Laos taps on single visa door

BANGKOK, 26 March 2013: Lao PDR says it will consider joining Thailand and Cambodia’s single visa scheme launched late last year saying it will help to boost Mekong region tourism.

A senior official at the consular department in Vientiane told the Vientiane Times, last week, that the government would hold talks with Cambodia, possibly at the end of this month, to understand more clearly its experience with the visa.

“Cambodia has responded to our request for a study visit. We are keen to know if the visa fee is shared and how this is done,” he told the local press.

Meanwhile, the National Economic Research Institute chief, Liber Libuapao, said that the country will reap benefits from the policy but cautioned that clear regulations were  needed on the fee-sharing process to ensure that Laos was not put at a financial disadvantage.

The Thailand and Cambodia single visa was launched 27 December last year and is issued by consulates and embassies. The process takes longer than a single-country visa as it also involves a check with the partner country and possibly cross checking for security purposes.

The visa cost and length of the stay is identical to the standard tourist visa and based on each country’s regulations. A Thailand tourist visa costs Bt1,000 for 60 days, while Cambodia charges US$25 for 30 days.

The scheme is not relevant to nationalities that already have visa-free entry for either Thailand or Cambodia, but it is a boon for visitors who do require a visa for both countries  by reducing the need to visit two embassies before the trip begins.

It is a test phase of a wider project called ACMECS Single Visa (Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy) involving Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Myanmar that originated in 2005, under the concept known as “Five Countries, One Destination”.

Cambodia Tourism Minister Thong Khon told Phnom Penh Post that a Laos-Thailand-Cambodia single visa was discussed during the Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Co-operation Strategy (ACMECS) meeting last month in Laos.

However, he said he was not aware of the planned study visit. “I hope that Laos will join us to discuss this issue as soon as possible,” he said. “We are also looking forward to co-operating with other countries, as the single-visa scheme will help to ease travel for tourists.”

Second secretary at the Lao Embassy in Cambodia, Manoxay Vilayhane, said he had not yet received further information on the visit.

Notepad

Single visa list

Citizens from 35 countries are eligible for the ACMECS Single Visa:

Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bahrain, Canada, China, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, India, Japan, Korea, Kuwait, Luxemburg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Oman, Portugal, Qatar, Spain, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom and United States of America.

Sourced: ttrweekly