Laos B2 Business Visa

The B2 is Laos's business visa for foreigners with a Lao sponsor. It comes in two forms: LA-B2 for employees and technical staff of a Lao employer, and NI-B2 for investors, shareholders and directors of a Lao-registered enterprise and their families (Invest Laos). The visa is paired with a stay permit card and, for employees, a work permit.

• Who qualifies: people with a Lao employer or a stake in a Lao enterprise
• Validity: up to 12 months at a time, renewable
• Processing: 8 days through the investment One-Stop Service

Laos has no digital nomad visa, and remote work for foreign employers or clients is not a basis for a B2. Claims online of a Laos nomad visa with an income test have no official support. The Laos guide covers short-stay options.

Only people with a Lao sponsor: an employee with a contract from a Lao-registered employer that holds a foreign labour quota (LA-B2), or an investor listed as director or shareholder of a Lao-registered enterprise, plus family (NI-B2). Remote work for foreign employers or clients is not a listed basis.

• LA-B2 (employees): an employment contract with a Lao-registered employer that has a quota for foreign workers (Lao Trade Portal)
• NI-B2 (investors): registration as a director or shareholder of an enterprise set up under Lao law (Invest Laos)
• Family: Yes, under the NI-B2 for investors' families

There is no income or savings test. The sponsor is the condition.

The sponsor drives the file. The Lao employer or enterprise writes the request letter and supplies its registration documents, and the applicant adds a passport copy (Lao Trade Portal).

• Employees: the employment contract and, after arrival, a work permit from the labor authorities
• Investors: proof of the enterprise registration showing the investor as director or shareholder
• Everyone: a stay permit card issued after entry

The Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the One-Stop Service sets the full list for each case. Public guidance on the B2 dates from 2017, so the sponsor should confirm the current list before filing.

The only official fee schedules are a 2017 datasheet and an undated Invest Laos page, and the amounts on them could not be confirmed as current, so the sponsor should check them with the Consular Department before filing (Lao Trade Portal, Invest Laos).

• Single-entry B2 visa: a dollar fee that varies by nationality, plus a small service fee in kip
• Stay permit and multiple-entry visa: a kip fee that rises with the length of the permit (3, 6 or 12 months)

Invest Laos still converts its kip fees at an old rate of about 8,000 kip to the US dollar. The kip traded near 22,300 to the dollar on Sept. 30, 2026 (ExchangeRate-API), so those dollar figures are far too high. Work permit fees are separate and set by the labor authorities.

The Lao sponsor files a request letter with the Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, or with the Investment One-Stop Service office for investment projects. The applicant enters on a single-entry B2 visa, gets a work permit (employees) and a stay permit, then a multiple-entry visa. The eVisa portal does not issue business visas.

1. The sponsor files the request with the Consular Department, or with the One-Stop Service for investment projects.
2. The applicant enters Laos on a single-entry B2 visa.
3. Employees get a work permit; all applicants get a stay permit card.
4. A multiple-entry visa follows.

The One-Stop Service says approval takes 8 days from registration (Invest Laos). The Lao eVisa portal issues tourist visas only.

LA-B2 visas run for 3, 6 or 12 months to match the employment contract, up to 12 months at a time (Lao Trade Portal).

• Renewal: Renewable for 3, 6 or 12 months at a time while the employment contract, work permit or investment continues.
• Concession investors: multiple-entry visas of up to 5 years for investors in concessions under the Investment Promotion Law (Invest Laos)
• Permanent residence: no official path from the B2 was found

The visa ends when the job or investment ends. Renewal is refused only if the labor or public security ministry rejects the work or stay permit.

The B2 carries no special tax regime. Laos's Income Tax Law sets the rules (Lao Trade Portal).

The Income Tax Law (No. 67/NA of June 18, 2019) sets no day count: residents are people living, earning a living or doing business in Laos; non-residents earn income or do business there without living there.

The official summary sets no 183-day rule, so a day count alone should not be taken as the test. B2 holders with income from abroad should confirm their position with a local tax adviser, since the law text is published in Lao only.