Overview
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Region | Asia-Pacific |
| ISO 3166-1 | LA / LAO |
| Registry | ERMD, MoIC |
| Last updated | 2026-05-06 |
Identifiers
Collect two identifiers from each business customer in Laos and submit them as strings on the application body.| API field | Local name | Issuer |
|---|---|---|
businessInfo.taxId | Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) | Tax Department, Ministry of Finance |
businessInfo.businessEntityId | Enterprise Registration Number | ERMD, MoIC |
Sector regulators
BOL · LSC · MoF · AMLIO
Legal structures
| Local name | Abbreviation | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Sole Limited Company | — | Single-shareholder limited company; liability capped at subscribed capital; governed by Enterprise Law No. 33/NA 2022. Equivalent to a US single-member LLC. |
| Limited Company | Co., Ltd. | 2–30 shareholders; most common private commercial vehicle; liability limited to subscribed capital; shares are not freely tradable. Equivalent to a US multi-member LLC. |
| Public Company | PLC | Requires at least 9 promoter-shareholders; shares are freely transferable and may be publicly offered; subject to stricter governance and disclosure obligations. Closest US equivalent: C-Corp. |
| Ordinary Partnership | — | Two or more partners; all bear unlimited joint liability for the partnership’s obligations; constitutes a separate legal entity. Closest US equivalent: General Partnership. |
| Limited Partnership | — | At least one general partner with unlimited liability and at least one limited partner whose liability is capped at their capital contribution. Closest US equivalent: Limited Partnership. |
| Sole Trader Enterprise | — | Individual natural person registered with ERMD/MoIC; owner bears full personal liability for all obligations. Equivalent to a US Sole Proprietorship. |
| Cooperative | — | Member-owned collective enterprise governed by the Law on Cooperatives; managed under limited-company rules for fewer than 20 member families or public-company rules above that threshold. Closest US equivalent: Cooperative. |
| Branch of Foreign Company | — | Extension of a foreign parent entity registered with ERMD; operates under the parent’s legal identity; an authorised in-country representative is required. Closest US equivalent: Foreign Branch. |
| Representative Office of Foreign Company | — | Registered presence of a foreign entity permitted only to conduct liaison, market research, and promotional activities; may not generate revenue or conclude contracts. Closest US equivalent: Foreign Representative Office. |
How documents combine
For each evidence area, this table shows whether the listed documents are alternatives (any one of) or a bundle (all required). The artifact-by-artifact lookup follows below.| Evidence area | Documents needed |
|---|---|
| Legal Registration | Enterprise Registration Certificate |
| Constitutive Documents | Company Charter |
| Tax Registration | TIN embedded in Enterprise Registration Certificate |
| Operating Permit | Business Operating License |
| Ownership Records | Any one of: Shareholder list in Company Charter · Enterprise Registration Certificate (shareholders section) |
| Governance Records | Director list in Enterprise Registration Certificate |
| Signing Authority | Any one of: Board Resolution · Shareholders’ Resolution |
| Address | Any one of: ສັນຍາເຊົ່າ · ໃບແຈ້ງຄ່າສາທາລະນຸປະໂພກ · ໃບແຈ້ງຍອດທະນາຄານ |
Documents to collect
The physical documents you’ll collect from your customer, with the evidence area each one proves. One document can prove multiple areas — for example, Brazil’s Cartão CNPJ covers both tax and business-registration proof, so it appears once with both areas listed.| Document | Proves |
|---|---|
| Enterprise Registration Certificate | Legal Registration |
| Company Charter (Articles of Association) | Constitutive Documents |
| TIN embedded in Enterprise Registration Certificate | Tax Registration |
| Business Operating License | Operating Permit |
| Shareholder list in Company Charter | Ownership Records |
| Enterprise Registration Certificate (shareholders section) | Ownership Records |
| Director list in Enterprise Registration Certificate | Governance Records |
| Board Resolution | Signing Authority |
| Shareholders’ Resolution | Signing Authority |
| ສັນຍາເຊົ່າ | Address |
| ໃບແຈ້ງຄ່າສາທາລະນຸປະໂພກ (ພາຍໃນ 90 ວັນ) | Address |
| ໃບແຈ້ງຍອດທະນາຄານ (ພາຍໃນ 90 ວັນ) | Address |
| Sector-Specific License | BOL licence (banks, payment service providers, MFIs), LSC licence (securities firms), MoF licence (insurance), BOL — Bank of the Lao PDR (banking, payment services, MFIs, FX), LSC/LSCO — Lao Securities Commission/Office, MoF — Ministry of Finance (insurance), AMLIO — Anti-Money Laundering Intelligence Office (FIU) |
Collection notes
- Legal Registration: Issued by ERMD/MoIC; includes TIN since 2022; confirms entity type, registration number, address, capital.
- Constitutive Documents: Filed with ERMD at registration; amendments must be reported to ERMD to be enforceable against third parties.
- Tax Registration: Separate TIN certificate no longer issued; the registration cert is the authoritative tax-ID document.
- Operating Permit: Issued by ERMD/MoIC under Instruction No. 0045/MOIC.ERMD (2019); sector-specific sub-permits may also be required.
- Sector-Specific License: Collect the relevant regulator-issued licence for any financial-sector customer.
- Governance Records: Directors named in the registration cert and charter; general director identified separately when multiple directors exist.
- Signing Authority: General director acts as statutory signatory; other signatories require a board or shareholders’ resolution. Lao PDR is not a party to the Hague Apostille Convention — foreign-use documents require full notarization + consular/embassy legalization chain.
- Address: Conduit universal policy: lease (no time bound) OR utility bill OR bank statement, with utility/bank dated within 90 days. Same evidence satisfies both registered-address and operating-address checks.
Person roles
When you submit a person on the application body, set theirrole to one of Conduit’s canonical BusinessPersonRole values. Use this table to map a local corporate-governance title onto the right canonical role.
| Local role | Canonical API role | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Director (ກຳມະການ) | CONTROLLING_PERSON | Manages the company; elected by shareholders’ meeting; term capped at 2 years (renewable). |
| General Director (ກຳມະການໃຫຍ່) | CONTROLLING_PERSON | Director designated to bind the company contractually when multiple directors exist; day-to-day executive authority. |
| Board of Directors Chair | CONTROLLING_PERSON | Presides over board when assets exceed LAK 50 billion; governance role. |
| Authorised Representative (Branch) | LEGAL_REPRESENTATIVE | In-country representative of a foreign branch; legally responsible for the branch’s compliance. |
| POA Holder | LEGAL_REPRESENTATIVE | Third party authorised by notarized power of attorney to act on the company’s behalf. |
Notes
- TIN merged into registration cert: Since the 2022 Enterprise Law reforms (in force 30 March 2023), the TIN is issued simultaneously with the Enterprise Registration Certificate. There is no separate TIN certificate to collect; the registration cert is the controlling document for both identity fields.
- No Apostille: Lao PDR is not a party to the Hague Apostille Convention (HCCH status table, verified 2026-05-06). Documents for cross-border use require notarization plus embassy/consular legalization — a multi-step chain.
- Board mandatory only above LAK 50 billion in assets: Below this threshold a single director suffices. The “board of directors” structure is uncommon for SMEs; for KYB purposes treat all directors collectively and identify the general director as the statutory signatory.