Visa guide · Verified 14 October 2026
Laos Visa on Arrival & eVisa: Cost and Which Border Accepts What
The Lao visa on arrival costs about US$40 and is issued at most crossings. The eVisa is accepted at only nine of the 33 checkpoints, so check your border before relying on it.
- 1,500 THB at Thai borders
- eVisa not safe from VN or KH
- VOA +US$1 at weekends
Search routes across any Laos border
What will the visa cost me?
Lao visa on arrival is about US$40 in USD cash, or roughly 1,500 THB at Thai land borders, plus US$1 at weekends. Bring a passport photo. The eVisa is not valid everywhere: the register shows it at nine of the 33 checkpoints, including Friendship Bridges 1, 2 and 4, Boten, the Laos–China Railway checkpoint and Khamsavath station. Do not count on it coming from Vietnam or Cambodia.
What the Lao visa costs
| Item | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Visa on arrival, most nationalities | approx US$40 | US$30–50 range depending on passport |
| Visa on arrival, Chinese and Vietnamese | approx US$20–35 | |
| At Thai land borders, in baht | approx 1,500 THB | Accepted at the Friendship Bridges |
| Weekend / after-hours surcharge | US$1 | Posted at the counter, official |
| Lao eVisa | US$45–50 | 3–5 working days; see the warning below |
Entering Laos from Vietnam: one crossing, and only one
Eight of the nine Laos–Vietnam crossings will not issue you any visa
Checked against the Lao Department of Immigration register on 4, 5 and 9 September 2026, Dansavanh – Lao Bảo is the only Laos–Vietnam checkpoint that issues a Lao visa on arrival. The other eight issue neither visa on arrival nor eVisa.
This was unsettled until early September. The register briefly listed visa on arrival at several of these crossings on 4 September, which contradicted years of traveller reports of people being turned back. Re-checked on 5 and again on 9 September, the register now agrees with the travellers. We treat that as settled.
If you are entering Laos overland from Vietnam without a visa already in hand, Dansavanh – Lao Bảo is the safe choice. Anywhere else, arrange the visa before you travel. Being refused at Nam Phao–Cầu Treo means a long way back to Vinh with no onward transport arranged; see Vientiane to Hanoi for that crossing's schedule and fares.
Visa on arrival and eVisa, crossing by crossing
Straight from the Lao immigration register, last checked 14 October 2026. Where field reports have contradicted the register we say so in the status column rather than publishing the official value alone.
| Crossing | Into Laos from | Visa on arrival | eVisa | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Thai–Lao Friendship Bridge | Thailand | Yes | Yes | Confirmed |
| 2nd Thai–Lao Friendship Bridge | Thailand | Yes | Yes | Confirmed |
| 3rd Thai–Lao Friendship Bridge | Thailand | Yes | No | Confirmed |
| 4th Thai–Lao Friendship Bridge | Thailand | Yes | Yes | Confirmed |
| 5th Thai–Lao Friendship Bridge | Thailand | No | No | Register only |
| Vang Tao – Chong Mek | Thailand | Yes | No | Confirmed |
| Dansavanh – Lao Bảo | Vietnam | Yes | No | Confirmed |
| Nam Phao – Cầu Treo | Vietnam | No | No | Confirmed |
| Nam Kan – Nậm Cắn | Vietnam | No | No | Confirmed |
| Nam Soy – Na Mèo | Vietnam | No | No | Confirmed |
| Na Phao – Cha Lo | Vietnam | No | No | Confirmed |
| La Lai – La Lay | Vietnam | No | No | Confirmed |
| Dak Ta Ock – Nam Giang | Vietnam | No | No | Confirmed |
| Phou Keua – Bờ Y | Vietnam | No | No | Confirmed |
| Pang Hok – Tây Trang | Vietnam | No | No | Confirmed |
| Nongnokkhene – Trapeang Kriel | Cambodia | Yes | No | Confirmed |
| Boten – Mohan | China | Yes | Yes | Confirmed |
| Boten railway checkpoint | China | No | Yes | Confirmed |
The pattern is worth reading as a whole. Coming in from Thailand, the Friendship Bridges are the easy case and most issue a visa on arrival, including Chiang Khong to Huay Xai and Vientiane to Bangkok's own 1st Bridge.
