Laos: visa and entry rules
What you need to get in, how long you may stay, and what an overstay costs
Laos's borders: every crossing point
Other 18
Airports 4
Laos's land border crossings, grouped by the neighbour they lead to:
With Thailand: the Friendship Bridge Vientiane - Nong Khai, the main one; Savannakhet - Mukdahan, Houayxay - Chiang Khong, Thakhek - Nakhon Phanom.
With Vietnam: Dansavanh - Lao Bao, Namatau, Tay Trang.
With China: Boten - Mohan, which also carries the high-speed railway.
With Cambodia: Nong Nok Khiene - Trapeang Kriel.
With Myanmar: Xiengkok.
The Friendship Bridge near Vientiane is the most convenient crossing in the region: it is twenty minutes from the border to the capital and buses run all day.
Boten is linked to the Chinese railway, and the Vientiane - Kunming train has made this the main route for transit to the north.
The Cambodian crossing does not issue a visa on arrival for Cambodia - you have to arrange it online in advance, otherwise you are turned back on the spot.
Driving to Laos
Entry is possible from Thailand, Vietnam and China, with the paperwork done at the border.
Insurance is bought locally.
An International Driving Permit is mandatory.
Roads in the mountains are poor, especially on the route to Luang Prabang; double whatever travel time your navigation app estimates.
Filling stations away from the main roads are rare, so you need a genuine fuel reserve.
Travelling to Laos with a pet
A veterinary certificate is mandatory and is issued before the trip.
The rabies vaccination must be given no later than 21 days before entry.
A microchip is not formally required, but the airline will want one and so will the return journey.
The requirements are applied loosely at land crossings, but it is not worth counting on that: the decision rests with the individual veterinary inspector.
Overstaying your visa in Laos
The fine is charged per day and is paid in cash on departure.
A long overstay ends with an entry ban.
An extension in Vientiane costs less than the fine, and it is done in a single visit.
What else to check before you go
Updated
Entry rules change faster than anything else on this site, and they change without notice. We cross-check every page against several sources and state the date it was verified, but that does not replace the main step: before you travel, check an official source — the country’s consulate, its immigration service or its e-visa portal. Especially if more than a couple of months have passed since our check.