Data-center law in Laos

National jurisdiction · as of 2026-09-06

Laos has no data-center-specific siting, permitting, or utility statute; a data-center project is governed by the general investment-incentive and special-economic-zone framework of the Law on Investment Promotion (Amended) No. 14/NA (17 November 2016).

That Law grants profit-tax and land-use incentives to investment sectors including high and modern technology application, and to investment located in a designated special economic zone, without naming data infrastructure or information technology as its own priority sector; special economic zones may be established for, among other purposes, the development of technology and information.

No provision located in this Law addresses electricity grid interconnection, water use, or air emissions specifically; those questions are addressed, if at all, by Laos' general energy, water and environmental statutes.

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Instruments on record

1 instrument on record, grouped by the family of approval each one governs.

Public agreements

What fiscal agreements attach a data center to its host jurisdiction?

Law on Investment Promotion (Amended)

In force

Law on Investment Promotion (Amended) No. 14/NA (17 Nov 2016)

Applies to both

This Law, an unofficial English translation published on the Lao Trade Portal (a Ministry of Industry and Commerce site), sets Laos' general incentives for domestic and foreign investment. Article 9 grants incentives by business sector, including high and modern technology application, scientific research, and research and development.

Article 10 defines three incentive zones, with Zone 3 being a special economic zone, and Article 11 grants a profit-tax exemption of four to fifteen years depending on the zone and sector. Article 57 provides that a special economic zone may be established for, among other purposes, the development of technology and information, alongside industrial, export-processing, services, trade and tourism zones.

No provision names data centers, data infrastructure, or information and communications technology as a distinct incentive sector or SEZ purpose, and no provision addresses electricity grid interconnection, water use, or air emissions. Article 109 ties entry into force to a presidential promulgating decree and fifteen days after Official Gazette publication, but neither the decree date nor the Gazette publication date is stated in the located text. This Law replaces the Law on the Promotion of Investment No. 02/NA, dated 8 July 2009.

Source: Full text of law

Every entry cites the instrument it describes. None of it is legal advice: verify a citation before relying on it. Full sourcing: read the methodology. The rest of the record: all jurisdictions.