Licenses Every Business Needs in Laos

These formalities are not tied to one industry.

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Beyond any sector license, Lao businesses commonly deal with enterprise registration, social security registration, tax certificates and, where relevant, foreign labor quotas, capital import certificates and environmental approval. This page lists 54 cross-sector formalities from the government inventory, with each one’s authority, listed time and listed fee.

All Listed Formalities

License or formality	Type	Authority	Listed time	Listed fee (kip)	Source updated
Certificate of Capital Importation	Certificate	Monetary Policy Department	10 days	50,000	4 May 2020
Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC)	Certificate	Environment Department	175 days	37,000,000	10 Jan 2018
License for investment in Controlled Business	Other	Investment Promotion Department	25 days	370,000	27 Dec 2017
Permit to Establish a Representative Office	Other	Investment Promotion Department	15 days	420,000	27 Dec 2017
Quota for Using of Foreign Labour	Other	Skill Development and Employment Department	10 days	60,000	27 Oct 2020
Account Holding Certificate	Other	Accounting Department	5 days	100,000	4 Jan 2018
Application for Change of Information about Insured Person and Family Member	Other	Lao Social Security Organization	5 days	None listed	29 Oct 2020
Application for Change of Information for Labour Unit	Other	Lao Social Security Organization	2 days	None listed	30 Oct 2020
Application of Paying Contribution for Labour Unit	Other	Lao Social Security Organization	30 days	None listed	2 Nov 2020
Approval Letter of the Notification of Copyright	Other	Intellectual Property Department	15 days	25,000	27 Sep 2017
Approval of Internal Regulations of Labour Unit	Other	Labour Management Department	60 days	115,000	23 Aug 2017
Business Visa (NI-B2 or I-B2)	Other	Consulate Department	6 days	1,245,000	1 Nov 2017
Capital Export Permit*	Other	Monetary Policy Department	10 days	50,000	31 Jul 2020
Certificate for Enterprise Registration of Company Limited	Certificate	Department of Enterprise Registration	10 days	90,000	1 Sep 2020
Certificate for Enterprise Registration of Limited Partnership Enterprise	Certificate	Department of Enterprise Registration	10 days	90,000	5 Jan 2018
Certificate for Enterprise Registration of Ordinary Partnership Enterprise	Certificate	Department of Enterprise Registration	10 days	90,000	5 Jan 2018
Certificate for Enterprise Registration of Public Company	Certificate	Department of Enterprise Registration	10 days	90,000	5 Jan 2018
Certificate for Enterprise Registration of Sole Company Limited	Certificate	Department of Enterprise Registration	10 days	80,000	23 Dec 2020
Certificate for Enterprise Registration of Sole-Trader Enterprise	Certificate	Department of Enterprise Registration	10 days	40,000	5 Jan 2018
Certificate for Registration of Social Security Fund	Certificate	Lao Social Security Organization	2 days	None listed	7 Jul 2020
Certificate for the Establishment of Branch of Lao Enterprise	Certificate	Department of Enterprise Registration	10 days	110,000	1 Sep 2020
Certificate for the Registration of Geographical Indication	Certificate	Intellectual Property Department	60 days	200,000	2 Oct 2017
Certificate for the Registration of Industrial Design	Certificate	Intellectual Property Department	180 days	300,000	22 Dec 2017
Certificate for the Registration of Layout-design of Integrated Circuits	Certificate	Intellectual Property Department	180 days	300,000	27 Sep 2017
Certificate for the Registration of Trademark	Certificate	Intellectual Property Department	300 days	1,120,000	31 Dec 2017
Certificate of Annual Tax Payment	Certificate	Tax Department	5 days	30,000	28 Dec 2017
Certificate of Health Impact Assessment	Certificate	Department of Health and Hygiene Promotion	30 days	None listed	7 Dec 2020
Certificate of Patent	Certificate	Intellectual Property Department	960 days	1,100,000	22 Dec 2017
Certificate of Petty Patent	Certificate	Intellectual Property Department	360 days	810,000	27 Sep 2017
