You are using an outdated browser and your browsing experience will not be optimal. Please update to the latest version of Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox. Install Microsoft Edge

April 8, 2020

Laos Issues COVID-19 Regulations for Freight, Insurance, Mineral Processing, Hydropower, and Healthcare Industries

Subscribe to Updates

Cross-Border Transportation of Goods

The National Taskforce Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control has issued Guideline No. 020, Regarding Prime Minister’s Order No.02/PM, dated April 2, 2020, which includes directives aimed at the freight sector. The transportation of goods is one of the few operations that is still permitted to cross the Lao border, although this is subject to the following regulations:

  • The importation of goods by vehicles is authorized up to the loading point closest to the port of entry. Once the goods have been unloaded, the vehicle must depart immediately. Before entering Laos the driver must fill out a health form and undergo an examination, as recommended by the National Taskforce Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control.
  • For the transportation of goods that transit through Laos before being exported to a third country, vehicles can proceed to the loading point in Laos and onward to their destination. If it is necessary to use a vehicle from the country of origin to reach the destination, the vehicle must be sprayed with a disinfectant in accordance with the specified rules. Foreign drivers are also prohibited, so the driver must be a Lao national.

Insurance Operations

On March 31, 2020, the Department of State Enterprise Investment Management and Insurance, which is under the Ministry of Finance, issued Notification No. 0338, which provides the following measures:

  • Deferment of the deadline for submission of insurance company financial reports and other reporting duties relating to the operation of insurance businesses for the year 2019. The new submission deadline is April 30, 2020.
  • Requirement for life insurance and health insurance policies that have already been sold to also cover COVID-19-related symptoms, in accordance with the amount and duration of coverage agreed upon in the contract.
  • Requirement for all insurance companies to devise a plan to form teams of employees to work in their offices from April 1 to April 19, 2020, and to support other employees to work remotely. Alternatively, companies can devise a specific schedule for each employee to come to work on an alternating basis, in order to prevent the spread of the COVID-19. Insurance companies are also requested to ensure they can receive claims while the COVID-19 outbreak measures are in place.

Factories that Process Minerals and Hydropower Plants under Construction

On April 5, 2020, the Ministry of Mines and Energy issued Notification 0432/MEM, which orders hydropower plant construction projects and factories involved in exploration for and processing of minerals to suspend their activities from April 1 to April 19.

Until April 19, these operations are required to proceed as follows:

  • Manage their staff and personnel who are currently renting and staying in accommodation within the factory, and follow measures issued by the government. Employees and personnel should not leave the factory premises, or their accommodations, if it is not necessary (a phrase that is not yet defined). Employees and personnel must be prohibited from traveling to local places where there is a risk of contracting the virus.
  • Disseminate information about COVID-19 to employees and personnel on-site in order to prevent and combat the spread of the virus, in accordance with recommendations issued by the local authorities. Any employee who displays symptoms of the virus should be separated from the other employees, and the supervisor should immediately contact the emergency number (166 or 020-5406-6777) in order to implement the recommendations issued by the National Task Force.
  • Ensure that social distancing of two meters is strictly observed by all employees, provide masks, and ensure that soap is available for washing hands, or disinfectant is provided to kill the virus, in accordance with the recommendations of the National Task Force.
  • Disinfect the premises, including production sites, canteens, and accommodations, along with other areas where there is a risk of the virus spreading.

Facilities that have been closed and adversely impacted by COVID-19 should report the impact to the Ministry of Energy and Mines, and the related authorities, as indicated in Prime Minister’s Order No. 06/PM, dated March 29, 2020. In addition, the ministry welcomes comments regarding this notification from stakeholders and from the public and private sectors.

Private Hospitals and Clinics Prohibited from Treating COVID-19

Out of a concern about some private caregiving facilities in the country being inadequately equipped to handle the epidemic, on April 2, 2020, the Ministry of Health issued Notification 0413/MOH, ordering private hospitals and treatment facilities not to attempt treatment of COVID-19 patients (with limited exceptions for international-standard private hospitals). 

This notification followed the issuance of previous measures seemingly announcing the closure of private hospitals and private treatment centers. Together, however, these regulations mean that  specialized clinics and private hospitals can provide their usual medical services, but they are not allowed to attempt treatment of COVID-19 patients; if a case of COVID-19 is suspected, they should call the emergency hotline immediately.

For more details on these measures, or on any aspect of Laos’ response to the COVID-19 pandemic, please contact Dino Santaniello at [email protected].

