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A Lao passport cannot be used to board for Dubai without a visa. The UAE ministry puts the Lao Peoples Democratic Republic on its visa required list, so nothing is issued at the airport. Holiday visas go through a licensed tourism company and start at AED 210. A relative with UAE residence can host you under ICP instead.
Government fees
| Option | Fee | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Tourist visa, 30 days, single entry | AED 210 | GDRFA |
| Tourist visa, 60 days, single entry | AED 315 | GDRFA |
| Tourist visa, 30 days, multiple entry | AED 315 | GDRFA |
| Relative visit visa, ICP application | AED 100 | ICP |
Both fee sources are the authorities' own service pages, read in . The GDRFA amounts already carry VAT. ICP adds a monthly charge for single entry visits.
Who can sponsor the visit
- A tourism company or airline, for a short holiday.
- A relative in the UAE, with the income ICP sets: AED 4,000, AED 8,000 or AED 15,000 a month by closeness.
- An employer. A job needs a work permit filed by the employer. A visit visa is not a work permit.
What the Lao side says
We found no Lao government page on travel to the UAE. What we did read: in the UAE ambassador to Laos, based in Hanoi, suggested to the Lao foreign minister a study on direct flights and more visa exemptions for tourists from both countries. It was a proposal, and no exemption for Lao passports followed in anything we read.
The UAE ambassador to Laos is non-resident, per a UAE ministry news item of . We could not confirm an official Lao embassy in the UAE. Directories name Kuwait as the nearest.
No shortcut visas for Laos
ICP's 60-day visa for people who live abroad with a US, EU or UK visa or residence names only India, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, Kenya and South Africa. A Lao passport is not named, even if you hold a residence permit in one of those places. Ask us before you buy a ticket on that assumption.
Paperwork, in plain terms
Have the Lao passport ready with at least six months left, plus a bio page scan with all corners visible and a white-background photo. You also need a ticket out of the UAE and health insurance that works here. For a family visit the host adds an Emirates ID, a residence visa, a salary letter and proof of how you are related.
How it works with us
You send the passport copy and dates, by WhatsApp or the form on this page. An adviser looks at your passport and the trip, and says which visa is possible. The price you hear is the full price. After you say yes we file, answer any query from the authorities and pass you the e-visa. We are a private visa service, not the authorities, and GDRFA or ICP makes the decision.
When a visa is refused the government keeps its fee. Before payment, we put in writing which part of our price, if any, would be returned.
Official sources
- UAE MOFA visa exemptions: Laos listed as visa required.
- GDRFA tourist visa: fees and conditions.
- ICP 60-day visa: nationality list.
Going the other way? See the Laos visa for UAE residents. All passports: Dubai visa by nationality.
