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🇱🇦 Laos

Laos sets its own visa rules: most passports can get a 30-day Lao eVisa online, and some ASEAN and other nationalities are visa-free for 14 to 30 days. Below: visa rules for every passport, cash limits at customs and the tourist traps official travel advice warns about.

Check your visa route for Laos

Pick your passport and where you live — Laos is already filled in.

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Visa rules for your passport ↓

Explore Laos: things to do, shopping, food and getting around

A short guide based on UNESCO's World Heritage listings, because the official tourism site couldn't be checked.

Places to visit

Summarised in our own words from the linked pages, official tourism boards and transport authorities first; items marked "Not official" come from other guides. Prices and opening times change, so check the source before you go. Last checked 24 Oct 2026.

Common tourist traps and how to avoid them

Scams and risky spots named in official travel advice for Laos, in our own words.

  1. Bag snatching from motorbikes

    How it works: Travellers regularly report bags being snatched, often by people on motorcycles.

    How to avoid it: Hold bags on the side away from the road and keep valuables out of sight.

  2. Motorbike rental passport scam

    How it works: Some rental firms arrange for hired motorbikes to be stolen or damaged, keep the passport left as deposit and demand high fees.

    How to avoid it: Never leave your passport as a deposit or guarantee.

  3. Drink spiking

    How it works: Drinks can be spiked with drugs; victims have been robbed or assaulted.

    How to avoid it: Buy your own drinks, keep them in sight and don't accept drinks from strangers.

  4. Methanol in drinks

    How it works: Alcoholic drinks containing methanol have caused deaths and serious illness; it can't be tasted or smelled.

    How to avoid it: Avoid unlicensed or very cheap alcohol and get medical help fast if symptoms appear after drinking.

  5. Fake job offers in the Golden Triangle

    How it works: Armed groups run employment scams and drug trafficking around the Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone in Bokeo Province.

    How to avoid it: Be extremely cautious in Bokeo near the Myanmar and Thai borders and be wary of job offers that look too good to be true.

Areas flagged in official advice

  • Xaisomboun Province (all but essential travel)

Official advice: FCDO advises against all but essential travel to Xaisomboun Province.

Emergency numbers in Laos

Paraphrased from official travel advice: FCDO travel advice – Safety and security · FCDO travel advice – Warnings and insurance · FCDO travel advice – Getting help (emergency numbers) · FCDO page updated 13 Aug 2026 · Last checked 2 Nov 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Cash you can bring in and take out

Customs rules for banknotes and other cash when you enter or leave Laos.

Not yet confirmed — check the official customs page. We couldn't confirm Laos's cash limits on an official page yet, so we don't show a number. Check the current rules on laotradeportal.gov.la →

Official source: laotradeportal.gov.la · Last checked 9 Oct 2026

Laos visa rules by passport

The general rule for each passport, from official sources. Open a passport to see conditions and options that depend on where you live.

Visa-free15 passports
eVisa147 passports
Embassy visa31 passports

Verified rules for Laos: 162 of 198 passports; awaiting verification: 36; not yet covered: 0. A rule that is awaiting verification or not yet covered is not a negative visa decision: it only means we haven't confirmed it on an official source yet.

⚠ Unofficial sources: 32 rules for Laos are not from an official Laos government source (based on other governments' travel advice or secondary research). They are labelled on each page, are not counted as verified above, and should be confirmed with the embassy before travel.

Nearby destinations

Official travel advice

Suggest something for our Laos guide

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Optional travel offers

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Plan your trip to Laos

Verify with the embassy before you book. Visa rules change without notice. We link every rule to its official source and last checked it on 2 Nov 2026, but the embassy, official e-visa portal and your airline have the final say. MyVisaPort is not a visa agent and is not affiliated with any government.