France to Laos visa requirements

French ordinary passport holders need a visa for Laos. The simplest option is the official Lao eVisa (laoevisa.gov.la), which costs about USD 50, allows a single entry and a stay of up to 30 days, and is valid for 60 days from issuance. Visa on arrival at major airports and land borders is also available as an alternative. France is NOT on the Laos visa-exemption list, so French tourists must obtain a visa before or on arrival. The recommended route is the official Lao eVisa, operated by the Lao PDR Ministry of Foreign Affairs at laoevisa.gov.la, launched in 2019. It is a single-entry tourist visa allowing up to 30 days in Laos, valid for 60 days from the issuance/approval date, with a fee of approximately USD 50 (varies slightly by nationality and processing speed) and standard processing of about 3 working days. Applicants need a passport valid at least 6 months with a blank page, a passport-style photo, a passport bio-page scan, and a card payment. Visa on arrival (about USD 40-50) remains available at 5 international airports, major Friendship Bridge land borders, and railway checkpoints, but the eVisa is preferred for pre-planned travel to avoid airport queues and to guarantee the entry checkpoint is VOA-eligible. Laos is in Southeast Asia, not the Schengen area, so ETIAS and the Schengen 90/180 rule do not apply. Verified against the official Lao eVisa portal, the Lao PDR Department of Immigration, and the Wikipedia Laos visa policy summary as of 2026-05-31.