Coming in from Vietnam, assume you need a visa in advance unless you are crossing at Dansavanh. Coming in from Cambodia, there is only one crossing and it does issue on arrival, in cash.
For the opening hours, the crossing method and the known quirks of any one of these, see the full checkpoint register.
Where the eVisa really works
Do not rely on a Lao eVisa overland from Vietnam or Cambodia
As of 9 September 2026 the register itself shows the eVisa as unavailable at every Laos–Vietnam checkpoint and at Nongnokkhene, which matches what travellers have reported for years. Carry USD cash for visa on arrival on those routes, and note that at eight of the nine Vietnam crossings there is no visa on arrival either, so the visa has to exist before you get there.
The eVisa remains a good option at the Friendship Bridges and at Boten, where it is reliably accepted.
Entering Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia
| Country | Visa on arrival at land borders? | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Thailand | Visa-exempt for 60 nationalities, 30 days from 15 Sep 2026, capped at two land entries per year | Free |
| Vietnam | No. E-visa online in advance, valid at any approved gate since Dec 2025 | US$25 single / US$50 multiple |
| Cambodia | Yes, at Nongnokkhene | US$30 reported; no official fee published |
How long you can stay, and extending it
Visa on arrival lets you stay for up to 30 days. To stay longer, apply for an extension at the Department of Immigration in Vientiane or at a provincial immigration office, in office hours, at least three days before your visa runs out. Bring your passport and a 3×4 cm photo. Processing takes one to two working days.
The fee is charged per extra day, plus a form fee. We have not printed an amount because we could not confirm the current one; ask at the office. The department's own pages disagree on how many times you can extend, once or twice per arrival, so do not plan around a second extension.
If you entered visa-free under an exemption, the stay normally cannot be extended at all, except in an emergency with documents to back it up.
Planning more than a month from the start? A tourist visa from a Lao embassy before you travel allows up to 60 days, and can also be extended.
Arriving by train: Boten and Khamsavath
There is no visa on arrival at the Laos–China Railway checkpoint at Boten station. The register shows the eVisa only, and the official eVisa site lists Boten Railway Station among its nine entry points. If you are coming from Kunming on the through train and need a visa, get the eVisa before you travel. The road checkpoint at Boten, about 4 km from the station, issues both.
Coming from Thailand by train, Khamsavath station in Vientiane issues visa on arrival and accepts the eVisa. Its immigration desk keeps office hours, 08:30 to 18:30.
Common questions
How much is the Lao visa on arrival?
Are there extra charges?
Where does the Lao eVisa work?
How long does the eVisa take?
How long can I stay on visa on arrival?
Can I extend my visa?
Visa on arrival at Boten by train?
Can I pay in baht or by card?
Do I need to fill in Laos's online arrival form?
Laos Bus Tickets
Written and maintained from Vientiane. The people behind this site have lived in Laos for two decades and cross these borders themselves. Routes and visa rules get rechecked whenever something changes, not on a fixed schedule that lets stale information sit for months.
Sources for this page
- Lao Department of Immigration: digital arrival and departure form: where the Lao Digital Immigration Form is required
- Lao Department of Immigration: checkpoint list, opening hours and visa status
- Travelfish: field reports on visa on arrival in practice
- Lao Department of Immigration: visas: the 30-day stay on visa on arrival and the 60-day embassy tourist visa
- Lao Department of Immigration: visa extension: where to apply, the three-day deadline, processing time and the rule for visa-exempt entries
- Lao eVisa, official site: the nine eVisa ports of entry, including Boten Railway Station, and processing time