Getting Thai Visa in Vientiane is a very popular choice between the travelers planning to visit Thailand or make their stay in "the Land of Smiles" longer. Check where and how to get a Thailand Visa in Vientiane, Laos.
Where to get Thailand Tourist Visa in Vientiane, Laos
Thailand Visa in Vientiane is issued by the Consular Section of Thai Embassy, commonly called the consulate, which is NOT located within the premises of the Embassy chancery at Kaysone Phomvihane Avenue.
The address of Consular Section is No. 15 Ban Ponesinuan, Bourichane Road, Vientiane.
Tel: (+856) 21 453916 (between 13.30 - 16.30 only)
Email:
Make sure to go to the right place as the Consular Section is quite far from the main office of Thai Embassy in Vientiane. The Consular Section is located near Lao-Singapore Business College, just across the road from the Pizza Company.
Working Hours
Submitting the Application
The Consular Section of the Royal Thai Embassy in Vientiane is open for submitting Visa applications Monday to Friday, from 09.00 am to 12.00 am (except of Thai & Laotian national holidays).
IMPORTANT UPDATE! Starting from 1st February 2019, you must schedule an online appointment before submitting your visa application for tourist, transit and non-immigrant type visa. The appointment has to be scheduled on the official website of Thai Embassy in Vientiane: www.thaivisavientiane.com.
The system works on both computers and smartphones. You just need to create an account and book your appointment here. For creating an account you will need to provide your name, nationality, email address, contact number and passport number.
You can schedule the appointment at Thai Embassy in Vientiane up to one month in advance. When scheduling the appointment, you will need to provide the following personal information (only data is needed, you don't need to upload any documents online):
- Name
- Date of birth
- Information from your passport
- Your preferred date and time of appointment
If your plan changes, make sure to cancel your appointment no less than 24 hours prior to the existing appointment as a no-show will prevent you from scheduling another appointment for one month!
You should schedule your appointment as much in advance as possible (not more than one month, though) because the next available appointment date might be several days later if the quota of 300 people per day is reached.
You can either print out or take a screenshot of the appointment confirmation on your smartphone. You will need to show it at the Consular Section for verification.
It’s better to get to the Consular Section as early as possible because there can be a long queue later.
You should come to the Consular Section 30 minutes prior to your appointment time so that you can prepare the application and necessary supporting documents. Coming much earlier doesn't make sense as you won't be able to apply before your scheduled time. There will be 3 separate groups of applicants (100 people in each group) with a scheduled time (09:00-10:00, 10:00-11:00 and 11:00-12:00) and you will need to be in the group of your scheduled time.
Please note that you should dress properly (no barefoot, no tank top, no shirtless, no too provocative dress for women) to enter Thai Embassy in Vientiane. Currently only one person per applicant is allowed to enter the embassy.
Merci beaucoup à Hervé for the update!
Passport and Visa Collection
If your application is successful, you can collect your passport and visa on the next working day Monday to Friday, from 1.30 pm to 4.00 pm.
Thailand Tourist Visa
At the Consular Section of the Royal Thai Embassy in Vientiane you can apply for Thailand Single-Entry Tourist Visa and the purpose of your visit must be tourism only.
The citizens of some countries are not allowed to apply for Thai visa in Laos, so check the list for making sure if your passport allows you to apply for it: Restricted Countries for getting Thai Visa in Laos.
If your country is in the list of restricted ones, we would recommend you to contact the embassy directly and to reconfirm if these restrictions are still present as they seem not to be renewing information on their website very often.
Validity of Visa
The visa issued at the Thai Embassy in Vientiane is a single-entry visa which is valid for 90 days meaning that you need to enter Thailand within 90 days from the day the visa was issued.
Period of Stay
Travelers with this type of Thai visa are permitted to stay in Thailand for a period of time not exceeding 60 days. The period begins on the date of your arrival in Thailand.
Required Documents for Tourist Visa
1. Passport (passport must be valid for at least 6 months and contain at least one completely empty visa page).
2. Copy of the main passport photo page (the page(s) showing your photo, name, date and place or birth and the expiration date of passport).
3. Thailand visa application form (completed and signed by the applicant).
4. Two photographs taken within the last month (3.5 x 4.5 cm). Detailed photo requirements can be found here: Photo Requirements.
5. Copy of the passport page with your Laos visa.
6. Copy of the passport page with Laos’s entry stamp and Thai exit stamp.
Steps for Visa Application at the Royal Thai Embassy in Vientiane, Laos
1. Fill Thailand visa application form and prepare all documents that are listed above.
There is a qualified approved agency inside the consular area and they can help you to fill out your form for a small fee. They also offer passport photo shooting and document copying services as well.
You can download the application form and fill it in advance or get a free form and fill it at the place.
2. Get your queue number at the table where they check documents and wait for your turn to submit your visa application form at the Counter No. 1 – 3.
3. After submitting your visa application you will get your queue number back which will be required when collecting your passport on the following working day.
4. Come back the next working day and wait until your queue number will show up on the electronic board above the counters.
5. Go to the counter, pay the visa fee and get your passport back with Thailand visa in it.
Thailand Visa Fee in Vientiane
Thailand Single-Entry Tourist Visa fee in Vientiane is 1,000 Baht.
Visa Fee must be paid in Thai Baht only and is not refundable in any cases.
Important Notes
- Tourist Visa is valid for a stay up to 60 days only but it is possible to apply for a 30-days extension at Thai Immigration in Thailand (visa extension fee is 1,900 baht).
- There is no same day visa service. The processing of the visa takes 2 working days and there are no exceptions for any individual problem as there’s no extra charge and nothing can be done to make visa issuance faster.
- Visa applicants are required to present themselves at the Thai Consular Section.
- For your convenience, check the holidays of the Royal Thai Embassy before you visit (check both, Thai & Laos public holidays)
Hotels near Thai Embassy in Vientiane
If getting Thai visa is the only purpose of your visit in Vientiane, staying overnight in the area around Thai Embassy can be a good idea as you won't need to waste time and money for traveling to the embassy from the main touristy area of Vientiane.
There are few hotels near Thai Embassy - choose one according to your budget:
- Expensive - Muong Thanh Luxury Vientiane
- Average - Grand Hotel Vientiane
- Cheap - Douangpraseuth Hotel
Any Questions?
Check our Frequently Asked Questions about getting Thailand Visa at Thai Embassies and Consulates and ask your own question if it's not answered there yet.