VISA ENTRY REQUIREMENTS:
A passport and visa are required. Visas are issued upon arrival in Laos to foreign tourists and business persons with two passport size photographs and $30 at Wattay Airport , Vientiane ; Friendship Bridge , Vientiane ; and Luang Prabang Airport . Visas on Arrival are not available at the Chong Mek border crossing. Foreign tourists are generally admitted to Laos for 15 days with a visa on arrival or for 30 days with a visa issued at a Lao embassy. The Department of Immigration in Vientiane will only extend tourist visas for one day. It is possible to get an extension for an additional 15 days by submitting an application through a tour agency.

Foreigners who:  overstay in Laos risk arrest, and they will be fined $5 for each day upon departure.Foreign tourists planning on entering Laos at any international checkpoint where Visas on Arrival are not available must obtain a visa in advance. Immigration offices at some of the less used border-crossing points are net well marked. Travelers should make sure that they complete immigration and customs formalities when they enter Laos . Travelers who enter Laos without completing these formalities may be subject to fine, detention, imprisonment, and/or deportation.

VISA NOTES:
A Laos Tourist visa is usually issued for a SINGLE entry within three months from the date of issue for a period of stay not to exceed 30 days. The visa may be extended in Laos for a further 15 days.
A Laos Business visa is usually issued for a SINGLE entry within three months from the date of issue for a period of stay not to exceed 30 days. The visa may be extended in Laos for a further 30 days.
A multi-entry business visa can only be issued after a business joint-venture has been established. Higher consular fees apply.

Passport must have at least six months validity remaining, and one blank visa page in order for the visa to be issued. TDS can assist with expediting U.S. Passports whether new issue, renewal, and adding visa pages.

AIRPORT TAXES:
The departure tax for international flight is US $10, payable in that currency. The departure tax for domestic flights is 5,000 Kip.

CLIMATE:
Temperatures during the March to May hot season can reach high into the 30s, however, at higher elevations and during the dry season's cooler months of December and January - it can become rather chilly as temperatures drop as low as 15 degrees C and below.

CURRENCY:
The Lao Kip (LAK) is the legal currency, divided into 100 cents. There are no international ATM facilities in Laos. Major credit cards are accepted at some international hotels and tourist orientated establishments. Travellers cheques can be cashed at most banks in Vientiane and major towns, though have limited acceptance. Most transactions are conducted in cash: American Dollars, Thai Baht or Lao Kip.
LAK 100.00 = US$ 0.01
Note: These currency exchange rates are not updated daily and should be used as a guideline only.

HOW TO REACH AT LAOS:
Getting in by Air
There are no intercontinental flights to Vientiane . Most people coming to Laos will come via Bangkok , the nearest International hub. By far the easiest, cheapest, most reliable, frequent and interesting way to get to Laos by air is to use Thai Airways' domestic flight to Udon Thani.  There are International Flights in and out of Vientiane from the following countries:

Cambodia : Phnom Penh, Siem Reap,
China : Kunming
Myanamar: Yangon
Thailand : Bangkok and Chiang Mai
Vietnam : Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City ( Saigon )
Due to the Asian financial crisis, flights by Silk Air, from Singapore and Malaysian Airlines from Kuala Lumpur have been temporarily suspended.

Getting in by Land:
From Thailand
-Nong Khai and the FRIENDSHIP BRIDGE . Xiang Khong, Chiang Rai Province to Huay Xai, Bokeo Province Nakorn Phanom to Tha Kek, Khammouane Province Mukdaharn to Savannakhet Chong Mek, Ubon Rathchathani Province to Pakse Houay Kone, Nan to Xaingnabouri 

From Cambodia:
Steung Treng Provice

From Vietnam:
Lao Bao, Khung Tri to Dan Savan, Savannakhet Lak Sao, Vinh to Kaew Neua, Bolikhamsai

From China:
Mengla , Yunnan to Boten, Luang Nam Tha