Visas and entry
e-Visa, visa on arrival or nothing at all: which one applies to you, what it costs, and the paperwork worth doing before you fly.
5 min read
Cambodia is one of the easiest countries in the region to enter. Most nationalities can get a tourist visa on arrival at either international airport, and almost everyone else can apply online a few days ahead. The rules below change rarely, but always confirm on the official government site before you travel.
The three routes in
Visa on arrival is the classic option: you queue, hand over a passport photo and the fee in cash US dollars, and walk out with a thirty-day tourist visa. The official e-Visa is the calmer option: you apply on the government portal three to five days ahead, print the approval and skip the payment desk. Citizens of most ASEAN countries need no visa at all for short stays.
Only ever use the official portal. Search results are full of look-alike sites that charge a large "service fee" on top of the real price for exactly the same document.
What to bring to the desk
A passport valid for at least six months with a blank page, one passport photo, the fee in clean US dollar notes, and the address of your first hotel for the arrival card. Torn or heavily marked notes are routinely refused — that applies to money changers too, not just immigration.
Extending, and overstaying
A tourist visa can be extended once, for a month, through an agent or the immigration department in Phnom Penh. Overstaying is charged per day at a fixed rate and is collected at the airport on the way out; it is not worth the risk on a long overstay, because it can also carry a ban.
Arriving by land
Land borders with Thailand, Vietnam and Laos issue visas on arrival, but this is where informal "processing fees" appear. The fee is published on a board; pay that, ask for a receipt, and stay polite. Crossing with an e-Visa already approved removes the discussion entirely.
Common questions
How long is a tourist visa valid?
Thirty days from entry, extendable once by a further thirty days from inside the country.
Do I need an onward ticket?
It is rarely checked at the border, but airlines sometimes ask at check-in. A refundable onward flight or a bus ticket to a neighbouring country settles it.
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