Spouse Visa

stumpy wrote:

It seems that the Lao Govt have at last agreed to a new spouse visa.

The previous spouse visa was for expats coming to Laos to stay with family in Laos. No work allowed.
The new visa allows work.

The new visa is done in 3 parts.

Spouse visa.

Documents required

1 A copy of marriage certificate. 1 copy
2 Letter of proposal- can be pbtained at the consular office,MOFA. 1 copy
3 Copy of the family book or ID card of the Lao citizen. 1 copy
4 A certificate of residence signed and sealed by the village authorities. 1 copy
5 Copy of the passport of the foreign spouse. 1 copy

Procedure.
The documents listed above must be brought to the Consular Affairs Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) where officers will issue visa authorization. The authorization document must be brought to the border checkpoint specified in the letter of proposal listed above. Fee is $30

Part 2 Stay Permit

Documents required

1 Letter of proposal or Request to register for a Stay Permit ( MOFA consular office will assist with this)
2 Copy of Certificate of residence signed and sealed by the village authorities
3 Copy of the Family Book or ID card of the Lao citizen
4 A copy of the passport of the foreign spouse
5 A copy of the spouse visa (SP-B3)
6 A copy of the Certificate of Marriage
7 Passport photos at 3x4 size (3 photos)

Procedure
The documents listed above must be brought to the Office of Foreigner Administration for processing. The fee for the Stay Permit is 1.320,000 kip

Part 3
1 Year Visa

After the officials have issued the Stay Permit, it will be necessary to have the visa converted to a 1 year visa.

Documents required

1 A copy of the Marriage Certificate
2 A letter of proposal
3 A copy of the Family Book or ID Card of the Lao citizen.
4 a copy of the Certificate of residence signed and sealed by the village authorities
5 A copy of the passport of the foreign spouse

Procedure
The documents listed above must be brought to the Consular Affairs Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs for processing. The fee for this is 1,320,000 kip

Working under spouse visa

Those holding a spouse visa are entitled to work in the Lao PDR, and the application porcess is similar to that of an LA-B2 visa. A company must sponsor an individual residing in Laos under the spouse visa (SP-B3)min which case the Ministry of Labor will issue a work permit

The above information appeared in the Laotian Times newspaper recently by courtesy of the RDK Group who specialize in visas, work permits and foreigner ID cards

Just wonder how long one is allowed to stay after a spouse visa is obtained successfully.

Cereal wrote:

It's a 1 year visa that needs to be renewed every year. I am pretty certain that you do not have to go through the entire process again. It's like getting a new stamp in your Stay Permit thing I am sure.

Is it a multiple visa that allows you to re-enter from the permitted time without losing the immigration status?

post wrote:

Cereal wrote:

It's a 1 year visa that needs to be renewed every year. I am pretty certain that you do not have to go through the entire process again. It's like getting a new stamp in your Stay Permit thing I am sure.

Is it a multiple visa that allows you to re-enter from the permitted time without losing the immigration status?

Good point. I assumed it would be multiple entry.  An expat work mate had his wife and daughter here for 2 years and she came and went between Thailand and Laos on a regular basis for shopping with no problems. That was over 20 years ago.
Perhaps contact RDK Group in Vientiane for clarification.