Laos Residence & Work Permit Checklist 2026 | VisaGov

A long stay in Laos is a sequence, not a single sticker. This checklist walks the procedural order VisaGov uses at the Vientiane desk: entry → stay/residence documents → work permit when employment is part of the file → extension when you renew.

If you already know you want a priced package rather than a DIY labour file, jump to our residence permit packages page. The steps below still apply — packages simply bundle the commercial side so you are not guessing fees at each gate.

1. Confirm the outcome you need

Write down three answers before you send documents:

• Duration: 3 months, 6 months, or 12 months?
• Mobility: Will you leave Laos and re-enter? (needs multiple-entry)
• Work: Do you need a work permit in the same file, or only residence?

Those three answers map to Full Mobility, Flexible Residency, Local Banking, or the 3-Month Package. Tourist-only stays stay on the $90 extension track.

2. Entry set-up (when an invitation is required)

Passport ID page + intended port of entry. Invitation letters are prepared in about 1 week once the document set is complete. Start around 2 weeks before the flight. There is no invitation express surcharge.

Carry the printed invitation in hand luggage. A phone photo is not enough at the counter.

3. After arrival: residence / stay permit track

1. Bring the passport with the current entry stamp to the VisaGov desk (Harmony Hotel, Asean Road 05999).
2. We confirm nationality pricing (India & Nepal: +$300 on new packages only).
3. Residence / stay documents are prepared against the package you chose.
4. You leave the passport for processing for the standard window we quote on intake — never a guaranteed calendar date from the ministry queue.

4. Work permit (only when the file needs it)

Work permit steps sit after the stay/residence foundation is clear. Full Mobility and Local Banking include work-permit support in the package price. Flexible Residency is residence-first — add work later only if your situation changes and the desk confirms it is possible on that track.

Have ready: role description, any employer or contracting context you already have, and passport bio page. We do not invent employer stories; we file what the case actually supports.

5. Banking (optional but common)

Bank-account opening is $100 on top of any package.

• Need BCEL or LDB → Local Banking or Full Mobility.
• Fine with JDB / local banks → Flexible Residency or 3-Month Package.

6. Extension / renewal checklist

Extensions use the same package family. Prices are the same for every nationality:

• Full Mobility extensions: $550 (12 mo) / $450 (6 mo)
• Flexible & Local Banking extensions: $520 / $410

Bring the previous file references and passport. Do not wait until the stamp has already expired — overstay days are charged separately.

Walk-in: Harmony Hotel, Asean Road 05999, Vientiane · daily 09:00–20:00 · WhatsApp +856 20 9999 7573 · contact@66visa.com

7. Restricted nationalities and honesty at intake

Some nationalities cannot open a new long-stay file right now. VisaGov flags that on WhatsApp before you pay. If you already hold a previous long-stay document, bring the company licence and stamps from that file — limited renewal or 3-Month options sometimes remain even when a brand-new file does not.

8. Same-day expectations

Walk-ins are welcome daily 09:00–20:00, but ministry queues are not “same day.” We will never sell a $190 one-day express extension product. Plan passport drop-off and pickup around the processing window quoted on intake.