The Discreet Investor
World Passport Index · October 2026
Laos passport: rank 190 of 199
The Laos passport scores 36.8 out of 100 in our Investor Score and opens 39 destinations without a prior visa (Mobility Score 52.6, rank 184).
Photo: Khone Phapheng Falls · Basile Morin · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons (cropped)
Investor Score
How the Laos passport scores on each pillar
| Pillar | Points | What drives it |
|---|---|---|
| Weighted mobility | 3.6 / 30 | 39 of 198 destinations without a prior visa; 12% of the maximum once destinations are weighted by economic importance. |
| Right to live and work | 0.0 / 20 | No automatic right to live and work in another country. |
| Banking access | 8.2 / 15 | On the FATF grey list (increased monitoring); On the EU list of high-risk third countries |
| Tax and obligations | 15.0 / 15 | No worldwide tax, military service or exit permit for citizens abroad. |
| Citizenship flexibility | 5.0 / 10 | Dual citizenship not allowed; Passed automatically to children born abroad; Not established yet |
| Stability and consular protection | 4.9 / 10 | Political stability 75/100 · rule of law 48/100 · embassies or consulates in 28 countries. |
| Investor Score | 36.8 / 100 |
Weighted mobility
Where Laos passport holders can travel
Entry rules for a short tourist or business stay, by category. Destinations are the 199 passport-issuing jurisdictions; dependent territories will be added in the first full edition.
Visa-free21
- Belarus · 30 days
- Brunei · 30 days
- Cambodia · 30 days
- Dominica · 21 days
- Ecuador · 90 days
- Haiti
- Indonesia · 30 days
- Malaysia · 30 days
- Micronesia · 30 days
- Mongolia · 30 days
- Myanmar · 14 days
- Philippines · 30 days
- Russia · 30 days
- Rwanda · 30 days
- Samoa · 60 days
- Singapore · 30 days
- St Vincent & the Grenadines
- Suriname · 90 days
- Thailand · 30 days
- Timor-Leste · 30 days
- Vietnam · 30 days
Electronic travel authorisation1
Visa on arrival17
- Bahrain · 14 days
- Bangladesh · 30 days
- Burundi
- Cape Verde
- Comoros · 45 days
- Guinea-Bissau · 90 days
- Kuwait
- Madagascar · 60 days
- Malawi · 90 days
- Maldives · 30 days
- Mozambique · 30 days
- Nepal · 90 days
- Palau · 30 days
- Sri Lanka · 60 days
- Tanzania · 90 days
- Tuvalu
- Zambia · 90 days
E-visa47
- Afghanistan
- Albania
- Angola
- Antigua & Barbuda
- Armenia
- Bahamas
- Benin
- Bhutan
- Bolivia
- Botswana
- Burkina Faso
- Cameroon
- Colombia
- Cuba
- Côte d’Ivoire
- DR Congo
- Djibouti
- Equatorial Guinea
- Ethiopia
- Gabon
- Georgia
- Guinea
- India
- Iran
- Iraq
- Kazakhstan
- Kenya
- Kyrgyzstan
- Lesotho
- Libya
- Mauritania
- Nigeria
- Pakistan
- Papua New Guinea
- Qatar
- Sierra Leone
- Somalia
- South Sudan
- St Kitts & Nevis
- Syria
- São Tomé & Príncipe
- Tajikistan
- Togo
- Uganda
- Uzbekistan
- Venezuela
- Zimbabwe
Visa required107
- Algeria
- Andorra
- Argentina
- Australia
- Austria
- Azerbaijan
- Barbados
- Belgium
- Belize
- Bosnia & Herzegovina
- Brazil
- Bulgaria
- Canada
- Central African Republic
- Chad
- Chile
- China
- Costa Rica
- Croatia
- Cyprus
- Czechia
- Denmark
- Dominican Republic
- Egypt
- El Salvador
- Eritrea
- Estonia
- Eswatini
- Fiji
- Finland
- France
- Gambia
- Germany
- Ghana
- Greece
- Grenada
- Guatemala
- Guyana
- Honduras
- Hungary
- Iceland
- Ireland
- Israel
- Italy
- Jamaica
- Japan
- Jordan
- Kiribati
- Latvia
- Lebanon
- Liberia
- Liechtenstein
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Mali
- Malta
- Marshall Islands
- Mauritius
- Mexico
- Moldova
- Monaco
- Montenegro
- Morocco
- Namibia
- Nauru
- Netherlands
- New Zealand
- Nicaragua
- Niger
- North Korea
- North Macedonia
- Norway
- Oman
- Panama
- Paraguay
- Peru
- Poland
- Portugal
- Republic of the Congo
- Romania
- San Marino
- Saudi Arabia
- Senegal
- Serbia
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Solomon Islands
- South Africa
- South Korea
- Spain
- St Lucia
- Sudan
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Tonga
- Trinidad & Tobago
- Tunisia
- Turkmenistan
- Türkiye
- Ukraine
- United Arab Emirates
- United Kingdom
- United States
- Uruguay
- Vanuatu
- Vatican City
- Yemen
Right to live and work
Where Laos citizens can live and work
Laos citizens have no automatic right to live and work in another country: residence abroad depends on each country's immigration rules — or on a residence or citizenship by investment programme.
Banking access · Tax and obligations · Citizenship flexibility
Banking, tax and citizenship rules for Laos citizens
Banking
- On the FATF grey list (increased monitoring)
- On the EU list of high-risk third countries
Tax and obligations
- No worldwide tax, military service or exit permit for citizens abroad.
Citizenship
- Dual citizenship not allowed
- Passed automatically to children born abroad
- Not established yet
Stability and consular network
- Political stability 75/100 · rule of law 48/100 · embassies or consulates in 28 countries.
Some indicators are estimated from regional medians: Tax and obligations, Citizenship flexibility.
Laos passport: common questions
How many countries can Laos passport holders visit without a visa? +
39 of the 198 other passport-issuing jurisdictions: 21 visa-free, 1 with an electronic travel authorisation and 17 with a visa on arrival. A further 47 offer an e-visa, and 107 require a visa from an embassy or consulate.
Do Laos citizens need a visa for the Schengen area, the United Kingdom and the United States? +
Schengen area (France): Visa required. United Kingdom: Visa required. United States: Visa required.
Is the Laos passport good for investors? +
It ranks 190 of 199 in the Investor Score, with 36.8 points out of 100. Its strongest pillar is Tax and obligations; its weakest is Right to live and work.
Sources: entry rules from the Wikipedia article Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0), read in October 2026; other pillars from official lists, legislation, the World Bank, UNDP and UN Tourism. Preliminary edition — see the methodology.
Looking beyond the Laos passport?
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