Cambodia Tourist Visa Policy

Cambodia visa policy is quite easy and can be divided into 4 main categories: visa free or visa exemption (14-21-30 days), visa on arrival (30 days), e-visas (30-days) and visa or official approval required in advance for blacklisted countries.

In general, nationals of any country other than Afghanistan, Algeria, Bangladesh, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Sudan and Syria can either apply for an eVisa online for visa on arrival to visit Cambodia.

The free visa (visa exemption) is available for 9 countries from its Southeast Asia neighbors. And of course, you can apply visa via one of the Cambodia embassies or consulates abroad if it is the more convenient way for your case.

Check out the map below to get a general idea (click to enlarge the image):

Step by step, we will make it all clear below.

The e-Visa was introduced in April 2006 by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation to promote the blossoming Cambodian tourism industry. Since then, this is the most convenient way for visitors to apply the visa to Cambodia as it offers plenty of advantage over the other types of visa.

All foreigners intending to visit Cambodia as tourists, except for blacklisted countries (Afghanistan, Algeria, Bangladesh, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Sudan and Syria) may apply for an eVisa online for US$36 before arrival. It allows a single entry and a maximum stay of 30 days for tourism purposes.

The application can be done online via the Ministry of Foreign Affairs dedicated platform: https://www.evisa.gov.kh/

There are 7 immigration checkpoints that e-visas are accepted including:

+ 3 International airports:

• Phnom Penh International Airport 
• Siem Reap International Airport
• Sihanouk International Airports

+ 4 International land borders: 

• Poipet/Aranya Prathet (Thailand)
• Cham Yeam/Hat Lek (Thailand)
• Bavet/Moc Bai (Vietnam)
• Tropaeng Kreal/Stung Treng (Laos)

Below is the Google Maps to see the location of these 7 international immigration checkpoints accepting e-Visa

Note: E-visa holders can use all international border crossings to exit Cambodia, even the ones not mentioned in the list above

The e-visa cost US $30, plus a US $7 processing fee, and allow you to stay up to 30 days. The validity of the visa is 3 months starting from the date of issue. 

Required documents to apply:

In order to apply for online e-visa, all you need is:

• A passport with validity of more than six months.
• A recent passport-size photo in digital format (JPEG or PNG format).
• A valid credit card (Visa/MasterCard).

6 steps to apply and use your Cambodia e-Visa:

Once you have these documents, the process is very simple:

1. Fill in the secure online e-visa form
2. Confirm and pay
3. Get approval letter within 3 business days (you can have the visa within 24 hours in most of the case)
4. Print 2 copies of the e-visa PDF files (one for entry and one for exit)
5. Bring them and show to immigration at checking points
6. You can entry Cambodia

Note that some third-party websites can offer the services to process your e-visa, but this will likely incur extra cost and is not always trustworthy.

Keep in mind that the Cambodia e-visa is useful only for single-entry trips with tourism purposes and can only be extended once.

Important instruction

You can find some bullet points to remember when apply for Cambodia e-Visa

• Applicant’s passport must be valid for six months from the date of entry into Cambodia.
• The Cambodia e-Visa is only for tourism purposes.
• Your Cambodia e-Visa is valid for 90 days after issued, and the maximum stay within Cambodia is 30 days Total. 
• Cambodia e-Visa is not required for citizens of Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Brunei Darussalam and Myanmar. These nationalities can cross the border with just a valid passport.
• Your Cambodia e-Visa may be extended for another 30 days Total by contacting a local police station or immigration office in Cambodia
• No sticker will be issued to you for the e-Visa.
• Print out two (2) copies of the e-Visa certificate. Give one (1) copy to immigration as your Travel Visa upon arrival in Cambodia and one (1) copy upon departure.
• When you travel with an e-Visa, you can ONLY enter Cambodia through the following Ports of Entry: Phnom Penh International Airport, Siem Reap International Airport, Poi Pet (Banteay Meanchey), Bavet (Svay Rieng), Cham Yeam (Koh Kong), Tropaeng Kreal Border Post (Stung Treng) and Sihanoukville International Airport.

You can check below the sample of Cambodia e-Visa for your reference.

