Do Lao passport holders need a visa for Canada?

By Pranav Muley · Software Engineer, Tripmojo · Updated August 23, 2026 · Reviewed by Simran Raheja

Canada — scenes from the Tripmojo destination guide

Yes. Lao citizens need a visitor visa, called a temporary resident visa, before travelling to Canada. Laos is on IRCC’s visa-required list and is not one of the seventeen visa-required countries whose citizens may fly on an eTA instead, so a valid US visa does not open a cheaper route the way it does for Thai or Malaysian passport holders. The visa fee is 100 Canadian dollars and biometrics add 85. IRCC’s processing tool quoted 15 days for applications from Laos when checked on 23 August 2026, not counting the time to give biometrics, and there is no visa application centre in Laos, so that step means a trip to Bangkok.

Quick facts

Visa required

Visa required: Yes, a temporary resident visa
Cost: CAD 100, plus CAD 85 biometrics
Family maximum: CAD 500 visa, plus CAD 170 biometrics
eTA eligible: No, Laos is not on the eTA-by-air list
Processing time: 15 days from Laos on 23 Aug 2026, per IRCC’s tool
Biometrics: No VAC in Laos; nearest is Bangkok
Length of stay: 6 months by default, or another period set by the officer

Entry requirements

A Lao passport valid for the whole of your stay.
An approved temporary resident visa, obtained before you travel. There is no visa on arrival in Canada.
Biometrics, meaning fingerprints and a photograph, given in person at a visa application centre unless you gave them for a Canadian application within the last ten years.
Evidence of funds for the visit, of where you will stay, and of ties to Laos that will take you home.

How to apply for a temporary resident visa

Apply online through the IRCC portal and pay the 100 dollar processing fee. The fee is the same whether the visa comes back single or multiple entry, and IRCC decides which to issue from the application, so there is no cheaper option to select.

Pay the 85 dollar biometrics fee, wait for the biometric instruction letter, then book a visa application centre appointment. IRCC’s list of centres has no location in Laos. The nearest are Bangkok, Phnom Penh and the Vietnamese centres, and Bangkok is the practical choice because it is also the visa office that processes applications from Laos.

Give biometrics and wait for the decision. The 15 day figure from IRCC’s tool starts after biometrics are received, so the true timeline is that figure plus the time it takes you to get to a centre. If approved, you send your passport in for the counterfoil.

Good to know

The ASEAN comparison is where most of the confusion on this route comes from. Thailand has been on Canada’s eTA-by-air list for years, and on 26 May 2026 IRCC added Indonesia and Malaysia to it, so a Thai, Malaysian or Indonesian friend with a US visa or a previous Canadian visa can fly to Canada on a 7 dollar eTA. Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and Myanmar are not on that list. A Lao passport holder with an identical US visa still needs the full 185 dollar visa and biometrics, and an airline will not board them on an eTA because one cannot be issued.
Biometrics are the expensive part of this application, and not because of the 85 dollar fee. IRCC’s visa application centre list covers Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam but not Laos, so a Vientiane applicant is looking at a trip to Bangkok, Phnom Penh or Hanoi to give fingerprints. The Bangkok centre is the obvious choice because Bangkok is also the visa office that handles Laos. Fingerprints are valid for ten years for Canadian purposes, so if you gave them for an earlier Canadian visa or permit you may be able to skip the journey, and it is worth checking before booking it.
Do not assume a ten year multiple entry visa. In November 2024 IRCC ended the automatic issuance of 10 year multiple entry visas and issued new guidance telling officers to decide single or multiple entry, and the validity period, from the purpose of the visit, finances and immigration history. A first tourist trip may come back as a single entry visa valid only for the trip, and the fee is the same either way. If you want to come back, say so in the application and show why.
The 15 day processing figure is better than Canada quotes for most of the region, Thailand was at 21 days and Vietnam at 28 on the same day, but it is a rolling estimate of how long recent applications took and it excludes the biometrics step entirely. Treat it as a floor, not a promise, and build the Bangkok appointment into the plan before you buy flights.
If the visa is refused, reapplying with the same file will not change the result, with or without an agent. IRCC says a new application makes sense only if something has changed, such as the purpose of the trip, your job or finances, and it warns that anyone promising to reverse a refusal for a fee is likely committing fraud. There is no appeal for a visitor visa; the only formal route is judicial review at the Federal Court.

Frequently asked questions

Do Lao citizens need a visa for Canada?

Yes. Laos is on IRCC’s visa-required list, so a temporary resident visa is required before travelling, including for tourism and transit.

Can Laos passport holders get a Canadian eTA?

No. The eTA-by-air route is limited to seventeen named visa-required countries, and Laos is not one of them, even after Indonesia and Malaysia were added in May 2026. A US visa does not change that.

How much does a Canada visa cost for Laos citizens?

100 Canadian dollars for the visa plus 85 for biometrics, so 185 per person. Families applying together are capped at 500 for the visa and 170 for biometrics.

