Are there any tour companies near Boston where I can easily get a visa for Laos? I don't want any problems to arise at the border. We are going into Laos through Luang Prabang.

You can apply for your visa directy to the Lao Embassy in Washington, DC. - all the information you need is on www.laoembassy.com. It is very easy - we used Express Mail to do it so that it would be tracked.

That being said, if you show up without a visa at the LP airport, you should have no problem getting one - just be sure to bring along passport photos.

If it helps you feel more secure, then get it ahead of time from the Lao embassy. But as Craig says, they are issued at the airport in Luang Prabang.

just a small point, but you get a visa from the embassy or consulate, not from a travel agency or tour company...

the embassy at the UN in nyc may be able to grant one as well as the embassy in DC.....i live in boston and i got mine from DC....it took about two weeks....

you should plan to attend the boston fodors GTG in cambridge on oct 13.....lots of the participants have been to laos and may offer you tips for your trip....if interested contact me at: [email protected]

for what it's worth i was just got back from luang prabang this week -- flew there from hanoi. everyone on my flight got their visa in luang prabang airport. i even forgot the required passport photo and was only charged $1.00 for a scanned picture, i presume of my passport photo. since it's so easy to obtain in luang prabang, i almost feel like why make things complicated by making arrangements in the states, but it comes down to doing whatever makes you comfortable.

Make sure you get all the right stamps in your passpot. For my most on the problems I had see this link:
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34984619

I agree with Matt. Getting your visa at the Luang Prabang airport is extremely easy. Many people just went over to the counter filled out the form, paid and off they went! Not a problem.

one fodorite recently reported that it took them over one hour to get their visa becasue the line was so long.. at the LP airport