Cambodia: visa and money
To end all ambiguity; for Cambodia you need a visa - also for a short border run. Until recently, you had to fill in a form, after which you received a so-called 'visa on arrival' upon arrival at an airport.
Personally, I don't have the best memories of that and I remember all too well that I had to wait over an hour in Siem Reap before the visa was arranged and I could go through customs. Still, I took a deep sigh when I saw my suitcase that had been left unattended at the band for a long time.
Nowadays you can easily arrange a so-called E-visa yourself via the internet. Via the site e-visums.nl/cambodia you can complete the application form in a few minutes in Dutch and pay the costs of € 54,95 per person, including by iDEAL or PayPal. You will receive the visa by e-mail within 3 days at the latest.
For the Cambodia e-visa, the rule applies that you can only enter the country at Phnom Penh International Airport, Siem Reap International Airport, Cham Yeam (Koh Kong), Poi Pet (Banteay Meanchey) or Bavet (Svay Rieng). If you enter via a different port, you cannot use the e-visa. You may leave the country via any desired border crossing.
You can also apply for the e-visa directly for $40 at www.evisa.gov.kh. You must have a credit card and be proficient in English to complete the application form and thus save 15 euros.
The visa for Cambodia is a single-entry visa, which allows you to enter the country only once. The visa is valid for 90 days (from the date of issue). You must enter the country within this period. You may then stay in Cambodia for a maximum of 30 days.
Currency
The national currency of Cambodia is the Riel, but almost everywhere calculations are made in US dollars. One dollar has the equivalent of 4000 riel. Especially in the larger towns there are sufficient ATM machines where you can withdraw dollars with your own bank card.
With a withdrawal of, for example, $ 300, $ 5 will be charged and your own bank will apply a completely reasonable conversion rate. As an example: in September 2019 I myself withdrew 300 US dollars via an ATM in Phnom Penh and that amount was settled by my bank (ABN-AMRO) with a total of exactly 280,11 euros.
Please note that you use an ATM with the Cirrus / Maestro logo and make sure that your bank card can also be used outside Europe. You can arrange this yourself quite easily via your own bank site.
What I sometimes wonder,
Suppose you make a visa run through a border post.
You leave Thailand and get your exit stamp.
Then you will register again at the Thai arrival desk, without the cambodia stamps / stickers / costs.
Surely that must be possible what you have basically left Thailand ???
Won't work I'm afraid. They check whether you have the in/out stamps of the other country.
But nothing is stopping you from giving it a try.
Agree; I don't think it will work either. You will be led in such a way with crush barriers, etc. that you first have to go through Cambodian immigration.
In addition, I think that the Thai will not cooperate in such a cunning attempt.
The visa fee to my knowledge was 1.000 baht; is that increased?
That's right Ronny what you say. You must first have a stamp that you have left Cambodia, otherwise you cannot enter Thailand.
I tried at O smach a while ago. I thought to make a short turn and hop back into Thailand. The Cambodian police did not stop and gave a long sermon about illegal entry into the country. Refered me to the desk for a visa. Fortunately no ticket from the police!
As long as you have not arrived in another country, you have not formally left the country from which you are leaving. The intermediate part is not called “No man's land” for nothing.
The Thai officials know their "cheap-Charlies", these pappenheimers are either sent back laughing/baring, or are invited to "come into the office".
There it can then be arranged privately under friendly threat, at least (but usually more) than the cost of a Cambodian visa.
I wouldn't risk it. I already feel small and threatened enough at the Koh Kong border crossing without trying to lift things.
Purchase,
Right, you're going out of Thailand! You left the country, where?
To which country?
So Cambodia, and then you need a visa! 'Cause you can't hang out on that narrow piece of no man's land
By land, your passport is intensively checked.
I would like to try that Ronny, but I haven't done a border run for 6 years.
At the time I regularly had to pay too much to the cambodia border officials.
They charged way too much baht for a dollar visa and threatened that I had to visit cambodia.
In addition, the accomplices who filled in the paper without being asked and the many beggars, I would like to try it.
Is it legally required to have stamps from your previous country than at a border post?
People without a stamp history also come in through the airport.
If I take a return flight to Malaysia and I stay within the immigration area, I can still enter Thailand again.
Unless it is not described anywhere, I think it should be possible because after all you have been out of Thailand.
Take a look at the official website first! Price is considerably lower 36 USD in total, I thought that 54 € is a lot more than 36U.SD
https://www.evisa.gov.kh/
About three years ago I crossed the Thai-Cambodian border on foot.
Took a taxi from Ubon Ratchatani that brought me to the border post, he couldn't take me further, said the driver.
Crossed the Thai border on foot in no time and halfway in no man's land was a covered counter with a few officials.
Filled out a form or several papers and handed over a passport photo plus twelve hundred Thai Baht. Within twenty minutes I had my visa in my passport and I could cross the border on the other side to take another taxi (or was it a private car that played taxi?) to Siem Reap.
In that no man's land there was also a large luxuriously furnished building that functioned as a casino, I heard.
But you could also pee there and wash your hands.
I flew from Bangkok to pnom phen and there upon arrival a visa was arranged for customs costs 30 us dollars. Make sure you pay with exact dollars because they are corrupt there in Cambodia.
The times I flew to Phnom Penh I did not use an E-visa but the cheaper visa on arrival. The document to be completed for this purpose is handed out on the plane, of course in English, and if you already complete it, the waiting time at immigration is not too bad. By the way, the difference between applying for an E-visa in the Dutch language (€54,95) compared to the English-language site ($40) is greater than the amount of €15 you mentioned. The 40 dollars cost approximately 35 to 36 euros, so the difference is 19 to 20 euros and the vast majority of travelers to Cambodia (and Thailand) will know enough English to be able to answer the questions on the form. They will usually conduct conversations in English. And most will also have a credit card. Purchasing an E-visa in advance may save some time, but a visa on arrival is the cheapest, as far as I know currently at Phnom Penh airport it is $35. Make sure you have a passport photo and a valid passport for at least 6 months.
Regularly fly to Phnom Penh for work, USD 30 for a visa, 15-20 minutes work for immigration
Is a simpler form as before since Maarrt, no photo needed anymore...
Always check the banknotes that you withdraw from the ATM.
A few months ago I received 2 counterfeit $100 bills in Phnom Penh.
The bank (AGA) relied on the strict control of the ATM notes. But one tuktuk driver who had his place at that bank said that there were often problems…..
There are more and more cases of counterfeiting. So pay attention!
The banks do nothing for you and hide behind their "strict control".