Visa

Just read on the website laoembassy.com that tourists are advised to buy a package tour from an agency or else a tourist visa will not be provided. Surely this cannot be true when so many people seem to be going it alone on this forum.

Any advise or comments.

Visa

You have misread this; what it actually says is

';Visa processing should be made through an eligible tour company in the United States or Canada which has a contract with a tour company in the Lao PDR or directly through the Lao Embassy in Washington, DC. ';

Notice the ';or';. You can, of course, get a visa on arrival as well.

Visa

Tourist visa is valid for 15 days staying, but following the policy of the National Tourism Authority of Lao PDR, foreign tourists are advised to buy a package tour through licensed agencies. Otherwise, the tourist visa will not be granted.

Just copied and pasted the paragraph. I dont think we were reading the same thing. I dont think i will have much trouble obtaining one, but i think this info is misleading.

I%26#39;ve never had any difficulties in getting one either at the Friendship Bridge Border or at Wattay. When I was returning home, (Vientiane), from Nongkai in Thailand on Tuesday there were heaps of tourists getting visas at the Friendship Bridge.

I%26#39;ve read the same things on various websies but the facts are that you can get a tourist visa at the friendship bridge, LP airport Vientiane airport, for americans its 30days 2 passport photos that you can give them, and $36 fill out the entry card and wait for them to process it, never had a problem in the 5 or 6 times I%26#39;ve gone to Laos , if you look I think that information is quite old

There is no information like that. You can easily arrange a Visa On Arrival at the airport or any international border gate.

I am a US passport holder and will be visiting Laos next month. Everything I%26#39;ve read indicates I can get it upon arrival at the Luang Prabang airport. If this is not correct, please let me know.

hey,

you can get a visa at the airport with no problem. i have been to laos 4 times with no trouble. the only people that ever have problems are people that used to be lao citizens. my brother-in-law is lao and a couple of his friends that have gone are lao and they all had problems(the officials wanted some extra cash). they ended up giving like 5 or 10 dollars extra.

the last time i went(2006) i got the visa from the embassy in dc. it was like $35 for a month and some guy from the embassy called me n said that the embassy website price was outdated. he said it was $70 dollars now and to send $35 more. i didnt believe him and knew i could get it cheaper at the airport so i told him to send my passport back. he said it was to late... i said i didnt care... so, anyway, he sends it back and it had the visa on it and it was for 30 days. dont trust the embassy people if you go that way.

Usually I just bring my two passwort photo with me from home and when arrive at the airport just fill out the form.

Those officials could be pain in the butt, they keep questioning me why I didn%26#39;t speak Laotian, and keep asking how many years that I have lived in America, and why can not speak Laotian?

Than, I told him look at my passport closely please I%26#39;m was born in Vietnam, hello. I might look like one of you, but I%26#39;m not...........

Than he goes, you don%26#39;t look Vietnamese either....

Man, these guys are IDIOT and don%26#39;t know how they got the job in the airport....

Perhaps its your obviously poor attitude that irritates them.