Laos Country Commercial Guide
Learn about the market conditions, opportunities, regulations, and business conditions in laos, prepared by at U.S. Embassies worldwide by Commerce Department, State Department and other U.S. agencies’ professionals
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Import Requirements and Documentation
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The Lao Trade Portal website aims to provide the most up-to-date requirements and regulations for importation of goods.

Application for an import license must be submitted to the provincial trade authority where the importing enterprise is located.  An import or export license is valid for the life of the business, but investors must periodically notify the authorities that they intend to continue operating their businesses.  The Lao government offers quotas for importing duty-free vehicles to qualifying individuals and companies.

As of July 2023, importers, and exporters, both local and foreign, must register both with relevant provincial trade authorities and with central level Ministry of Industry and Commerce authorities.  Upon approval, import and export registrations are valid for one year and may be renewed annually.

For general goods, importers are required to have the following documentation for each shipment:

  1. Invoice
  2. Packing list
  3. Transport documents
  4. Bill of lading
  5. A customs clearance report, and
  6. Depending on the type of good, an import license or permits obtained from relevant ministries.

Importers of raw materials for re-export are required to have the same documents as other importers, except for a contract and import license.  Automobile importers, unless they have obtained duty free status, must pay an import tax, excise tax, VAT, and, potentially, a tax for luxury goods.

Exporters should have the following documents when applying for an export declaration:

  1. An application for export declaration
  2. An import/export license (only for goods under control of the ministry or government, e.g., rough, or polished diamonds)
  3. An invoice of goods
  4. A packing lists.
  5. A certificate of country of origin and generalized system of preferences certificate of origin, if applicable
  6. Phyto-sanitary certificate for food exports; and
  7. Industrial products certification for industrial products.

To import or export pharmaceuticals, food, or chemical products, in addition to the aforementioned documents, the importer must obtain a license from the Food and Drug Control Import Division of the Food and Drug Department of the Ministry of Public Health.  Pre-shipment inspection is required for exported goods in accordance with the requirements of the destination country.

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Global Business Navigator Chatbot Beta

Welcome to the Global Business Navigator, an artificial intelligence (AI) Chatbot from the International Trade Administration (ITA). This tool, currently in beta version testing, is designed to provide general information on the exporting process and the resources available to assist new and experienced U.S. exporters. The Chatbot, developed using Microsoft’s Azure AI services, is trained on ITA’s export-related content and aims to quickly get users the information they need. The Chatbot is intended to make the benefits of exporting more accessible by understanding non-expert language, idiomatic expressions, and foreign languages.

Limitations

As a beta product, the Chatbot is currently being tested and its responses may occasionally produce inaccurate or incomplete information. The Chatbot is trained to decline out of scope or inappropriate requests. The Chatbot’s knowledge is limited to the public information on the Export Solutions web pages of Trade.gov, which covers a wide range of topics on exporting. While it cannot provide responses specific to a company’s product or a specific foreign market, its reference pages will guide you to other relevant government resources and market research. Always double-check the Chatbot’s responses using the provided references or by visiting the Export Solutions web pages on Trade.gov. Do not use its responses as legal or professional advice. Inaccurate advice from the Chatbot would not be a defense to violating any export rules or regulations.

Privacy

The Chatbot does not collect information about users and does not use the contents of users’ chat history to learn new information. All feedback is anonymous. Please do not enter personally identifiable information (PII), sensitive, or proprietary information into the Chatbot. Your conversations will not be connected to other interactions or accounts with ITA. Conversations with the Chatbot may be reviewed to help ITA improve the tool and address harmful, illegal, or otherwise inappropriate questions.

Translation

The Chatbot supports a wide range of languages. Because the Chatbot is trained in English and responses are translated, you should verify the translation. For example, the Chatbot may have difficulty with acronyms, abbreviations, and nuances in a language other than English.

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