How to Apply for a Laos Visa in San Francisco

San Francisco, known as the “City by the Bay”, is one of America’s most famous and beautiful cities.  Located in Northern California, San Francisco is just one of the many cities that together make up the San Francisco Bay Area, or Bay Area for short.  The 14-county combined statistical area (that comprises the Bay Area) has nearly 10 million people, making it the fifth-most populous region in the United States.  The Bay Area includes cities such as Oakland, Berkeley, Vallejo, Concord, Pleasanton, Fremont, San Jose, San Mateo, and Palo Alto.  The Bay Area is well known for its cultural diversity and large Asian and Pacific Islander population.  There are an estimated 20,000 Laotian Americans living in the San Francisco Bay Area, making this one of the largest metropolitan areas in the country with immigrants from Laos.  And in the neighboring Central Valley cities of Sacramento, Stockton, Modesto, and Fresno, the population of Laotian Americans numbers about 40,000.  The San Francisco Bay Area is one of the few places in the United States that has Lao cuisine and restaurants that are branded as having origins from Laos.  San Francisco is home to the Center for Lao Studies, which is one of the few organizations in the world that promotes and preserves the cultures and languages of Laos.

Laos is a country in Southeast Asia with a population of 7.3 million people and a land area of 91,875 square miles, making it about three-fifths the size of California.  Ethnic Lao people make up half the country’s population and inhabit the low-lying Mekong River basin.  The other half is composed of dozens of ethnic groups (perhaps as many as 240 groups), which includes the Hmong (the Hmong people fought with the Americans in the Vietnam War and there are now over 300,000 Hmong living in the U.S.).  Vientiane is the capital and largest city in Laos with a population of one million residents.  This is also Laos’s most visited city because it lies just across the Mekong River from the border with Thailand and is home to the country’s main airport, Wattay International Airport.  Laos was a colony of France from 1893-1953, so elements of French culture can still be seen today in the city’s architecture and cafés.  Other popular destinations in Laos include Luang Prabang, a charming town located along the Mekong River, and the town of Van Vieng, a popular hangout spot for backpackers.  Laos is still off the radar for most San Francisco business travelers, however, there are plenty of opportunities for American companies to participate in the development of the country’s infrastructure.

Obtaining a Laos Visa from San Francisco

The easiest method of obtaining a Laos visa from San Francisco is to apply for it online using the following website: https://laoevisa.gov.la/index.  Visitors to the country can simply apply for the visa online from anywhere in the world without having to visit an embassy or consulate.  The government fee is $50 for U.S. citizens (plus $1.75 in bank charges) and payment can be made using a credit card.  The electronic visa is usually issued within three business days and is valid for 60 days, meaning that you will have 60 days to enter Laos once you receive the visa.  The visa is good for one entry into Laos, and lets you stay in the country up to 30 days once you obtain an entry stamp by entering one of the five ports that accept this type of visa.  The five ports where you can enter the country are as follows:

  • Wattay International Airport (Vientiane)
  • Lao-Thai Friendship Bridge I (Vientiane)
  • Luang Prabang International Airport
  • Lao-Thai Friendship Bridge II (Savannakhet Province)
  • Pakse International Airport (Champasak Province)

Visitors to Laos also have the option to obtain a traditional sticker visa (this is the visa that is placed in one of the pages of your passport).  Just like the electronic visa, the government fee for Americans is $50 and it allows visitors to stay in the country up to 30 days.  However, this visa can be extended by visiting an immigration office in Laos in case visitors want to stay in the country longer than 30 days.

Traditional sticker visas for Laos are issued by the government of Laos in the United States.  The government of Laos is represented by their embassy in Washington, D.C. along with their representative office at the United Nations in New York City. 

To apply for a traditional sticker visa from San Francisco, you will fill out the visa application and ship your original passport and supporting documents to the embassy in Washington, D.C. by FedEx, UPS, or USPS.  Here is the address:

Embassy of the Lao P.D.R.
2222 S Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20008

It is important to review the requirements for visas on the Laos embassy website and ensure your application and all supporting documents are accurate.  Here is the link to their website with detailed information: https://laoembassy.com/visa/

Be sure to include a self-addressed FedEx prepaid envelope and make note of the tracking number so the embassy can return your passport and visa to your home or office.  You can also use the United States Postal Service (USPS), however, FedEx is the preferred method for shipping important documents like a passport.  If you decide to use USPS, please use their express mail service where a tracking number is provided. 

It may also be possible to apply for a tourist visa on arrival at certain points of entry into Laos, however, it is recommended that visitors apply for a visa in advance to avoid delays at the land border or avoid getting denied boarding by the airline (if taking a flight from neighboring countries).  Please note that business visas can only be obtained in advance.

Other things to consider:

  • All U.S. citizens require a visa to enter Laos and they must have a valid passport that does not expire within six months of their date of entry into the country.
  • Visitors to Laos must obtain an entry stamp inside their passport proving their legal status inside the country. 
  • COVID-19 protocols still remain in place.  These include: Having proof of being fully vaccinated against COVID-19 OR having proof of an Antigen Test Kit (AKT) examination with a negative result taken within 48 hours prior to arrival in Laos.  More information can be found here: https://la.usembassy.gov/covid-19-information/
  • It is recommended to purchase travel insurance before any international trip in case of medical emergencies.  We advise getting the Geo Blue Voyager Single Trip Plan.

We Can Help if You Need Assistance

If you live in San Francisco or anywhere in Northern California and have difficulty applying for a Laos visa or require assistance with any part of the visa process, please give our office a call at 404-682-5445 or schedule an appointment with our company.  We are a private agency in Atlanta providing Laos visa services for Americans and other U.S.-based residents.  Our number one goal is to ensure your application documents for a visa are submitted accurately to the government of Laos.  Our services eliminate delays and give you the peace of mind to focus on your travel plans. 

We provide the following Laos visa services for our customers in San Francisco:

  • Laos Tourist Visa
  • Laos Business Visa
  • Laos Hotel Accommodations