iTrade Laws and Regulations

Certain types of products are necessary to obtain an import license from DIMEX. Depending on the product, the license can be either automatic or non-automatic. The rules about licensing are governed by Notification No. 0076 and you can find the list of products requiring licensing in its Annexes as well as a list of supporting documents required

If a product is not subject to licensing or to specific sanitary/phytosanitary or technical

Prohibited goods cannot be imported, exported, transited, sold or circulated in Laos (Customs Law 2011, Article 31). Among prohibited goods are weapons, narcotics, psychotropic substances and hazardous chemical substances. The goods prohibited for imports are listed in Notification No. 0973, Annex 1.

Some goods are subject to Sanitary and Phytosanitary measures (SPS measures). You may need to get a permit from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. Lao PDR has established an SPS Enquiry Point as required by the WTO SPS Agreement. You can contact the SPS Enquiry Point if you have any questions regarding Sanitary and Phytosanitary requirements.

Before exporting goods from Lao PDR you should ensure that they do not fall into the category of prohibited goods. Prohibited goods cannot be imported, exported, transited, sold or circulated in Laos.