Importing From India to Laos

In February 2013 the Lao government published a guide for its exporters on selling to India. One piece of advice in it stands out - Lao firms had more than one preference scheme into India, so "it is important to compare schemes" and pick the one that gives the most on each product (Lao Trade Portal, ASEAN-India guide (opens in a new tab)).

Nobody wrote the same guide for Lao importers buying from India, and the advice works just as well in reverse. You also have two agreements to choose from. This page covers that choice, why the certificate must name only one of them, and what being landlocked adds. The caveat - we haven't read the Lao tariff schedules line by line, so we can't tell you which agreement wins on your product.

Last researched 28 September 2026 · Next review 24 November 2026 · Written by SourcingFrom

The decision in brief is in the playbook: Exporting and trade → /india/#trade. The shared rules are on the ASEAN bloc page and the APTA bloc page.

1. Two Agreements, One Certificate

Laos is in the ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement and in the Asia-Pacific Trade Agreement. Each has its own origin rule, set out on its bloc page. The practical point is that a certificate of origin names one agreement, so your Indian supplier has to know which one you're claiming under before it applies. A certificate issued under the wrong one won't serve the other, and swapping it after the goods have sailed costs time you don't have on a landlocked route.

So which do you pick? The same Lao guide notes that under AITIGA, Laos (with Cambodia, Myanmar and Viet Nam) cut tariffs on a later schedule than the rest of ASEAN, with normal-track lines due for elimination by 2021 and sensitive lines brought to no more than 5% by then. APTA preferences apply only to the lines on Laos's national concession list. Our view - start with AITIGA, because it covers far more lines, and check APTA only if your line is excluded or sensitive under AITIGA. Your broker can compare the two rates in a few minutes.

2. Landlocked Means a Second Border

Laos has no sea port, so Indian sea cargo lands in a neighbouring country and continues by road. We haven't confirmed from a carrier schedule which port serves Lao importers best from India, so ask your forwarder which gateway it uses, whether the goods move in transit under seal, and who handles the transit declaration. The certificate of origin, the invoice and the transit document have to agree with each other, and a mismatch at the Lao border is harder to fix than one at a seaport.

3. Back to the Guide

The Lao government's advice to its exporters was to compare schemes, product by product. That's still the right habit for you, just pointed the other way. Pick the agreement first, tell the supplier before it applies for the certificate, and then book the transit.

Next Step

Every Indian agreement is on India's trade agreements.