We plan to obtain our Lao visas when we arrive at the airport in Luang Prabang later this month. We will exit Loas four days later at Houei Say after a cruise up the Mekong. Will Lao immgration require documentation of our itinerary? All the arrangements are being handled my email.

They do not require documentation of your itinerary, just your visa fee (US$30) and one or two passport photos.

don't know if it applies to laos but some countries require that if you get a visa on arrival you must depart from that same port of call....

Really, Bob? I've never heard of that. I'd be interested in where you have encounted that since it's something I've never even thought about.

That's not a problem with Laos, as many people enter one place and exit another. I should note that some people get 30 day visas on arrival, others get 15 day visas, sometimes it seems to be random. In any case, that won't be a problem for you given that you'll only be in Laos four or five days.

the most recent place i read it was last spring when i was planning a stop in bali...as i remember the site said you could on arrive and depart from there so i thought i would throw it out as a caution

That's interesting, Bob. I know things were very chaotic for the first few months of the new visa procedures in Indonesia. At least now, they do not have any requirement that you enter and exit from the same point when you get a visa on arrival. Indonesia does have some unusual requirements in that there were only very limited VOA facilities to begin, but they have now expanded the list of ports where VOA is available. They are also unusual in having more limited exit points as well.

tdean...how was your laos trip???
we are thinking of doing the upriver Mekong trip? did you have any difficulty with your visas and exits???