Cambodia E-Visa’s limitations

Despite plenty of advantage, Cambodia e-Visa does have some limitations:

• Applicants for an e-visa should time their visit to the official site correctly: if you apply for an e-visa more than three months prior to your trip, your visa application simply won’t be processed.
• The Cambodia e-Visa is useful only for single entry trips and can only be extended once.
• In short, it's a tourist visa that can be procured online; business travelers who need to stay longer or make multiple entries into Cambodia will need to go the usual route to apply for a Cambodia business visa.

As noted previously, the Cambodia e-Visa costs US$7 more, with a processing fee of US$7 tacked on to the usual arrival visa fee of US$30. But if it saves you long trips to distant Cambodian embassies, or if it spares you from long queues in the airport (or the usual regimen of harassment and scams at Cambodia’s notorious land crossings), isn't US$7 a tiny price to pay for the added convenience?

10 Frequently asked questions regarding Cambodia e-Visa

1. What is Cambodia e-Visa?

It is an official document which provides authorization to travel to and from Cambodia and is electronically linked to your passport.

2. What do I need to apply for Cambodia e-Visa?

To apply for Cambodia e-Visa, you need the below documents ready:

• Passport scan
• A digital passport photo
• Credit/Debit card (Visa or Master Card)

3. What is the cost to obtain a Cambodia e-Visa?

The cost to process the Cambodia e-Visa is $37/visa, which is $7 more from the normal visa on arrival. But it is worth avoiding the distance to the nearest embassy, or the queue and sometimes the scams at the airport.

4. How long does it take to process a Cambodia e-Visa?

The normal processing time is about 3 days if there is no problem. It is the fact that we have the report of shorter processing time in just around 24 hours or less.

5. How long is Cambodia eVisa valid for?

It is valid for 90 days after issued. This means you must enter Cambodia within 90 days after issued. If not, you need to apply for a new e-Visa to enter the country.

6. How long must my passport be valid for in order to apply for a Cambodia e-Visa?

Applicant’s passport must be valid for at least 6 months from the date of entry into Cambodia. Also, it should have at least one blank page.

7. How long can I stay in Cambodia with e-Visa?

The maximum stay allowed in Cambodia is 30 days in total.

8. What countries are eligible for Cambodia e-Visa?

Most of the countries are eligible for Cambodia e-Visa except the ones in Visa exemption scheme and the one from the blacklisted countries. See these two below in this article.

9. Can I apply for the Cambodia e-Visa upon arrival?

No. The e-Visa must be obtained prior to your entry into Cambodia.

10. Is the Cambodia e-Visa for Single or multiple entry?

Cambodia e-Visa comes with single entry only.

Tourist visas are available arrival at all international airports and most international border crossings. The whole process is very straightforward.

Tourist & business visas

There are two different types of visas that you can get on arrival: 

• The single-entry Cambodia Tourist visa (T-class) costs US $30, is valid for 30 days and can be renewed once for a further 30 days without leaving the country.
• If you know you will be staying Cambodia for longer than 60 days, do not get a tourist visa. A renewable Cambodia Business visa (E-class) is a better option. This single-entry visa costs US $35 and is again valid for 30 days, after which you can extend it for longer period up to a year.

You can see the sample of Business Visa (Multiple entry) and Tourist Visa on arrival (Single entry) as below detail

Entry points to obtain visa on arrival

The visa on arrival is available at most entry points, whether air or land, but there are some exceptions, so it is better to go through the list below to make sure.

Airports:

• Phnom Penh International Airport
• Siem Reap International Airport
• Sihanouk International Airport (Sihanoukville)

Cambodia-Vietnam border:

• Bavet International Check Point (Svay Rieng Province) 
• Kha Orm Sam Nor International Check Point (Kandal Province) 
• Tropeang Sre International Check Point (Kratie Province) 
• Prek Chak International Check Point (Kampot Province) 
• Phnom Den International Check Point (Takeo Province) 
• Oyadav International Check Point (Rattankiri Province) 
• Tropieng Phlong International Check Point (Kampong Cham Province) 
• Banteay Chakrey International Border Check Point (Prey Veng Province) 
• Samrong International Check Point (Svay Rieng Province) 

Cambodia-Thailand border

• Cham Yeam International Check Point (Koh Kong Province) 
• Poi Pet International Check Point (Banteay Meanchey Province) 
• Osmach International Check Point (Odor Meanchey Province) 
• Anglong Veng International Check Point (Banteay Meanchey Province) 
• Prum International Check Point (Pailin Province) 
• Doung International Check Point (Battambang Province) 

Cambodia-Laos border

• Dong Krolar International Check Point (Steung Treng Province) 

Check the below maps to see the location of all immigration checkpoints accepting Visa on arrival

Requirements for visa on arrival

It is required for the visa applicants to submit passport, application forms, a recent passport-style color photograph, and such other documents as determined by the status of stay.

