Laos Visa on Arrival for Indians

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Here’s a fun stat before we start..

35.38 million tourists arrived in Thailand in 2017 compared to only 3.86 million in Laos in the same year. Further, 1.19 million Indians arrived in Thailand in 2016 compared to just 8249 Indians in Laos in the same year.

That makes Laos quite the offbeat destination for Indians.

Well, it is also an offbeat destination in general, for everyone.

This is why it was the fastest Visa on Arrival I ever got.

I landed at Wattay International Airport in the capital of Laos and there were just 5 people in the queue and probably 50 people in the entire airport apart from the staff.

The process was a breeze and took just 10 minutes from start to finish.

In this blog, I’ll share all the information you need (and there’s not much needed) to get the VoA in Laos.

Visa Fee:

The Visa on Arrival (VoA) fee is $40 for Indians. You should pay this in USD.

You also have an option of paying the fee in Thai Baht but avoid that as an extra conversion fee gets charged with it.

Visa Documents:

You really don’t need any special documents to get the VoA.

All you need to get is:

  1. Your Passport
  2. A Passport size photo

And you get the visa form at the airport which you have to fill, along with an arrival / departure card which you’ll get in your flight.

So you don’t really need to get anything else. A lot of blogs have talked about accommodation proof, proof of sufficient funds, onward and return tickets but none of this is needed.

I’ve traveled in January 2019 and unless you read a fellow-travelers’ blog who has been there after Jan 2019, you can consider this information as the latest.

Visa Process:

Step 1: You fill the arrival card in your flight

Step 2: You go to the airport’s VoA counter and fill the Visa form

Step 3: You go to the first counter with your filled visa form, passport, and picture

Step 4: They take your passport and move you to the next counter where you pay the fee

Step 5: In the 3rd counter, you get your stamped passport back.

That’s all.

Airports where you can get the VoA are listed below:

  • Wattay International Airport, Laos
  • Pakse International Airport, Laos
  • Savannakhet Airport, Laos
  • Luang Prabang Airport, Laos

Please note as an Indian, you cannot get the VoA at the border crossings. You must fly in to Laos.

Also, If you don’t have a passport size photo, don’t worry. You will still get the VoA. You might have have to pay a dollar or two extra.

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