Overview 

Upgraded from Local Border Crossing, Dakta Ok was made International Border Checkpoint on August 14, 2021. Dakta Ok Checkpoint is located in Laos’ Dakcheung district in Sekong province that shares a border with Vietnam in the East. The checkpoint is about 17 km away from Dakcheung district, the nearest large town and 120 km from Lamam district, a capital city of Sekong province with a population of 133,045 persons. It is opposite to Nam Giang International Border Gate in Quang Nam province, Vietnam. The checkpoints have permanent offices at both sides of the borders where immigration offices are located.  

Previously, goods were transported from southern Laos and northern Thailand mainly through Phukeua (Attapue) - Bo Y (Kon Tum) International Border Checkpoints at Lao-Vietnam border. However, Dokta Ok-Nam Giang Border Checkpoints make transport distance 170 km shorter compared to Phukeua-Bo Y border. In addition, Chu Lai Port with a depth of 8.1 m to 10 m in Vietnam, which was recently upgraded to ensure the reception of the large ships, is just over 200 km from the checkpoints. 

Daily Capacity 

In 2021, there were 4,500 vehicles crossing the checkpoint that were about 13 vehicles entered and exited the checkpoint daily. In 2022, 7,850 vehicles entered and exited the checkpoints or about 22 vehicles per day.  

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:   

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, 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 November 2, 2023, the system is formally deployed at Dakta Ok 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.