What Lao kip actually arrives in Laos when someone sends Australian dollars, at the live mid-market rate. We explain the process; we never recommend a provider.
| They send (AUD) | You receive at mid-market (LAK) |
|---|---|
| 500 AUD | 7,785,000 LAK |
| 1,000 AUD | 15,570,000 LAK |
| 2,000 AUD | 31,140,000 LAK |
| 5,000 AUD | 77,850,000 LAK |
Mid-market equivalents, not transfer quotes - the sender’s provider deducts its margin and any fees before the money reaches you. STRUCK 11:00 AEST · TUE 13 OCT.
The only landlocked country in Southeast Asia, Laos moves at the pace of the Mekong and keeps thousands of Buddhist temples humming. Luang Prabang wakes to a daily procession of saffron-robed monks.
Three horizontal bands of red, dark blue and red, the blue one double-width and bearing a white moon at the centre. Article 115 of the constitution as revised in 2025 calls the white shape a moon, fixes the flag's height at two thirds of its width, each red edge at half the height of the dark blue field and the moon at four fifths of it, and assigns none of them a meaning. The readings of red as the blood shed for independence, of the blue as the Mekong and of the moon as unity or as the full moon over the river are conventional rather than the constitution's.
Source: laoofficialgazette.gov.la · checked 2026-08-26
A continent pretending to be a country - Australia is the only nation that fills an entire continent, with most of its 27 million people clinging to the coast while the red-dirt interior does its own thing.
A blue field with the Union Jack in the canton, a large white seven-pointed Commonwealth Star below it, and the five white stars of the Southern Cross at the fly. Six of the big star's points stand for the states and the seventh for the territories; the Southern Cross marks Australia's place in the southern sky.
The kip has lost a great deal of value against major currencies over recent years, which means quoted amounts are large and historical comparisons mislead. Thai baht and US dollars are also widely accepted in Laos, so kip is not the only sensible destination currency.
The exchange rate is set on the sending side - by the service the sender chooses in Australia - so the most useful thing a receiver can do happens before the transfer: share the live mid-market rate on this page so the sender can judge the margin in their quote. How the money arrives in Laos determines any local receiving charges - bank-to-bank transfers can pass through intermediary banks that deduct handling fees.
Sending rather than receiving? The sender’s view of this corridor covers the same rate from the other side. The AUD/LAK converter page handles any amount. Receiving money from overseas explains the process end to end.
The rules for money crossing the Lao border are asymmetric, and the asymmetry runs in the recipient's favour. Decision No. 580/BoL of 8 July 2019, issued by the Governor of the Bank of the Lao PDR under the Law on International Finance Management of December 2014, governs how commercial banks and branches of foreign banks move money into and out of the country. It replaced two earlier instruments on the same subject.
Article 4 covers the inbound leg. A commercial bank wanting to transfer foreign currency into Laos may credit it to its deposit account with the central bank's Banking Services Department without permission from the Monetary Policy Department, provided it reports every remittance weekly, through that department's system, by the Monday of the following week. The check happens after the money has moved.
Article 5 is the mirror image and it is where the friction sits. A commercial bank wanting to send foreign currency out must obtain the Monetary Policy Department's approval first, attaching a transfer certificate stating the amount, the currency and the purpose, along with the supporting documents that purpose calls for. Once the money has landed, what moves it domestically is the shared national network that operates the instant retail payment system on the Lao side, whose code scheme carries transfers between member banks and payments at retail counters, and which has since admitted an electronic wallet as a member in its own right.
Sources: Bank of the Lao PDR, Decision on the Money Transfer/Bring In-Out of Commercial Banks to and from Lao PDR, No. 580/BoL, 8 July 2019 (Lao Trade Portal) · Lao News Agency, on the first electronic wallet to join the national payment network · Bank of Thailand and Bank of the Lao PDR, joint press release on the cross-border QR payment linkage, 3 April 2024
How much Lao kip will I receive in Laos?
A little less than the mid-market figures above. The service the sender uses in Australia sets the rate and fees; local receiving banks in Laos can also apply their own charges depending on how the transfer arrives.
The sender asked for my details - what will they need?
Whatever their transfer service asks for on the receiving side - typically your full legal name and local bank account details in Laos. Give the name exactly as your bank records it; mismatches are the most common reason a transfer is delayed.
Why did I receive less than the rate on this page suggests?
Retail rates are set away from the mid-market midpoint by a margin the provider keeps. Comparing a quote against the reference rate on this page is what makes that margin visible, since it is rarely stated as a fee. On a bank-to-bank transfer an intermediary bank can also deduct a handling charge in transit.