ExploCountry guide · South-Eastern Asia
Laos travel guide: visa, best time, weather, holidays and plugs
Entry rules for every passport, the best months to go, live weather, public holidays and the plug you need for Laos. Capital: Vientiane.
Do you need a visa for Laos?
It depends on your passport. Of the 198 other passports in our data, 22 passports can enter Laos without a visa and 148 more get a visa on arrival or an eTA.
All 198 passports for Laos · Visa checker · Passport validity checker for Laos
Laos at a glance
- Capital
- Vientiane
- Region
- South-Eastern Asia, Asia
- Currency
- Lao kip (₭, LAK)
- Languages
- Lao
- Calling code
- +856
- Drives on the
- right
- Power
- Type A, B, C, E, F · 230 V · 50 Hz
Best time to visit Laos
- J
- F
- M
- A
- M
- J
- J
- A
- S
- O
- N
- D
Nov–Mar. Dry, cool and green.
General guidance on weather, crowds and wildlife, not a forecast. The chart below shows what the weather actually did last year.
Weather in Vientiane
Month by month last year
- Daily high and low (°C), monthly average
- Rain (mm in the month)
Next public holidays in Laos
Nationwide holidays only, from Nager.Date. Check dates locally before you book: they can move.
Power plugs and voltage in Laos
- Type Atwo flat pins
- Type Btwo flat pins and a round earth pin
- Type Ctwo round pins
- Type Etwo round pins and an earth hole
- Type Ftwo round pins and earth clips
Mains power is 230 V at 50 Hz. Phone and laptop chargers usually accept 100 to 240 V, so they only need the right plug. Hair dryers, kettles and other single-voltage appliances need a matching voltage or a converter.
Do I need an adapter for Laos?
Hand-curated, so a good first answer: confirm before you fly.
More before you go
- Passport validity. Many countries want 3 to 6 months of validity left. Check your dates for Laos or read the six-month rule explained.
- Other places you can go. Where can I go? lists the places your passport reaches that are also in season, and the passport ranking shows how yours compares.
Nearby countries
Questions
Do I need a visa for Laos?
It depends on your passport. Of the 198 other passports in our data, 22 passports can enter Laos without a visa, 148 passports can get a visa on arrival and 28 passports need a visa in advance. Pick your passport on this page, or see the full list on the all-passports page for Laos.
When is the best time to visit Laos?
Nov–Mar. Dry, cool and green.
What plug type and voltage does Laos use?
Laos uses plug types A, B, C, E, F at 230 V and 50 Hz. Check that your devices accept that voltage before you plug them in. Plug data is hand-curated, so confirm before you fly.
Which side of the road do they drive on in Laos?
Traffic keeps to the right in Laos.
What currency does Laos use?
Lao kip (₭, LAK).
What is the calling code for Laos?
+856.
What is the capital of Laos?
Vientiane.
How up to date is this information?
Entry rules come from the open Passport Index dataset, last updated 18 February 2026. Governments change rules often, so check with the embassy or the official immigration site before you book. Weather and public holidays on this page are fetched live from Open-Meteo and Nager.Date.
Keep Laos and every other country on one map
Explo is a free app: light up the countries you have visited, save the ones you dream about, and check visa rules, weather and holidays before you go.
Get ExploEntry rules come from the open Passport Index dataset by Ilya Ilyankou (MIT), last updated 18 February 2026. Governments change rules often, so treat this as a guide and check with the embassy or the official immigration site before you book.