Laos updates visa policy to attract tourists

Laos is actively developing strategies to strengthen its tourism sector. The country this year launched the "Visit Laos 2024" program to attract more international tourists in 2024 and 2025 and highlight its unique culture, lifestyle and entrepreneurial opportunities. The Lao government hopes these measures will help rebuild and strengthen the tourism industry, which is an important part of the country's economy.

Laos' Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism, Suanesavan Vignaketh, has introduced a series of temporary visa relaxations that will be in effect from July 1 to December 31, 2024. These changes are aimed at simplifying the travel planning process for international travelers and providing more flexibility during their stay.

Visa policy changes:

• Visa-free travel for 15 days for Chinese tourists, including citizens of Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. Visa-free travel is possible if traveling in groups organized by agencies that have been officially registered and licensed by the Lao Ministry of Tourism. The move is aimed at attracting more Chinese visitors, who already make up a significant portion of tourist traffic to Laos after Thailand and Vietnam. More than 641,000 tourists from China visited Laos in the whole of 2023. However, Taiwanese nationals are still required to apply for a visa sheet when entering Laos, which is issued upon arrival and must be returned upon departure from the country.
• Increased the stay period of a multiple-entry visa from 30 days to 60 days. Citizens from 22 countries can now apply for multiple-entry visas through Lao diplomatic missions. However, if the visa is obtained on arrival or online, visitors will only be allowed single entry for up to 60 days. The new visa policy applies to citizens of Australia, New Zealand, USA, Canada, Russia and several European countries (Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UK).
• Tourists from Thailand traveling with certain documents ("Border Pass", "Temporary Border Pass", a document that is used in place of a passport or ID card under an agreement between the two countries) can now stay in Laos for up to 10 days, significantly longer than the previous time limit of 3 days. Vietnamese citizens with similar documents have the right to stay in Laos for up to 15 days. Also, tourists from these countries arriving in Laos through approved travel agencies are able to visit three adjacent provinces near their original point of arrival. However, to leave the country, they must use the same border crossing through which they entered.
• Citizens from the European countries of Denmark, Norway, Finland, Sweden, Austria, Belgium, Spain and Greece are exempted from visa requirements for their first 15-day visit to Laos, provided the purpose of their trip is tourism.

The measures reflect Laos' desire to strengthen its position as an attractive tourist destination, given tourism's significant contribution to the country's economic development. The country expects a significant increase in visitor numbers as a result of these changes.