Overview
Boten International Checkpoint is located in Laos’ Namtha district in Luang Namtha province that shares a border with China in the North West. The checkpoint is about 56 km away from Namtha district, the nearest large town and a capital city of Luang Namtha province with a population of 195,753 persons. It is opposite to Mohan Port in Mengla County, Yunnan Province in the South of China. The checkpoints have permanent offices, which are about 500 metres a part, at both sides of the borders where immigration offices are located.
|
Border Crossing Location and Contact |
|
|---|---|
|
Name of Border Crossing
|
Boten International Checkpoint ( Luang Namtha Pro. Laos –Yunnan Pro. China) Country #1: Laos |
|
Province or District |
Luang namtha |
|
Nearest Town or City with Distance from Border Crossing |
Namtha district Distance: 56 km |
|
Latitude |
21.1877629 |
|
Longitude |
101.6774777 |
|
Managing Authority / Agency |
Customs Department |
|
Contact Person |
856 20 8850 2108, 20 8850 2109, 20 8850 2201 |
|
Travel Times |
|
|---|---|
|
Nearest International Airport |
Luang Prabang International Airport Distance: 290 km Truck Travel Time: 5 hrs Car Travel time: 4 hrs |
|
Nearest Port |
Name: Bangkok Port, Thailand Distance: 1,319 km (est.) Truck Travel Time: 20 hrs (est.) Car Travel time: 15 hrs (est.) |
|
Nearest location with functioning wholesale markets, or with significant manufacturing or production capacity |
Name: Luang Namtha province Distance 56 km Truck Travel Time: 1.50 hrs Car Travel time: 1.20 hrs |
|
Other Information
|
For this route there are fuelling stations and weighing bridges. |
|
Hours of Operation |
|
|---|---|
|
Mondays |
7:00 AM to 8:00 PM |
|
Tuesdays |
7:00 AM to 8:00 PM |
|
Wednesdays |
7:00 AM to 8:00 PM |
|
Thursdays |
7:00 AM to 8:00 PM |
|
Fridays |
7:00 AM to 8:00 PM |
|
Saturdays |
7:00 AM to 8:00 PM |
|
Sundays |
7:00 AM to 8:00 PM |
|
National Holidays
|
01 January, 20 January, 08 March, 14-16 April, 01 May, 02 December |
|
Seasonal Constraints |
Chinese Lunar New Year Celebration (between January and February) is reported to have cause delay in movements of trucks cross the border, rainy season causes occasional landslide blocking the road transport. |
Daily Capacity
There are more than 300 freight trucks crossing Boten border checkpoint each day to China from Laos. However, during Covid-19 pandemic from 2021 to 2022, Chinese authorities restricted freight trucks that allowed only 150 vehicles to cross into China per day. The restriction was lifted in January 2023.
Customs Clearance
The Ministry of Finance’s Customs Division, a regulatory authority for imports, requires submission online of tax exemption certificate (in case of humanitarian goods) including supporting documents on NSWA+, a computerized platform of the Lao National Single Window (LNSW) which recently is integrated into Lao customs clearance for import (ASYCUDA) that became known as the NSWA+. The platform can be accessed at https://www.laonsw.net/
Charge for NSWA+ is USD14 (or 291,000 Kip) for one transaction, which excludes customs, duties, tax, fees and service fees of relevant agencies.
Charges per time for importing truck include:
|
Truck Wheels/length |
Charge in USD |
Charge in Local Currency (Kip) |
|---|---|---|
|
6 |
5 |
100,000 |
|
10 to 12 |
6 |
120.000 |
|
More than 12 and trailer |
9 |
180.000 |
|
20 foot |
0.8 |
15.000 |
|
40 foot |
1.5 |
30.000 |
Remark: charges (round up) in USD are based on BCEL exchange rate USD 1 = 20.752 kip as of 16 October 2023.
Payment channels and methods: Importers and exporters can pay the service fee electronically at service units of the Bank Pour Le Commerce Exterieur Lao (BCEL) and the Lao Development Bank (LDB) which includes BCEL i-Banking, BCEL One, LDB Corporate Banking by cash, money transfer, and cheque.
For more information on customs in Laos, please see the following link: 1.3 Customs Information.
Other Relevant Information
Under Ministry of Finance, Laos’ Customs Clearance for Imports (ASYCUDA) is implementing smart customs project that the digitalization of imports and exports at international border crossing is being modernized. The ministry adopts the Lao National Single Window (LNSW) and integrates it into the ASYCUDA that became known as the NSWA+.
The NSWA+ is a computerized platform used to manage the import and export of all types of goods including tax exempted ones. From May 2023, the system is formally deployed at Boten International Checkpoint.
Documents that are typically required for customs clearance for non-foods and food items are:
Tax exemption document from relevant partner government ministry, Commercial Invoice, Bill of Lading or Air Waybill, Packing List, Certificate of Origin, Analysis Certificate, Phytosanitary Certificate, Fumigation Certificate, Import Permit for Food (issued by Laos’ Food and Drug Department, Ministry of Public Health)
For more information on government contact details, please see the following link: 4.1 Government Contact List.
