LAOS SLOW BOAT BORDER CROSSING AND VISA REQUIREMENTS

Taking the slow boat from Thailand to Laos obviously involves a border crossing, but no, it’s not done on the boat. 

Land border crossings are usually chill, but I always want to make sure I know what to expect. I spent probably too much time crawling through reddit threads to get clarity on the Laos visa, whether to get an e-visa or visa on arrival, how much each cost, etc – but all I got was confusing information from the internet about price and process. Aside from the big visa question marks, the Thai-Lao border was as you would expect, very chill. 

I wished I could just find all that information in one spot. So that is what this is, one comprehensive post about the border crossing process when taking the slow boat and the Laos visa requirements.

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Note – the details of this post assumes that you book a tour/transfer for the slow boat...

What I go through below regarding the border process implies that you are leaving for the border from Chiang Rai, Thailand, with a transfer/tour booked,m which takes you direct to the border early in the morning.

Whether you book your slow boat journey ahead through Get Your Guide or Viator like I did, or book the transfer with a Chiang Rai hostel like Mercy Hostel, or a tour agency in town, you will all generally be following the same exact itinerary. For a full breakdown of what to expect on the slow boat to Laos, check out my post that covers absolutely everyyyyything.

It is completely possible to take the slow boat to Laos completely self guided, skipping the companies offering packages, and just sorting it all out yourself. If you do it independently, you are entirely responsible for getting to and across the border yourself, which can be a multi-hour task. It involves more planning in the border section (getting yourself to Chiang Kong, Thailand and then across the border to Huay Xai, Laos) as well as figuring out getting to the boat jetty and paying for slow boat tickets. I know it is entirely doable for those wanting to use their brains more than I did, and will likely be even more budget friendly.

border crossing

If you’ve booked the slow boat with a tour agency, your journey to the boat will likely start at 5AM in Chiang Rai, Thailand. You will get picked up in a van from your hotel/hostel and start driving towards the Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge IV border.
 
You arrive at the border after a 2 hour drive just in time for it to open at 7:30am. First stop is stamping out of Thailand. This should be very simple and straightforward unless you’ve overstayed your Thai visa. Hopefully you haven’t, but of you have, be sure to come with plenty of extra cash to pay for the mistake.
 
Once you’re stamped through you will be given a paper bus ticket by your tour group. This is for the short bus journey that takes you over the Thai-Lao Friendship Bridge IV. The bus will wait for enough passengers to get stamped through before boarding. Load your bag into the hold on the bottom and then hop on until you get to the Laos border. It is a short ride across the bridge to get to the Laos border. Grab all your belongings from this bus as you won’t be getting on it again.
 
Here most people will be following the line to the Visa On Arrival window, but there will be a small handful of people who go a different direction with their already approved e-visas. I was one of only two people with an e-visa in a group of 50 to 75 people… All the information I know about getting a Laos visa below ↓
 
After getting stamped into Laos and officially crossing the border you will be directed to a little tuktuk mini truck to load you and your bags into. These are separated by the tour agency you book with but all end up driving you to the same port to board the slow boat.

VISA ON ARRIVAL VS. E-VISA

OK now the answer the big question – Visa on Arrival or e-Visa?

Most countries outside of Southeast Asia will need a visa to visit Laos – for which you generally have two options, either a visa on arrival or pre applying for an e-visa. Some countries are only eligible for the e-visa, so make sure to double check yours on Passport Index.

e-visa

I am a Virgo so, naturally, I will always apply for an e-visa ahead of time, if I can. 

Be aware, the e-visa is only eligible at some ports of entry into Laos. The good news is that the Thai-Laos Friendship Bridge IV (the slow boat is one) is one of them. Be sure to double check your port of entry if you are coming into Laos a different way.

The e-visa is a 30 day single entry visa. It costs $50 USD and is payable by credit card online when you apply. This is both less and more than the visa on arrival (more on that below). It is a significantly smaller sticker in your passport, if keeping a certain amount of pages available is important to you.

Despite paying the $50USD online, you will also need 70 Thai Baht in cash for border fees. I don’t exactly know what the first fee was for, but I paid 50 Thai Baht at the window where the Laotian immigration officer stamped my passport – if you give 60 TBH, don’t expect change. There is also 20 THB tourist entry tax at another window.

If you are going to apply for the e-visa be sure to do this around a week ahead of your expected departure from Thailand. It generally takes 3 business days to be approved. Once your visa is approved, you will also need to print your approval letter to hand over at the border. Mercy Hostel in Chiang Rai was able to print mine for 5 Thai Baht.

Apply for your visa on the official Laos e-visa website here

visa on arrival

The Visa On Arrival is also generally a 30 day single-entry visa. You have to complete a paper form (sometimes your tour package will provide it when you book, otherwise it can be completed at the border), as well as arrive with a colour passport photo to hand over.  

Visa on Arrival Cost

As for the cost… well that’s a great question. The VOA technically costs $40 USD – but if you are paying it Thai Baht it will cost anywhere from 1500 to 2000 THB. 

If you want to pay the lower rate in USD these need to be the crispiest, cleanest $20 bills you’ve ever had your hands on. I heard someone had a tiny little pencil mark on one of their bills or a creased corner, and the bills were declined, so they had to pay in Thai Baht anyways. It can also be difficult to get USD after leaving Chiang Mai, so if you are planning to use USD be sure to exchange before you get to Chiang Rai.

If that sounds like too much hassle, you can also pay the Laos border in Thai Baht (yes they accept it, despite it not being their currency). There wasn’t a clear answer online on exact THB going rate and I honestly think it might depend on how the officer is feeling in the moment… because the two girls I was travelling with each paid different fees, no more than 5 minutes apart. One paid 1600 THB ($48 USD) and the other paid 1900 THB ($58 USD). This is why I say that the $50 USD e-visa fee costs both less and more than the VOA.

Process

The Visa On Arrival will also take a bit longer to process than the e-visa  as there are so many others in the same queue. It is a 3 counter system to receive the actual visa in your passport, and then you proceed to immigration to get stamped into Laos. At the first counter submit all your documents and hand over your passport. You then move to counter two to pay your visa fees in cash. Then, at counter three, you will have your photo taken and then receive your passport back with a full-page visa sticker. This, again, can be important to know if you have limited pages left in your passport, as some countries around the world expect 6 or more visa pages available at entry.

Visa on Arrival recipients will also need to pay the 20 THB tourist entry tax at a 5th window after being stamped into the country.

enjoy Laos!

I hope this brought you clarity on the slow boat border crossing process and the costs and requirements associated with the Laos visa.

Easily, I would recommend applying for an e-visa ahead of time. It, ultimately, is a time and (potentially) money saver and gives you the peace of mind knowing your border crossing with go smoothly (hopefully).

Please feel free to let me know if you have any other questions about taking the slow boat to Laos. If you want to get all the insider details about the journey check out my detailed guide covering everything you need to know before taking the slow boat to Laos. It’s a fun and unique journey, well worth your two days boating down the Mekong River.

More Laos Travel Guides

Happy trip planning!

From one traveller to another, I hope this guide was helpful for you as you make your plans and set out on your next adventure!

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