To get a Cambodia visa on arrival you will need:

• A passport that is valid for six months or more.
• Two empty pages in your passport.
• A completed application form, supplied on the plane, or, at the airport or land border crossing (Download CAMBODIA VISA APPLICATION FORM here)
• A passport photo, although if you do not have one, immigration will scan the one from your passport for a US $2 fee. (It is no hurt to bring some extra photos with you, do not waste your time and money at the airport for this. We recommend you bring at least 5 pictures for each country you visit)
• The visa fee as mentioned above. This must be paid in US dollars.

Visa processing

The process for getting a visa on arrival before heading off to your hotel, hostel or guesthouse could not be simpler. You just need to hand the immigration staff your completed Cambodia visa application form, passport, passport photo and visa fee. They will process your application in about five to ten minutes whilst you wait, then give your passport back. It will have the visa inside, and you will be good to go.

Who can get visa on arrival?

All foreigners intending to visit Cambodia as tourists, except for citizens of the countries listed under “Who cannot get Cambodia Visa on Arrival?” below.

Note: Citizens of ASEAN member countries as well as some other countries, who have special agreement with Cambodia, are exempt from visa.

You can find the list of country entitled to visa exemption further down this article.

Who cannot get visa on arrival? 

Some nationalities are required to get visa in advance at the Royal Embassy of Kingdom of Cambodia in their own country. They cannot apply to visa on arrival nor e-visa and they must get an official approval from embassy before being able to travel into Cambodia. Find below the list of blacklisted countries: 

Cambodia visa exemption is granted to many countries including all ASEAN member countries and some non-ASEAN nations that have entered into mutual agreements as well as some former USSR countries.

However, for non-ASEAN nations (Cuba, China, India, Korea, Peru, Iran) and former USSR countries (Hungary, Bulgaria, Russia, Slovakia), the visa free scheme is only applicable to diplomatic and official passports, with a duration of 30 to 90 days depending on the citizenship. Holders of ordinary passport from one of the above countries are not entitled to visa exemption.

Following is the list of countries with which Cambodia has reached mutual agreements on visa exemption for ordinary passports of ASEAN members :

• 14 days ordinary passport exemption : Brunei, Myanmar, Thailand
• 21 days ordinary passport exemption : Philippines
• 30 days ordinary passport exemption : Vietnam, Laos, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia

Visa on arrival or alternatively e-visa, is usually the most convenient and recommended method to apply visa to Cambodia.

The visa issued at the embassy is generally for the tourists from blacklisted countries only (10 countries listed above).

However, in case you want to get your visa from one of the Cambodia Embassy or Consulate in your country of residence, it is still possible, despite not recommended since longer and troublesome.

Below are the general requirements for applying directly at Cambodia Embassy or Consulate :

• Valid passport with remaining validity of at least 6 months from the date of your entry.
• Two blank pages on your passports.
• Two recent photographs (3cmx4cm), in color, front view and with a plain/light background.
• Duly filled Visa Application Form with one photograph attached.
• Visa fee (amount depends on your nationality and where you apply).
• A copy of your itinerary.

In case you are applying from a blacklisted country, you should also provide an employment letter or proof of self-employment/business, as well as round trip airline tickets.

If you are resident of an english-native speaking country, you can have a look at our useful addresses to get the contact details of Cambodian representations in U.S., U.K., Canada and Australia.

Extension

Visa extensions are issued by the large immigration office located directly across the road from Phnom Penh International Airport.
Extensions are easy to arrange, taking just a couple of days. It costs US $45 for one month, for both tourist and business visas. 

Business visas can also be extended as follow : US $75 for three months (single entry), US $155 for six months (multiple entry) and US $285 for one year (multiple entry).

