How to get a Tourist Visa for Cambodia
No matter whether you are visiting Cambodia for a few days or a few weeks, everyone who comes to the Kingdom needs a visa. The good news is that getting a tourist visa is pretty straightforward, and if you’re visiting us at Cardamom Tented Camp in the jungles of Botum Sakor National Park, then that’s all you’ll need to make the trip!
In fact, the tourist visa, known as the T-class, is perfect for visitors who know they will be staying only 30 days or less in the country, and what’s more, it’s available to travelers in advance or on arrival at Phnom Penh, Siem Reap and Sihanoukville international airports. Costing US$30, the tourist visa is a single entry, but if you are planning to stay longer than 30 days, it can be renewed once for an additional 30 days at a cost of $45. After that holders of tourist visas must leave the country and then return to obtain a new one.
It’s important to note that if you are planning to get a tourist visa-on-arrival, then some airlines will not allow you to board or enter the country, if you only have a one-way ticket. However, the chances are that you will already know your next destination, if you are traveling around the region.
Who needs a tourist visa?
Almost all foreigners need a tourist visa and since 2016, even infants and children have been required to have an ‘ordinary’ E-class visa (not to be confused with an online e-visa!), which you will need to apply for when you arrive. The E-class visa is also for 30 days and is a little more expensive than the tourist visa, costing $35. The difference between the ordinary visa and the tourist visa is that the ordinary visa can be extended indefinitely.
If you happen to be from an ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) country and hold a passport from Brunei, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand or Vietnam, then you do not need a visa to enter Cambodia for between 14 and 30 days, depending on the country.
How to apply for a tourist visa?
As with most countries, to apply for any kind of visa you will need a passport that is valid for at least six months and has at least one blank page. In addition, you will need a passport-size photo. Don’t worry if you don’t have this – at a cost of $2, immigration officials will scan the photo in your passport when you arrive.
As mentioned, for most nationalities it’s possible to get the visa-on-arrival at one of Cambodia’s international airports, and apart from a passport-size photo and US dollars to pay for your tourist visa, there’s no need to prepare anything in advance. On the plane, you will be given the one-page visa application form to fill in, so all you need to do is get in line on arrival, with your passport, dollars and photo. If you haven’t had time to get US dollars, there’s even an ATM machine in airport arrivals that dispenses US dollars
Another option is to get the Cambodian e-visa, which can be obtained online and is especially for tourist (T-class) visa applicants. This is also available for those entering Cambodia at Siem Reap, Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville airports and at land border crossings in Bavet, Poipet, Stung Treng and Cham Yeam. The e-visa is only available to those from countries for which the visa-on-arrival is allowed, which covers most countries, although the list often changes.
You can apply for an e-visa through the official government e-visa website but be aware that visas have been known to get lost in their system, so make sure you apply at least one week in advance! At a cost of $40, it’s slightly more expensive than the tourist visa-on-arrival, but it will save you some time and hassle when you arrive at Cambodian immigration. Currently though, e-visas – or any other kind of visa – cannot be renewed online.
It just remains for us to wish you a safe journey, and if you’re coming to see us at our Cardamom Tented Camp, surrounded by the amazing biodiversity of Botum Sakor National Park, we look forward to greeting you at Trapeang Rung Resort Pier for a one-hour boat journey traveling downriver to our ecolodge.
For more information on our jungle activities, such as our ranger patrols, hiking and kayaking, as well as our Trekker, Explorer, Adventurer and Jungle Camp packages, get in touch with us here.
