(S)Cambodia: Why You Should Get a Cambodian E-Visa Instead of the Visa On Arrival

Trying to figure out the Cambodia Visa process? It’s not quite as straightforward as it looks.

Travel in Southeast Asia is notoriously cheap. Unfortunately, scams and corruption are rampant throughout the region. Not only can those costs quickly add up but the added frustration can quickly ruin an otherwise perfect day.

Do I need a Visa for Cambodia?

Probably. Most countries require a Cambodia visa to visit as a tourist.

If you hold a passport from Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Seychelles, Laos, Indonesia or Brunei you don’t need a visa.

What Do I Need for my Visa?

Your passport, 1 small visa photo with a white background, address inside the country where you will be staying (normally just the name of a hostel), and payment for your visa.

The Cambodian visa (along with Laos) is one of the simpler Visa forms to fill-out. They don’t require proof of entry or exit & require very little personal information.

What are my Visa Options?

Assuming you’re applying for a tourist visa & not a work visa or a business visa then you have two options…

1. Arrive in Cambodia & apply for a Visa on Arrival at the airport or border entry.
2. Apply before your trip online to receive the E-Visa.

So what’s the difference between the two?

First here are some important things to know about Cambodia.

Cambodia uses two different forms of currency. The USD and the Cambodian Riel. They are used interchangeably, ATMs dispense both, and often if you pay in dollars you’ll be given change in Riel.

At the time of writing this, January 2020, the Dollar is worth about 4,000 Cambodian Riel.

Make sure any dollars you bring with you are in immaculate condition as the border authorities and locals thoroughly inspect each bill. They won’t accept anything super wrinkled, creased, any with ink stains, or torn edges & corners.

And the second very important thing to know about Cambodia is the country is rampant with corruption. From the police or the border agents to the tuk-tuk mafia’s, the whole country is essentially conspiring against you.

A Nice Word About Cambodia

Okay, the whole country isn’t conspiring against you. But it can feel like it sometimes.

So, I feel like I should take a moment to state that not ALL Cambodians are trying to scam you. We met some genuinely kind & honest locals who charged us fairly and were more than respectful. Southern Cambodia is much more laid back & not tired of tourism yet.

For example, we hired a driver for 1.5 days in Angkor Wat for 4 people and he quoted us $25 USD total on the spot. We didn’t even bother to haggle because the price was below everything else we had seen advertised.

And Cambodia has some phenomenal sights and attractions that are worth the hassle of getting into the country. Angkor Wat was named Lonely Planet’s #1 attraction to see before you die, The Killing Fields in Phnom Pehn are a harrowing look at Cambodia’s past- a communist dictator that enslaved and brutally murdered 1/3 of the population, and some of the world’s most stunning beaches- Koh Tonsey & Koh Rong Samoeng.

If you’re planning a trip to Cambodia my blog post about the 5 things I wish I knew before visiting will be infinitely helpful for improving your overall Cambodian experience.

Back to the Visa Breakdown

E-Visa

Not too long ago Cambodia rolled out its online E-Visa program. The E-Visa costs $36 & is only payable online. The Visa itself costs $30 + $6 processing fee.

But it is hassle-free and quick. The turn around time is only 3 days.

Be aware there are plenty of scam visa websites or sites that charge for “helping” you with your Visa paperwork.

The official Cambodia Governments Visa website is available here.

Visa On Arrival

The VOA (visa on arrival) costs $30 USD payable only by USD. This type of visa can be obtained at any over-land border crossing as well as on-arrival in the airport.

You may be thinking well obviously I’m going to go with the cheaper options….duh. Unfortunately, it may not be the cheaper option.

Here’s the deal.

If you’re crossing the border overland from Thailand, Laos, or Vietnam you’re in for a treat. With no regulation or oversight, the border agents are free to charge service fees, weekend fees, vaccination paperwork fees, stamping fees, and any other array of bullshit they feel like selling.

The bottom line is you won’t pay less than $35 crossing the Cambodian border.

It doesn’t matter how big of a fuss you make, how much you demand receipts or paperwork confirming the increased price, or ask to speak to someone of higher management- you’ll still be made to wait until you fork over the extra cash.

And it goes straight into their pockets. It’s not the $5 that’s infuriating– it’s the blatant scamming paired with condescending, rude, and aggressive behavior. It’s just not a good start to your vacation. And honestly, just knowing about it beforehand is enough for many to not really mind.

Our Not So Pleasant Border Experience

We nearly got detained at the border between Laos & Cambodia attempting to stand our ground. We knew about the scams ahead of time & incorrectly thought that we could find a way to force them into giving us the Visa for the correct price.

In Southeast Asia if you call people out for scamming you or stand your ground & make a bit of a fuss, the scammers typically back down because no one wants to lose face.

Upon arrival, we handed the agent $30 to which he stated the fee was $35. We then showed him the government website stating it is $30 & said we would gladly pay $35 if he could show us in writing the price increase.

Of course, he could not.

He also refused to print or write any kind of receipt for the $35. We began to write down the names of the border officers as we told them we knew we were being scammed and weren’t going to stand for it & at that point in time the elder officer raised his fist as if to strike our friend Spencer. There was a lot of shouting & yelling at us to pay the fee.

After quite a long time of arguing & waiting it became clear there was no way around this bribe & that if we wanted to leave this office we would have to pay $30 to re-enter Laos & then make the drive back to Pakse or pay the $35 and head on to Cambodia.

No one budged. In fact, they suggested we not enter Cambodia at all if we weren’t willing to pay their prices. There’s no cameras, no actual police (not that that would help anyway), and no regulation of the border agents whatsoever.

If you’re crossing via Vietnam on a bus the driver will likely collect your $35 dollars, passport, and Visa Photos and handle the visa’s for you.

If however, you are crossing via Laos, you’ll be dropped at the Laos border & get to walk yourself through the process.

Crossing the Laos-Cambodian Border

This is the route we took through Southeast Asia. Here’s a breakdown of the exact fees we were charged along the way.

On the Laos side of the border- they will charge you a $2 exit stamping fee. It’s also a load of bullshit. They wouldn’t write a receipt for this transaction either.

Then you’ll walk to the Cambodian Border Agents across the parking lot. Avoid the plainclothes “helpful” man at the desk. He’ll start filling out your paperwork for you and explain that it’s $38 to get your Visa. He’s just another pawn in their intricate scam & scraping $3 more off unsuspecting travelers.

If you walk straight up to the desk & bypass all the “helpful” locals along the way this is where you will fill out your visa forms & pay the $35 fee.

Overall, you’ll pay $37 leaving Laos and entering Cambodia at a minimum.

My Recommendation

Get the E-Visa.

It’s hassle-free and there are no hidden fees. I would always rather $6 go to the Cambodian government than to the agents scamming people at the border.

They have to be making a killing taking $5 off every single person crossing the border. Just in the 45 minutes, we were there we saw at least 40 people other people crossing the border.

In reality, it’s just $5-7 dollars. But no one likes being scammed. & tourist scams are rampant throughout Asia. You have to be a smart savvy traveler to avoid them. What it really comes down to is lining the pockets of corrupt people taking advantage of others only encourages more to do the same. So always haggle, avoid the scams, and call out those ripping people off. Because you agreeing to pay more raises the price for all other travelers after you.

But don’t let scams scare you away from Asia. Because as my new friends so eloquently put “you only got ripped off if you pay more than your happy with”.

Want to avoid other scams throughout Southeast Asia?

Check out these blog posts on everything from Taxi Mafia’s to meter scams.

• Indonesia’s Infuriating Taxi Rivalry
• Avoiding Scams in Southeast Asia