🇱🇦Laos Visa for Swiss Citizens2026 Requirements, Fees & Documents

Visit e-Visa

Single-entry visa issued electronically for visiting hosts, organizations, or attending meetings and conferences in Laos.

Second e-visa category issued through laoevisa.gov.la alongside the Travel Visa (tourist). Same fee, validity, processing, and entry restrictions as the tourist e-visa. Intended for visiting family, organizations, meetings. Available to the same ~162 eligible nationalities.

Labour Visa (Type LA-B2)

Visa for foreign nationals employed by companies or organizations registered in Laos, allowing residence and employment.

Official category LA-B2 (Labour Visa) per the Department of Immigration of Lao PDR, issued to foreigners and stateless persons who come to work as laborers in Laos, including their family members. Requires sponsorship from a Laos-registered employer. Work permits (bai anuyat tham ngan) issued separately by the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare. Stay permit cards issued by Department of Immigration in 3-month, 6-month, or 12-month increments (fees: 300,000 / 600,000 / 1,200,000 LAK respectively). Managed through the One Stop Service for investors/companies via investlaos.gov.la.

Investor Visa (Type NI-B2) / Business Visa for Investors

Long-term visa and stay permit for foreign investors legally approved by the Government of Lao PDR, covering investors, shareholders, directors, technical officers, and their family members.

Requires investment license, concession registration, or enterprise registration issued by IPMC (Investment Promotion and Management Committee). Stay permit cards issued in 3-month (300,000 LAK), 6-month (600,000 LAK), or 12-month (1,200,000 LAK) increments. Long-term stay permits of 3–5 years available only for concession holders with 10+ year government agreements. Managed through One Stop Service at investlaos.gov.la. Family members of eligible investors also covered.

Student Visa (Type ST-B2)

Visa for foreign nationals enrolled in educational institutions in Laos for study purposes.

Official category ST-B2 (Student Visa) per the Department of Immigration of Lao PDR, issued to students who come to study, research, collect data or undertake a technical internship in Laos. Requires acceptance letter from a recognized Lao educational institution. Renewable annually through the Department of Immigration. Specific fee and processing details not confirmed from accessible official sources.

Diplomatic / Official Visa Exemption

Visa-free entry for holders of diplomatic, service, or official passports under bilateral agreements between Laos and partner countries.

Laos has bilateral diplomatic/service passport exemption agreements with 40+ countries. Stay durations vary: 14 days (Indonesia diplomatic/service), 30 days (most bilateral agreements), 90 days (Japan, South Korea, Czech Republic, Slovak Republic, Poland, Cuba, Brazil, Mexico, Peru, Hungary, Georgia, Norway diplomatic only). Ordinary passport holders under these agreements may or may not be visa-free depending on the specific bilateral treaty.

Spouse Visa (Type SP-B3)

Long-stay visa for foreigners and stateless persons who have legally registered their marriage with a Lao citizen.

Official category SP-B3 (Spouse Visa) listed by the Department of Immigration of Lao PDR, issued to foreigners and stateless persons who have legally registered their marriage with a Lao citizen under Lao law. Applied for and renewed in-country through the Department of Immigration; a stay permit card is issued in 3-, 6-, or 12-month increments (300,000 / 600,000 / 1,200,000 LAK). Exact fee and validity are not published on the official page.

Expert Visa (Type E-B2)

Visa for foreign experts, technicians and NGO staff employed or contracted by government, private or international organizations, including their family members.

Official category E-B2 (Expert Visa) listed by the Department of Immigration of Lao PDR. Issued to experts and staff of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) approved to perform their duties in Laos, and to experts and technicians employed or contracted by government, private or other international organizations, including their family members. Requires a work permit from the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare and a stay permit card from the Department of Immigration (300,000 / 600,000 / 1,200,000 LAK for 3/6/12 months). Distinct from the LA-B2 Labour Visa used for general laborers.

Long-Term Visa (Type I-B3)

Long-stay visa for foreign laborers and their family members, and for long-stay foreigners contributing to national development or with sufficient financial means.

Official category I-B3 (Long-Term Visa) listed by the Department of Immigration of Lao PDR. Issued to foreigners/stateless persons working as laborers (with family members), those whose contributions benefit national protection and development, and general long-stay foreigners. General long-stay applicants must hold at least USD 20,000 in a Lao bank account for a six-month stay, or USD 40,000 for a one-year stay (a bank-balance requirement, not a visa fee). Stay permit card fees are 300,000 / 600,000 / 1,200,000 LAK for 3/6/12 months.

Courtesy Visa (Type C-B1)

Visa for staff of bilateral cooperation offices, UN/international organization personnel, foreign experts on inter-government cooperation or grant-aid projects, invited seminar/training speakers, and certain embassy household staff and VIPs.

Official category C-B1 (Courtesy Visa) listed by the Department of Immigration of Lao PDR. Covers staff of bilateral cooperation offices and of UN/international organizations posted in Laos, foreign experts/technical officers on inter-governmental cooperation or foreign voluntary grant-assistance projects, loan-collection/monitoring officers, foreign experts invited to run seminars or trainings, non-Lao household staff of embassies/consulates/diplomats' residences, honorary VIPs on movement plans, and the family members of these persons. Requires a letter of proposal from the relevant organization.

Media Visa (Type M-B2)

Visa for foreign journalists who come to collect news in the Lao PDR.

Official category M-B2 (Media Visa) listed by the Department of Immigration of Lao PDR, issued to foreign journalists and media personnel who come to collect news in Laos. Typically requires prior approval/accreditation from the Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism and/or Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Fee and validity are not published on the official page.

Permanent Visa (Type P-B3)

Long-term visa for foreigners and stateless persons approved to reside permanently in the Lao PDR.

Official category P-B3 (Permanent Visa) listed by the Department of Immigration of Lao PDR, issued to foreigners and stateless persons who are approved to permanently reside in Laos. Subject to government approval; conditions, validity and fees are not published on the official page.

Diplomatic Visa (Type D-A1)

Visa for foreign diplomats, consular officers, high-level government delegations and representatives of the United Nations and international organizations, and their dependents, on official duty in the Lao PDR.

Class 'A' visa category (D-A1, Diplomatic Visa) listed by the Department of Immigration of Lao PDR. Issued to diplomats, consuls and representatives of international organizations and their dependents authorized for short- or long-term duty in Laos, and to high-level government delegations. Distinct from the separate visa-exemption agreements that already cover many diplomatic/service passport holders. Applied for through Lao embassies/consulates and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; normally fee-exempt on a reciprocal basis. Stay length and validity are set per posting and are not published on the official page.

Official Visa (Type S-A2)

Visa for administrative and technical staff of foreign embassies, consulates and governmental/international organizations, members of official delegations, and their dependents.

Class 'A' visa category (S-A2, Official/Service Visa) listed by the Department of Immigration of Lao PDR. Issued to international diplomats and members of governmental organizations, and to administrative/technical staff of embassies and consulates and their dependents. Distinct from the separate visa-exemption agreements that already cover many service passport holders. Applied for through Lao embassies/consulates and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Stay length, validity and fee are set per posting and are not published on the official page.