A Cambodian visa is required for almost all foreign nationalities visiting Cambodia. Usually it’s quite easy to obtain a visa, but please read the following information carefully before planning your trip to Cambodia. Also make sure to check if there are any specific requirements for your country since visa regulations can change during time.
Passport and visa requirements
Before applying for a Cambodian visa, you will need to fulfill some requirements. First of all, you’ll need an international passport, issued by your country and valid for at least six months starting from the entry date in Cambodia. You’ll also need one passport-size photograph, taken no more then 12 months ago.
The nationals of Singapore, Malaysia and Vietnam don’t need a Cambodian visa for a stay up to 30 days. Also citizens from the Philippines don’t require a visa but they can only stay for a maximum of 21 days.
Visa types and fees
Cambodia offers several visa types to visitors of the country, from which the tourist and business visa are the most common ones.
TOURIST VISA
A tourist visa (Type ‘T’) costs US$20 and is valid for 30 days. Tourist visas can only be extended 1 time for an extra period of 30 days.
BUSINESS VISA
A business visa (Type ‘E’) costs US$25 and is valid for 30 days. Business visa can be extended indefinitely for 1 month, 3 months, 6 months or 1 year at a time.
K-VISA
This visa can only be given to Cambodian descendants that enter Cambodia with a foreign passport. They need to have valid documents to show that their parents were Cambodian citizens. The K-visa will be issued one time and free of charge. The visa will allow the applicants to enter the Cambodian kingdom an unlimited number of times.
DIPLOMATIC, OFFICIAL AND COURTESY VISAS
Diplomatic, Offical and Courtesy visas are provided for free, but you will have to meet the very specific requirements for these visa types.
Applying for a Cambodian visa
Most people apply for a visa on arrival in Cambodia. However, it’s also possible to obtain a visa beforehand by applying for it online or by contacting an overseas Cambodian embassy.
VISA ON ARRIVAL
A Cambodian visa on arrival can be purchased on entering the country, either at one of the international airports or at one of the official checkpoints when crossing the border by land.
There are currently only two international airports in Cambodia, one in Cambodia’s capital Phnom Penh and one in Siem Reap. Cambodian visas are available at both of these airports. Visit http://www.cambodia-airports.com/ for more information.
If you are entering Cambodia by land, you can apply for a visa at one of the official checkpoints. These checkpoints are available at the following border crossings:
- Border crossings with Thailand: Poipet, Cham Yeam (Koh Kong), O’Smach
- Border crossings with Vietnam: Bavet, Kha Orm Sam Nor
- Border crossing with Laos: Dom Kralor
The Poipet border crossing:
Since most tourists coming from Thailand use the Poipet border crossing, queues can sometimes get very long. Try to arrive early at the border and avoid weekends if you don’t want to lose time.
E-Visa
The Ministry of Foreign Affaires and International Cooperation has established a system to process an online visa for Cambodia. You will have to complete the online application and provide a scan of your passport and photo (4×6). You will have to pay US$25 by credit card (US$20 for the visa and US$5 processing charge). The processing time will take 3 days and it permits you to stay for 30 days in Cambodia. It is valid for 3 months from the issuing date. The visa will be issed to your email. So please print it out when travelling to Cambodia.
You can enter Cambodia with an E-visa through the following international airports and overland border crossings:
- Siem Reap International Airport
- Phnom Penh International Airport
- Border crossings with Thailand: Poipet, Cham Yeam (Koh Kong)
- Border crossing with Vietnam: Bavet
You can apply for the E-visa on the following website: http://www.mfaic.gov.kh/evisa/. Make sure to read the latest E-visa requirements carefully since they can change regularly.
Not supported countries:
If you are a citizen of one of the following countries, then you will not be able to apply for an E-visa: Afghanistan, Algeria, Arab Saudi, Bangladesh, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Nigeria. Please research if you can apply for a visa on arrival or contact the nearest Cambodian embassy.
CAMBODIAN EMBASSIES
A third way to obtain a visa is through one of the overseas Cambodian embassies. Check the following list of Cambodian embassies to see if there’s one available in your country.
Visa documents
The following 3 documents have to be filled in when you apply for a visa on arrival. It doesn’t matter if you arrive by air or by land. Make sure you indicate clearly for which visa you are applying. It’s impossible to change a tourist visa into a business visa afterwards.
- Visa Application
- Customs declaration
- Arrival/depature card
- Visa extentions
If you want to stay longer than 30 days in Cambodia, you will have to extend your visa at the Immigration Department in Phnom Penh. Their offices are located on Nr 223, Confederation de Russie (Airport Road), opposite the Phnom Penh International Airport.
However, when you stay in Siem Reap or another city, you don’t need to travel to Phnom Penh. You can just ask a local travel agency to take care of the extension. They will charge you a fee for the extention and you will have to provide them with a passport-size photograph (4×6). You will have your passport and visa extention back in about 3-4 days.
Remark:
A tourist visa can only be extended 1 time for 30 days and single entry. A tourist visa extension will cost you around 45 dollar.
A business visa can be extended for:
- 1 month and single entry: cost around 45 dollar
- 3 months and single entry: cost around 80 dollar
- 6 months and multiple entries: cost around 160 dollar
- 1 year and multiple entries: cost around 280 dollar
- A diplomatic, offical and courtesy visa can be extended at the Consular Department, Ministry of Foreign Affaires and International Cooperation in Phnom Penh.
Visa scams
Beware of visa scams at all overland border crossings, but especially at Poipet and Koh Kong. Never let somebody else arrange a visa for you. The visa application is very easy and only costs $US20 for a tourist visa. Do not listen to drivers and touts who will offer their help and make you believe that a visa costs US$40 or more.
Some immigration officials will ask a 100 bath surcharge at the Poipet immigration office. 100 bath is more or less US$3. Decide for yourself if you are willing to pay this extra ‘bribe’ or not. To avoid it, you could ask them in a polite way for a receipt or explanation. However, never lose your good mood or show any anger. This can only give you extra hassle.