Overview 

Naphao International Checkpoint is located in Laos’ Bualapha district in Khammouane province that shares a border with Vietnam in the East. The checkpoint is 50 km away from Bualapha district, the nearest large town and 146 km from Thakkek district, a capital city of Khammouane province with a population of 412,052 persons. It is opposite to Cha Lo International Border Gate in Quang Binh province, Vietnam. The checkpoints have permanent offices at both sides of the borders where immigration offices are located.  

Daily Capacity 

In 2018, there were approximately 273 vehicles crossing the checkpoint daily that was equivalent to 98,000 vehicles entered and exited the checkpoint yearly. In the same year, there were 195,000 travellers crossing the checkpoints.  

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 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 October 4, 2023, the system is formally deployed at Na Phao 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.