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Is Laos a good option for visa applications currently?

Laos Visa Processing DTV Visa Visa Interview Requirements Visa Approval Timeframes Thailand Immigration Expats in Laos Visa Types Cambodia Visa Situation

Jul 31, 2025

4 days ago

ORIGINAL POSTER

FYI Laos probs not the best to go now.

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TLDR : Answer Summary

The community discusses the current challenges and timelines for visa processing in Laos, highlighting issues such as long queues and the potential for delays of up to a month. Participants express concerns over a high number of applications and comment on the necessity of interviews for applicants. Some suggest reconsidering Laos as an option for visa applications due to these difficulties, particularly in light of the current situation with Cambodia.

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Nick *****

ORIGINAL POSTER

FYI just recieved interview date for 13th august for this.

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Andi ***********

You can ask for an earlier date like others have done

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Nick *****

ORIGINAL POSTER

@Andi **********

boooom just got back email, interview scheduled for 5th of august lets gooo

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Andi ***********

GREAT! you will be approved very quickly after the interview

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Andi ***********

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Nick *****

ORIGINAL POSTER

but i am going to the same embassy where i paid right? I am assuming its the building next to the cashier where paying for visa, and i am also assuming i can go without staying in que right? cuz that que is just for paying.

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Nick *****

ORIGINAL POSTER

but atleast its not so bad, after their email i thought i will be here month minimum

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Nick *****

ORIGINAL POSTER

@Andi **********

Just done :D

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Nick *****

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A. ************

A lot of people are probably shifting to Laos because of the situation with Cambodia right now.

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John *******

A. Nony Mous it is all type of visas, not just DTVs, and since Monday was a holiday, it would be all applications submitted on Sat, Sun, Mon or Tue. Not all visas require interviews

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John *******

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Oli *******

It took me 2 weeks in Laos. Got it yesterday! But there was a 200m queue of people waiting to pay the Visa fee!

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Alejandro ****

Interesting, how long are they taking to process the visa then? Because if I go to Laos I can stay there for one month and in theory I can't leave the country until the DTV process is finished... I wanted to do it in Laos but I might have to reconsider

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Anonymous ******************

you can leave country in most , just explain them the issue and they will tell you to leave but not enter Thailand and come back

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Greg ********

That many applications seems to be abnormal and an outlier. Something just foes not right right with that number. The location is a favourite eith agents for applications though. If I was an independent applicant I would be avoiding Laos and would apply elsewhere.

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Alejandro ****

maybe it's due to the conflict with cambodia? I dont know. I dont plan on applying for a few months, I will check then and see how's the situation, thank you.

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Greg ********

Out of the closer countries Vietnam looks better option right now.

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Greg ********

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Anonymous ******************

do they arrange an interview for every application? I thought it was only online applications...

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Brandon ************

Anonymous participant 561 they set an interview for every DTV applicant. Not for other types of visas though

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John *******

@Brandon ***********

also the 28th was a holiday, so the number they reference is really all visa applicants from Sat, Sun, Mon and Tue. As you said, they don’t say all of them receive interviews, but the applications need to be processed in the system

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John *******

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John *******

Anonymous participant 561 all applications are online

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Oli *******

Anonymous participant 561 They want to know if you really paid your course and if the money really is on your bankaccount. This is the only thing you have to prove during the interview.

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Greg ********

Anonymous participant 561 Laos require every candidate to be interviewed for some reason.

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Greg ********

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Don *******

That’s a lot of appointments

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John *******

it is for all types of visas, I am sure most are for manual labor by Lao nationals

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Greg ********

It really is - very peculiar :-)

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Greg ********

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Andi ***********

Yes, Laos can take up to a month to get approved some a bit longer.

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Anonymous ******************

@Andi **********

that can happen anywhere. Philipines took me 5 weeks

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Andi ***********

Anonymous participant 911 Yeah, it is possible to take a month elsewhere but it is not the norm. 5 weeks in the Philippines is not the norm. About a month in Laos is the norm for approval whereas it used to be much quicker.

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Andi ***********

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Greg ********

@Andi **********

This is why I think the 35k was a very conservative number of total DTVs.

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Andi ***********

700-800 application july 29 ,,yeah very conservative number of 35k.. must be more than that

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Greg ********

@Andi **********

There has to be. I wonder why such a rush to Laos all of a sudden. Could not be related to student visa cancellations for a certain nationality could it? 🙂 🙂 Where are these 700 applicants staying - must be crowds of them around :-D

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Oli *******

There was a queue yesterday about 200m in front of the embassy to pay the visa fee. Most of them asian. Dont if chinese or not.

2 weeks earlier - same day and same time - there was NO queue at all. Something must have happened during this time. Maybe related to the war too?

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Greg ********

I just had coffee with my property agent. She deals with a lot of Chinese and Burmese clients. She thought it might be Burmese rather than Chinese.

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Greg ********

I do not think that many were going to Cambodia anyway to change suddenly to Laos. I am speculating here but the only news I have seen about visas was that 13k Ed visas to Chinese in Chiang Mai. Many of them hanging on a "Wobbly nail" in the colloquial. The news report mentioned a figure of 50%.

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Vitaly ********

I didn't get the memo - is it Russians or Chinese this time? Or there's a new troublemaker in town?

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Greg ********

@Vitaly *******

I am putting 1 and 2 together and getting 7 :-) It seems there are 13k Chinese on Ed Visas in Chiang Mai. A high % of these are under suspicion shall we say. Three Unis are suspected of issuing many of these and visas being cancelled. Maybe these people need a new type of visa?

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Andi ***********

that would explain the large number as they need to get onto a legit visa.

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Andi ***********

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