Those seeking work in Cambodia should opt for the business visa as it is easily extended for longer periods, including multiple entries and exits. 

A tourist visa can be extended only once and only for one month. Moreover, it does not allow for re-entry.

The easy way to extend your Cambodian visa is to use any of the hundreds of local travel agents in town. They will take care of the paperwork for you; the process takes between two and seven business days.

You will need:

• A passport that is valid for at least another six months
• A blank page in your passport
• Renewal fee in US dollars
• Any additional documentation required for your visa extension type, such a letter of employment

They will of course take a small fee that is negotiable, but it is quite convenient and avoids you the hassle of going to Phnom Penh Airport several times. 

Overstaying 

It is not advisable, but you can overstay your Cambodian visa at a cost of US $10 per day, payable at Immigration on your way out of the country.

If you plan to only stay a day or two over 30, this is often cheaper than getting a visa extension. However, be warned that you will need exact change in US dollars. If you present immigration officers with a US $20 bill for a US $10 overstay, it is likely that you will not be given change.

It is possible to overstay for up to 30 days. After 30 days, overstayers are still liable for the US $10 daily fee, but depending on the length of the overstay, risk imprisonment, deportation, and future bans on entering the country.

1. As you can see, there are different ways to get your visa for Cambodia, and there are many factors to consider such as citizenship, duration of stay, current situation, due date …
2. In any case, upon receiving your visa, it is essential to double check all information. In case of inaccurate personal information, please contact the corresponding service for correction or adjustments. 
3. Also remember that your passport must be valid for six months beyond your planned stay, and you must have at least one blank visa page.
4. Do not apply for your visa too early since the period for visa validity may range from one to three months.
5. Do not apply for your visa too late. If you are applying for a paper visa, embassies and consulates can take anything from one day to several weeks to process your application. 
6. There is no multiple entry tourist visa, you can have only one current visa in your passport. Despite being costly, the only solution is to apply for a visa on arrival each time you enter the country. 
7. Note that day trips, namely arriving and departing on the same day, are not permitted except when arriving and departing via Phnom Penh International Airport

If you wish to get more details about visa to Cambodia or are in a specific situation not detailed above, we invite you to send us an email. We will do our best to give you an answer as soon as possible.

Q. Which Cambodia visa should I apply? E-Visa, Visa on arrival, or Visa at the embassy?

From our experience, e-Visa is the most convenient way to have your Cambodia visa. Though you need to pay $7 higher than the Visa on arrival, but it saves you the distance to the nearest Cambodia’s embassy, or the queue and sometimes scams at the airport.

However, you need to choose other visa types when e-visa is not applicable:

• Visa on arrival: That said, you can only apply for e-Visa if you enter Cambodia via 3 international airports and 4 pointed international borders. In case you enter Cambodia via other border checkpoints, visa on arrival in the best options for you.
• Visa at the embassy: again, if E-visa is not applicable, you can choose to apply visa at Cambodia embassy / consulate in cases:
  • You do not want to queue at the airports or borders, and the distance to the nearest embassy / consulate is quite close to your convenience.
  • If you are from the blacklisted countries, this is the only way for you.

Q. Is Cambodia safe to visit?

Generally, The kingdom of Cambodia is safe to visit and travel around. The only exception to this rule is remote areas at night. Violent crime in the country is rare. Petty crimes like a bag, purse snatching, pick pocketing and other types of petty crimes prevail. In order to make your trip safe, please follow our safety guide for Cambodia

Q. When is the best time to visit Cambodia?

Cambodia is a year-round destination, so the best time to visit the country depending on what you’re looking for. 

Most travelers visit Cambodia from November to March. If you prefer to dodge the crowds and go when prices are lower, the best time to visit Cambodia is from May to early October.

Here is the detailed Cambodia’s weather guide & best time to visit

Q. What to pack for Cambodia?

The perfect packing list should be well prepared 1 month in advance. Here is our for Cambodia packing list to help you out.

Q. How to get the cheapest ticket to Cambodia?

It is the fact that there is no direct flight from Europe or America to Cambodia. To reach the country, you need to fly to its neighbor countries including Vietnam or Thailand.

Here is the guide to find the cheapest flight to Cambodia