# How do you fill out the Laos online arrival card (Lao Digital Immigration Form)?

> Laos' online arrival card (LDIF) is free at immigration.gov.la and due 3 days before you land at Vientiane, Luang Prabang, Pakse or Friendship Bridge 1.

- Source: https://clevertourists.com/resources/laos-arrival-card-online-how-to-fill-out-guide
- Authors: Evan & Clara, Clever Tourists (first-hand, from years of travel across 20 countries)
- Published: 2026-10-27

**Laos' online arrival card is the Lao Digital Immigration Form (LDIF), a free registration on the Department of Immigration's site at immigration.gov.la. All foreign nationals entering through Wattay airport in Vientiane, Luang Prabang airport, Pakse airport or Friendship Bridge 1 (Nong Khai to Vientiane) must submit it within 3 days before arrival, and a second form within 3 days before departure.** It started on 1 September 2025 at those four checkpoints, and as of 4 November 2026 the official form still lists only those four; other borders, including the Boten crossing and the Laos-China railway stations, still use paper. The arrival card is not a visa: most Western visitors also need the Lao eVisa or a visa on arrival. Below: which crossings use it, every step of the form, how it fits with the eVisa, and what we could not confirm. We checked this against the Lao government sites on 4 November 2026. We have not travelled to Laos ourselves, so this page is built from the official sources.

## Where the Laos online arrival card applies

This is the part most guides get wrong. The Lao Digital Immigration Form was launched as a pilot at **four international checkpoints**, and the arrival form's own checkpoint menu, checked on 4 November 2026, still offers only those four:

• **Wattay International Airport**, Vientiane

• **Luang Prabang International Airport**

• **Pakse International Airport**

• **Friendship Bridge 1**, the road bridge from Nong Khai in Thailand to Vientiane

At those four, the UK government says the digital form replaces the paper arrival and departure cards. Business advisers KPMG reported in 2025 that other checkpoints still use the paper form. That includes the **Boten** border with China and the **Laos-China railway** stations at Boten and Khamsavath (Vientiane): you cannot pick them in the online form, so expect a paper card there.

Law firms reported in 2025 that a nationwide rollout was planned for early 2026. We found no official notice that it has happened, so check the checkpoint list on immigration.gov.la when you file.

|  |  |
| --- | --- |
| **Who** | All foreign nationals and stateless people travelling on a passport |
| **Where it applies** | Wattay (Vientiane), Luang Prabang and Pakse airports, Friendship Bridge 1 |
| **When** | Within 3 days before arrival; a departure form within 3 days before leaving |
| **Cost** | No fee on the official form |
| **Official site** | immigration.gov.la |
| **What you get** | A QR code and a verification code to show at immigration |

_Lao Digital Immigration Form at a glance (checked 4 November 2026)_

## Who has to fill it in, and when

The immigration site's banner says all foreigners are required to submit within 3 days before arrival and departure, and its launch notice says all foreign nationals and stateless people travelling on a passport must register through the form before entering or leaving Laos. The eVisa site calls it a separate requirement from the eVisa.

The official pages list **no exemptions**: not for ASEAN citizens, not for visa-exempt nationalities, and nothing specific about children. The form itself has a choice between "Exemption Visa" and "Apply Visa on Arrival", so visa-exempt travellers are expected to fill it in. Plan on one form per traveller, children included, unless an officer tells you otherwise.

**Timing:** within **3 days before arrival**. Flying into Luang Prabang on 20 March, file from 17 March. Leaving through one of the four checkpoints, submit the **departure form** within 3 days before you go.

## How to fill out the arrival form, step by step

The site works in English, Lao and Chinese. Answers must use **English letters and numbers only**. Have these ready: your passport, a **photo of your passport data page**, a **photo of you holding your passport**, your flight or bus number, and your first hotel's address with its province, district and village.

• **Step 1: arrival info.** Arrival checkpoint and date; family name, given name, gender, date and place of birth; nationality, occupation and country of origin; phone number with country code; passport number, issue date, expiry date and place of issue; the two photos; purpose of entry (tourism, business, visit, transit and others); how you are arriving (flight, car, bus, train or boat) with its number; the country you are coming from; and whether you are on a group tour.

