Laos is a country with an interesting history, rich culture and picturesque nature. Hundreds of tourists from Russia and CIS countries come here every year, but before that each of them is faced with the question whether it is possible to visit Laos without a visa.
Types of visas in Laos
Before embarking on a visa, the tourist should decide on the date he plans to spend in this country. As of 2017, a visa for Russians is needed only when they arrive in Laos for a period of more than two weeks. During the first 15 days of travel around the country, you can not look around in search of employees of the migration service.
Currently, there are the following types of visas to Laos for Ukrainians and citizens of other countries of the Commonwealth:
- guest;
- transit;
- business;
- national.
Tourists who arrived in the country for tourist purposes for a period of not more than two weeks, the presence of a visa to Laos is not necessary. But when crossing the Lao border, they are required to carry the following documents with them:
- a foreign passport valid for 6 months or more at the time of arrival in Laos;
- return ticket or ticket to the third destination;
- a document indicating the booking of a hotel or hotel room.
During customs control, it is necessary to closely monitor the work of the border guards. Sometimes they forget to put stamps in the passport, because of what the tourist has problems with migration legislation.
Documents required for obtaining a visa
Many foreigners come to this country not only for tourist purposes. To arrange a business, guest or transit visa for Russians and residents of other countries of the commonwealth it is necessary to apply to the embassy of Laos in Moscow. The visa is issued if the following documents are available:
- a foreign passport valid for 6 months or more;
- Two questionnaires completed in English;
- two "fresh" color or black and white photographs 4x6 cm.
As for business and guest visas to Laos for Russians, they should be accompanied by an invitation from the company to which the foreign citizen is traveling, or an individual resident in the country.
A national visa is issued only if the Lao Government is interested in a particular resident of the CIS. It can be valid for any period of time, but does not give the right to work or a residence permit.
A package of documents for obtaining a visa to Laos can be submitted on working days from 9 to 12 hours. At the same time, the designer, the representative of the travel agency or the authorized representative can be present.
When applying for a visa to Laos for Belarusians, Russians and residents of other CIS countries, you need to pay a consular fee of $ 20. If registration is done urgently, the fee is $ 40.
Address of the Embassy of Laos in Moscow: Malaya Nikitskaya Street, building 18.
Visa processing in Laos
In some situations, the trip to Laos is longer than planned, then the visa should be addressed to special authorities. These issues are dealt with by the general representation of the country. The Russian Embassy in Laos is located in Vientiane on Thadya Street, the 4th kilometer.
By the way, in Laos it is possible to issue documents permitting entry into neighboring countries. For example, from Thailand it is separated by a few kilometers. That is why in Laos it is so easy to issue a Thai visa. In this case, you can count on a 100% positive result, ease of processing documents and low cost.
The procedure operates bilaterally. So, some agencies offer visa registration services, with the help of which any tourist can go for a visa to Laos directly from Pattaya or another Thai city.
Recently, another way of extending the visa - visa-wounds is practiced. It looks like this: a tourist who has been in Laos for 15 days, leaves it for the neighboring city of a neighboring country, and after a day goes back and makes out a new entry. The cost of a visa visa service in Laos is approximately $ 57.
Thus, tourists who are tormented by the question of whether a visa is necessary to Laos for Russians should first of all decide on the duration of the trip. A short two-week trip is enough to have a great rest in this country without having to issue special documents. In all other cases, the presence of a visa and other documents is required.