How long does a Canada visitor visa take from Laos?

IRCC’s processing tool showed 15 days for Laos on 23 August 2026. That does not include the time to give biometrics, which for a Lao applicant usually means a trip to Bangkok.

Where do Lao applicants give biometrics for a Canadian visa?

IRCC lists no visa application centre in Laos. The nearest are in Bangkok, Phnom Penh and Vietnam, and Bangkok is also the visa office that processes applications from Laos.

Will Lao citizens get a multiple entry visa to Canada?

Not automatically. Since November 2024 the officer decides single or multiple entry and the validity period case by case, up to a maximum of ten years or the passport’s expiry.

How long can Lao citizens stay in Canada?

Usually up to six months, set by the border services officer on arrival rather than by the visa.

Do Lao citizens need a Thai visa to give biometrics in Bangkok?

No. Laos has a bilateral visa exemption with Thailand, so a Lao ordinary passport gets 30 days in Thailand without a visa, enough for the VFS appointment in Bangkok. Book the slot first; walk-ins are not accepted.

Can I apply at the Canadian Embassy in Vientiane?

No. The embassy in Vientiane handles consular, passport and citizenship services for Canadians only. Visitor visas are applied for online, with biometrics at a visa application centre and processing in Bangkok.

Can Lao parents of a Canadian citizen get a super visa?

Yes. Parents and grandparents of Canadian citizens or permanent residents can apply for a super visa, which allows stays of up to 5 years at a time on a multiple entry visa valid for up to 10 years. The host must meet the minimum necessary income, and you need Canadian or minister-approved medical insurance valid for at least one year from entry.

Other passports for Canada

Other destinations for Laos passport holders

Laos passport holders visiting United Kingdom

Sources

Every fact on this page was checked against the official sources below on 23 August 2026.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada — Find out if you need a visa to travel to Canada: Laos is listed under visa-required countries with no eTA footnote. Read 2026-08-23.
IRCC — Electronic travel authorization (eTA): Citizens from some visa-required countries: the eligible list is seventeen countries (Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Brazil, Costa Rica, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, Panama, Philippines, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Seychelles, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay); Laos absent. Indonesia and Malaysia marked new. Read 2026-08-23.
IRCC — Visitor visa (temporary resident visa) landing page: Indonesia and Malaysia eTA eligibility as of May 26, 2026; fees from CAN 100. Read 2026-08-23.
IRCC — Guide 5256, Applying for a visitor visa: CAN 100 per person single or multiple entry, same fee for both, CAN 500 family maximum; biometrics once every 10 years. Read 2026-08-23.
IRCC — Biometrics: CAN 85 per person, CAN 170 family maximum. Read 2026-08-23.
IRCC — Check processing times (data-ptime-en.json, visitor visa from outside Canada): LA 15 days, TH 21 days, VN 28 days, KH 41 days; excludes time to give biometrics. Read 2026-08-23.
IRCC — Find a visa application centre: no VAC listed in Laos; Bangkok (Thailand), Phnom Penh (Cambodia) and Vietnam VACs listed. Read 2026-08-23.
IRCC — Visa offices outside Canada: Laos is served by Bangkok, Thailand. Read 2026-08-23.
IRCC — Measures to strengthen border security and Canada’s immigration system (news release, January 2025): ended the automatic issuance of 10-year multiple entry visas; updated officer guidelines on single vs multiple entry and validity. Read 2026-08-23.
IRCC — Program delivery, Issuing a visa: officers exercise judgement on single vs multiple entry and validity; multiple-entry maximum 10 years or passport or biometrics expiry. Read 2026-08-23.
Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (SOR/2002-227), s.183(2) — authorized stay is six months or another period fixed by an officer (laws-lois.justice.gc.ca). Read 2026-08-23.
Thailand Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Department of Consular Affairs — List of countries with bilateral visa exemption agreements for ordinary passports (24 February 2025): Laos, 30 days. Read 2026-08-23.
VFS Global — Canada visa application centre Thailand, Book an appointment: residents of Laos accepted at the Bangkok CVAC; prior appointment mandatory for biometric enrolment. Read 2026-08-23.
Global Affairs Canada — Canada and Laos: Embassy of Canada to Laos in Vientiane provides citizenship, consular, notarial and passport services. Read 2026-08-23.
IRCC — Super visa for parents and grandparents, About and Who can apply: 5 years per stay, multiple entries for up to 10 years, host minimum necessary income, medical insurance valid at least 1 year from entry from a Canadian or minister-approved insurer. Read 2026-08-23.
IRCC — Help Centre, My application for a visitor visa was refused. Should I apply again? (qnum 1485): same information will likely not change the decision; representatives cannot reverse it; judicial review at the Federal Court. Read 2026-08-23.

Entry rules change without notice and the official source is always the authority. Confirm with the embassy or immigration portal before you book.

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