• **Step 2: visa info.** Choose visa exemption or visa on arrival, and if you have a visa, its number, issue date, place of issue and an image of it.

• **Step 3: intended address.** Hotel or accommodation name, province, district, village, and check-in and check-out dates.

• **Step 4: confirm.** You get a **QR code and a verification code**. The site says this is the code to confirm with the immigration officer, and to screenshot it or download the PDF.

The form expects a passport valid for at least **180 days**. If your passport has less than that left, sort that out before anything else.

## Arrival card vs eVisa: you may need both

The arrival card registers your trip. It does not give you permission to enter. Most Western visitors also need a visa, and the UK government says British citizens must have one.

• **Lao eVisa:** apply only at **laoevisa.gov.la**. The official fee calculator shows **US$50** for US, UK, Australian, Canadian, French and German passports, excluding bank charges, and it is not refundable. Processing is usually 3 working days; apply at least 5 days before you travel. It gives a single entry and a **30-day** stay.

• **eVisa entry points:** Wattay, Luang Prabang and Pakse airports, Friendship Bridges I, II and IV, the Boten road checkpoint, and the Boten and Khamsavath railway stations. Elsewhere you need a visa on arrival.

• **Visa on arrival:** available at many international checkpoints for a 30-day single entry, according to the UK government. We could not confirm the current fee on an official page, so bring US dollars and a passport photo, and check before you go.

The mismatch to watch: if you ride the Laos-China railway into **Boten** or **Vientiane's Khamsavath station** on an eVisa, the eVisa is valid there but the online arrival card does not cover those stations yet, so you fill in paper on arrival.

## Official sites, lookalikes and what we could not confirm

There are only two official addresses: **immigration.gov.la** for the arrival and departure forms, and **laoevisa.gov.la** for the eVisa, which itself points to immigration.gov.la. Both end in **.gov.la**. The official arrival form has no payment step. We found no Lao government warning about lookalike arrival card sites, but agencies that charge to submit forms exist for every country with a digital arrival card, so treat any site asking for card details for the arrival form as unofficial.

What we could not confirm on an official page as of 4 November 2026:

• Whether the nationwide rollout planned for 2026 has started. The live checkpoint list says no.

• Whether paper cards are still handed out at the four LDIF checkpoints for people who did not file online.

• Any exemption for children or ASEAN citizens.

• The visa-on-arrival fee.

If your trip to Laos is part of a longer Southeast Asia route, Thailand has its own mandatory form: see our [Thailand Digital Arrival Card guide](https://clevertourists.com/resources/thailand-digital-arrival-card-tdac-how-to-fill-out-guide), and for Vietnam the [Vietnam eVisa guide](https://clevertourists.com/resources/vietnam-e-visa-how-to-apply-official-site-guide).

## Frequently asked questions

### Does Laos have an online arrival card?

Yes. The Lao Digital Immigration Form at immigration.gov.la is required for foreign nationals entering through Wattay, Luang Prabang and Pakse airports and Friendship Bridge 1. Other checkpoints still use paper.

### How many days before arrival do I fill out the Laos arrival card?

Within 3 days before arrival. A separate departure form is due within 3 days before you leave through one of the four checkpoints.

### Is the Laos arrival card the same as the eVisa?

No. The arrival card is a free registration at immigration.gov.la; the eVisa at laoevisa.gov.la is the permission to enter, at US$50 for US, UK and Australian passports. Most Western visitors need both.

### Do I need the Laos arrival card on the Laos-China railway?

Not online, as of 4 November 2026. The Boten and Khamsavath railway stations are not on the online form's checkpoint list, so expect a paper card there.

### Is the Laos arrival card free?

The official form at immigration.gov.la has no payment step. Sites asking for card details to submit it are not the Lao government.

## Official sources

- [Lao Department of Immigration: Lao Digital Immigration Form (arrival and departure)](https://immigration.gov.la/)
- [Lao eVisa: official application site](https://laoevisa.gov.la/)
- [GOV.UK: Laos entry requirements](https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/laos/entry-requirements)