so, often without a receipt^[14].

The visa on arrival is issued at crossings that refuse the e-Visa, including Bridge III and Vang Tao. The notable exception is Boten railway station on the Laos-China line, which does not issue it: you must arrive there with an e-Visa^[6]. At crossings from Vietnam other than Dansavanh, you need a visa obtained in advance from an embassy^[6].

The LDIF digital arrival form

Since September 1, 2025, a digital form, the LDIF, has replaced the paper arrival card at Vientiane, Luang Prabang and Pakse airports and at Friendship Bridge I. Fill it in on immigration.gov.la within the three days before you arrive, and again before you leave^[7]. Elsewhere, you still fill in a paper card at the border^[12]. The LDIF is not a visa: you need it on top of your e-Visa or visa on arrival.

Extending your Laos visa and avoiding fines

A tourist visa can be extended at the immigration office in Vientiane or in a provincial capital, at least three days before it expires: 20,000 kip a day plus a 40,000 kip application fee, with a photo and your passport, for no more than two extensions per stay^[5]. It cannot be done online^[14].

Overstaying costs 100,000 kip a day under the 2021 decree, about $4.50; the US embassy puts it at no less than $10 a day, with possible detention in serious cases^[8][10]. You also need a valid entry stamp to leave the country, so check the stamp before you walk away from the counter^[9].

Pierre-Marie Coupry

Editor-in-chief of the French travel site Bon Plan Voyage, where he has published since 2012. He checks every practical detail against official sources and proofreads everything before it goes live.

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