Related Professionals

Industries

Aviation

Energy

Insurance

Life Sciences

Practices

Corporate/M&A

Regulatory Affairs

Location

RELATED INSIGHTS​ 

February 20, 2026
Thailand’s Supreme Administrative Court has issued a decisive ruling annulling the Ministry of Labor’s notification that had granted an exemption for foreign pilots to fly domestic routes under wet‑lease arrangements. A wet lease is a leasing arrangement in which the aircraft is provided together with its foreign flight crew, including pilots, and related operational support, rather than the airline supplying its own pilots. The judgment, delivered on November 17, 2025, and published in the Government Gazette on January 30, 2026, follows a legal challenge brought by the Thai Pilots Association, which argued that the exemption unlawfully enabled foreign workers to assume a role traditionally reserved for Thai nationals. The notification in question, dated December 13, 2024, authorized foreign pilots who came as part of wet‑leased aircraft to fly domestic routes. The Thai Pilots Association disputed the legality of this rationale, asserting that the exemption was triggered by a private airline’s request rather than by any statutory necessity. The Ministry of Labor justified this measure by relying on aircraft‑specific approvals issued by the Ministry of Transport and by enabling the Department of Employment to issue corresponding work permits. Arguments Presented in the Case The Thai Pilots Association argued that the exemption undermined the interests of domestic pilots and conflicted with the policy intent of Thailand’s foreign‑worker regulatory framework. The lawsuit emphasized that the notification arose directly from a private airline company’s request to operate two A320 aircraft under a wet lease and that the measure had the practical effect of displacing Thai pilots who remained unemployed. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Labor defended the exemption as a temporary and necessary response to industry shortages and part of national efforts to support tourism and restore aviation capacity. Legal Framework Thai law establishes a general prohibition against foreign nationals piloting domestic aircraft. Section
Read More
February 10, 2026
Data center and cloud investments are forming a major focus of private-sector investment in Thailand, with tech giants like Amazon, Google, Microsoft, and TikTok, as well as numerous telecom and data center companies, committing significant outlays to data center and cloud development. The country’s Board of Investment (BOI) approved projects worth THB 1.87 trillion in 2025, and THB 746 billion of this was from planned data center investments—by far the largest amount from any single industry. Thailand’s swift rise as a regional data center hub is fueled by surging demand for cloud, AI, and digital services, as well as large-scale investments from global tech firms. The country’s strategic location, competitive power costs, robust fiber infrastructure, expanding IT talent, and supportive government policies—including BOI incentives and streamlined approvals—have made it an attractive destination for scalable and sustainable digital infrastructure investments. The BOI’s proactive approach in updating promoted categories and providing both tax and non-tax incentives further ensures Thailand’s continued growth in this sector. 2025 BOI Changes for Data Centers In the middle of 2025, the BOI responded to the remarkable trend by updating investment‑promotion categories across various sectors (e.g., machinery and electrical equipment, public utilities, digital and innovative industries) to accommodate growing investment in data‑center projects. Before the change, which was detailed in a notification that has applied to investment promotion applications submitted from July 1, 2025, onward, data‑center projects under BOI promotion were granted a single A1 incentive (an eight‑year corporate income‑tax exemption) and subject to one uniform set of conditions. The July 2025 notification restructured promotion for data centers into two categories based on power‑usage efficiency: high‑efficiency data centers and other data centers. Under these rules, qualified high‑efficiency data centers are eligible for an eight‑year corporate income tax (CIT) exemption, while for other data centers this exemption is
Read More
January 22, 2026
On December 10, 2025, Vietnam’s National Assembly enacted Law No. 139/2025/QH15 amending the Law on Insurance Business. The amendment, effective from January 1, 2026, introduces various changes in an effort to lift restrictions and hurdles for insurance businesses. Key points that may impact the activities of stakeholders in Vietnam’s insurance market are highlighted below. Management Personnel Qualifications To broaden the talent pool while ensuring competency standards, the amended law opens up the positions of director or general director to more candidates. Previously, candidates were required to hold either (i) a university degree or higher in insurance or (ii) a university degree in another discipline and an insurance certificate issued by a qualified insurance training institution. Now, candidates holding a university degree or higher in economics, finance, banking, law, business administration, accounting, or auditing, with at least one insurance‑related module, are also accepted. These changes are expected to mitigate the ongoing challenges faced by insurers in recruiting suitably qualified candidates for key executive positions, while still maintaining appropriate professional standards. Fewer Registrations for Insurance Businesses As part of the legislature’s broader initiative to reduce administrative burdens across all business sectors, the amended Law on Insurance Business relaxes registration requirements for the insurance industry, notably: Insurance enterprises and foreign non‑life insurance branches are no longer required to register and obtain prior approval from the Ministry of Finance (MOF) for their methodologies and bases for calculating premiums for motor vehicle insurance products (excluding compulsory civil liability insurance for motor vehicle owners). Instead, insurance enterprises are now only required to notify the MOF before applying or amending these methodologies. While life insurers must continue to register with the MOF their principles for separating owners’ equity from insurance premium funds, non‑life insurance enterprises and foreign non‑life insurance branches are now only required to notify
Read More
January 21, 2026
Spurred by global geopolitics and Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy, which aims to forge deeper ties with ASEAN, Canadian companies have been showing growing interest in Thailand and Southeast Asia in recent years. To understand the opportunities offered by the region, we sat down with Andrew Stoutley, a Toronto native and the chief operating officer of Tilleke & Gibbins, a leading Southeast Asian regional law firm with over 130 years of history in Thailand. Q: Why are Canadian companies looking at Thailand and Southeast Asia right now? A: Two reasons stand out. First, diversification has moved up the agenda. Many Canadian companies want options outside North America due to tariff volatility and policy uncertainty in the United States, as well as questions around the next Canada–United States–Mexico Agreement mandatory joint review. At the same time, the shift of global production from China to Southeast Asia is accelerating, driven by rising costs, geopolitics, and the need to avoid overreliance on a single market. As a result, Canadian companies are looking for a second production base or a regional hub, and Thailand and its neighbors are natural choices given their manufacturing depth, location, and established supply chains. Second, Canada’s own efforts in the region are gaining traction. The Indo-Pacific Strategy has led to more on-the-ground support, including larger trade missions, upgraded diplomatic posts, and new financing options. Export Development Canada (EDC) now has a presence in Bangkok, giving Canadian companies a direct line to financing and insurance in Thailand. There’s also steady progress on trade frameworks like the recently signed Canada–Indonesia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (which will come into effect pending domestic procedures), ongoing negotiations of a Canada–ASEAN FTA, and the exciting announcement about the launch of negotiations of a Canada–Thailand FTA. Together, these developments have the potential to make it much easier
Read More