Apply for a U.S. Visa

As of July 21, the United States Embassy Vientiane in Laos is resuming certain nonimmigrant visa services, including visa types F, M, and J, for foreign nationals applying in Laos.  Before scheduling a visa appointment, all Lao citizens and nationals applying in Laos should read further information regarding discontinuation of visa issuance to Lao nationals here.  While the Embassy aims to process cases as soon as practicable, there may be increased wait times due to substantial backlogs.  The MRV fee is valid and may be used to schedule an interview appointment in the country where it was purchased within one year of the date of payment.  If you have an urgent matter and need to travel immediately, please follow the guidance provided here to request an emergency appointment.  Please read more information about multiple Presidential Proclamations here; you are encouraged to consider your eligibility for a visa before you make any payments as applicants do not receive refunds for refused visas.

The U.S. Embassy in Laos understands that many visa applicants have paid the visa application processing fee and are still waiting to schedule a visa appointment.  We are working diligently to restore all routine visa operations as quickly and safely as possible.  In the meantime, rest assured that the U.S. Mission will extend the validity of your payment (known as the MRV fee) until December 31, 2021, to allow all applicants who were unable to schedule a visa appointment as a result of the suspension of routine consular operations an opportunity to schedule and/or attend a visa appointment with the already paid fee.  Please continue to monitor this site for information on when we will return to routine visa operations.

The Presidential Proclamations suspending the entry of foreign nationals who were physically present within 14 days in certain countries prior to their entry or attempted entry into the United States (Presidential Proclamations 9984, 9992, 9993, 9996, and 10041), and the Presidential Proclamations suspending the entry of certain immigrants and nonimmigrants who present a risk to the U.S. labor market following the coronavirus outbreak (Presidential Proclamations 10014 and 10052) remain in effect. For details about these Presidential Proclamations click here.

Information about restrictions to travel under the Visa Waiver Program, including the requirement for an electronic passport, is available at https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/tourism-visit/visa-waiver-program.html