Certificate of Weighing Scale Inspection	Certificate	Department of Standardization and Metrology	10 days	See record	28 Nov 2017
Certificate of Weighing Scale Registration	Certificate	Department of Standardization and Metrology	10 days	See record	16 Oct 2020
Confirmation of the Import and Export Duties Payment	Other	Customs Department	1 days	6,000	4 Jan 2018
Construction Permit	Other	Public Works and Transport Department	45 days	200,000	11 Jan 2018
Labour Visa (LA-B2)	Other	Consulate Department	6 days	1,245,000	14 Nov 2017
National standard mark certification*	Certificate	Department of Standardization and Metrology	30 days	None listed	19 Feb 2024
Notarisation of Contracts and Documents with Notary Office	Other	Notary Department	3 days	30,000	9 Jul 2020
Notification of Insured Person Resuming Work (for those who has a card or registered with the social security)	Other	Lao Social Security Organization	Not stated	None listed	2 Nov 2020
Permit for Enterprise Seal Using	Other	Department of Family Registry and Foundation Construction	5 days	75,000	4 May 2020
Permit For Releasing Polluted and Wastewater	Other	Pollution Control Department	60 days	3,500,000	22 Jul 2020
Permit for Sending Lao Labour to Thailand, Japan, and Korea	Other	Skill Development and Employment Department	5 days	100,000	27 Oct 2020
Permit for State Land Leasing or Concession	Other	Land Management Department	5 days	50,000	2 Nov 2017
Permit for the Conversion of Agricultural Land	Other	Agriculture and Forestry Department	21 days	110,000	8 Jan 2018
Permit to Open National One District One Product (ODOP) Center	Other	Department of Trade Promotion	10 days	None listed	4 Jun 2020
Permit to Open Offshore Bank Account	Other	Monetary Policy Department	10 days	100,000	8 Sep 2017
Permit to Receive or Provide the Offshore Loan	Other	Monetary Policy Department	10 days	100,000	22 Sep 2017
Permit to use National One District One Product (ODOP) Trademark*	Other	Department of Trade Promotion	10 days	None listed	20 Apr 2020
Registration of Document	Registration	State Asset Management Department	2 days	30,000	5 Jan 2018
Registration of Employee	Registration	Lao Social Security Organization	30 days	None listed	29 Oct 2020
Registration of Labour Unit	Registration	Lao Social Security Organization	2 days	None listed	30 Oct 2020
Resignation Notification of Insured Persons	Other	Lao Social Security Organization	Not stated	None listed	2 Nov 2020
Signage Installation Permit	Other	Public Works and Transport Department	10 days	60,000	16 Jan 2018
Stay Permit for Foreign Investor	Other	Foreign Control Department	3 days	1,325,000	10 Nov 2017
Stay Permit for Foreign Worker	Other	Foreign Control Department	3 days	See record	10 Nov 2017
Visa on Arrival*	Other	Consulate Department	6 days	5,000	7 Dec 2020

*The source gives no sector for this record, or files it elsewhere. AQQOUNT placed it here using the responsible authority.

Bold entries link to our detailed guides. Other names open the original government record.

Before You Rely on This List

Listed fee: the total first-issue amount in kip on the record. “See record” means the amount varies or is calculated separately.
Listed time: days as stated on the record. Actual timing depends on complete documents and any other approvals.
Source updated: records are often several years old, so confirm current rules with the authority before you file.
Coverage: the inventory does not include every provincial or departmental formality.

Frequently Asked Questions

What registrations does every business in Laos need?

Start with enterprise registration, then tax registration and, for employers, social security. Activity-specific licenses and foreign-investor requirements depend on the business.

Do foreign investors have extra formalities?

Often yes. Examples in this list include the capital import certificate, foreign labor quota, and stay permits for investors and workers.

Are these fees and timelines current?

They are as published on the government inventory, and each entry shows when the source was updated. Some are several years old, so confirm them before budgeting.