India or Laos
Two countries side by side across the same rows as the full comparison. A dash means the value is missing: fields are not filled with guesses. about the data
| India | Laos | |
|---|---|---|
| Salary in IT | — | — |
| Citizenship | 12 years | 10 years |
| Partner can work | — | — |
| Parents | — | — |
| Pets | no trouble | difficult |
| Pet limit | 2 | no limit |
| Quarantine | no | — |
| Residence permit fee | — | — |
| Rent, 2 bedrooms | $ 782 · estimate | $ 795 · estimate |
| Basket | $ 14,2 | $ 28,9 |
| Life expectancy | 72.23 | 69.22 |
| Homicides/100k | 2.72 | — |
| Natural hazards, 0–10 | 7.8 | 3.6 |
How the two sets of routes differ
Long-stay routes in this reference: India — 17, Laos — 17. Types present in both: work, study, family and investment. India adds: repatriation.
Fees, thresholds and deadlines
India: the fee is 100 INR wherever it is published. Routes with a published decision deadline: 1; the shortest is 30 days. Laos: fees range from 20,000 to 1,200,000 LAK. Routes with a published decision deadline: 4; the shortest is 1 days.
Beyond the first permit
Permanent status: India with no residence period; the other country publishes no term. Citizenship: India after 12 years, Laos after 10 years. Neither recognises a second citizenship.
India in brief
India is the world's second-most-populous labour market, with high demand for skilled IT and engineering professionals and a globally low cost of living: rent and utility payments are several times lower than in Europe, even in the largest cities. The work visa is rigidly tied to the employer — it cannot be changed without leaving the country — and is issued only for an annual salary above 1,625,000 rupees, except for a few exempt categories. There is no general mechanism for permanent residence by length of stay: status is renewed through annual work visas via the FRRO, and Permanent Residency Status (PRS) is granted only to foreign investors who invest at least 10 crore rupees. Naturalisation requires about 12 years of residence in the country, and dual citizenship is not allowed. The northern plain suffers from smog in winter, while the coastal and mountain regions suffer from monsoon flooding and earthquakes. The country's five largest cities differ sharply in character: from the financial capital Mumbai and the technology cluster Bangalore to the UNESCO World Heritage sites in Jaipur and Agra.
Laos in brief
Laos is a landlocked South-East Asian country with a GNI per capita of USD 2,150 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2025), which places it in the lower part of the lower-middle-income group. A visa granting the right to work (LA-B2) and a work permit are two different documents issued by two different agencies: the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the immigration service on one side, and the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare on the other. The legislation does not provide for an ordinary permanent-residence status for foreign workers or investors: long-term stay rests on renewable visas rather than resident status; the path to citizenship through naturalisation requires at least 10 years of continuous residence (Citizenship Law, 2017 revision), and dual citizenship is not permitted. In a number of provinces, including Savannakhet and Khammouane, affected by bombing along the Ho Chi Minh Trail in 1964–1973, unexploded ordnance remains a practical risk outside populated and cleared areas — Laos has officially adopted a separate 18th national Sustainable Development Goal, "Live Safe from UXO" (announced in September 2015).
Other comparisons
India or… Taiwan · South Korea · Japan · Thailand · Kazakhstan · Lebanon · Uzbekistan · Malaysia
Laos or… Azerbaijan · Philippines · Bangladesh · Kuwait · Iraq · Mongolia · Oman · People's Republic of China
More on each: India · Laos. Build your own comparison — up to four countries
This material is for reference and is not legal, tax or immigration advice. Visa rules, tax thresholds and prices change. Before deciding anything, check the official sources and consult a licensed professional in the relevant country.