arjay wrote:While marriage between foreigners and Lao citizens is permitted there are a range of regulations that need to be followed. Sexual relationships between foreigners and Lao citizens who are not legally married are not permitted. Penalties for failing to register a relationship range from US$500 to 5,000 and possible imprisonment for both parties and deportation.
I would welcome rufus' opinion, or anyone else with recent & relevant knowledge (on this thread or by PM if preferred) as to whether he feels the last paragraph of Casper's post (quoted above) is still current and applied/enforced as suggested, or indeed whether he feels there is any movement or relaxation by the Lao authorities with regard to such matters?
The Laos Govt appears to be far more relaxed than in the past. If you are officially engaged in Laos, thigs appear to be fine, In my case, the wife and i got engaged in laos, married in Australia and that seems to be no problem, even though the Laos govt at this stage does not recognise marraiges outside of Laos.
By the way, I heard it on good authority that westerners can now get Laos passports which entitle them to all the benefits of Laos citizenship. This means owning land, working in previously restricted occupations etc etc. You can retain dual citizenship. Apparently it costs $1000US.
