VISA EXTENSIONS AND WORK PERMITS – CAMBODIA
You can travel to Cambodia without a pre-approved visa and get a Visa on Arrival (VOA). There are two different VOA categories:
- E-class visa or Ordinary Visa – this visa is for any work or business related purposes. As a Destination TEFL participant, your visit to Cambodia will fall under this category. The E-class visa is the only visa which can be converted or extended to any type of long-stay visa such as EG for seeking employment visa, EB for business or working visa, EV for volunteering visa, ER for retirement visa. This is commonly referred to as an Extension of Stay (EOS). The process for this EOS is explained below.
- T-Visa or Tourist Visa – this visa is for tourism purposes only and you will not be able to work. You will also not be able to change this visa to a work visa in-country, and will need to do a visa-run.
If you are an African Passport holder, we would suggest that you click here for more information
**The E-class visa should not be confused by the “electronic” e-visa which is a tourist visa)
To legally live and work in Cambodia, you will need to make sure that you are on the correct visa for which ever stage of your time here in Cambodia you are. Your visa status is your responsibility. As with any country, visa rules and regulations can change at any point.
Herewith the steps you will follow once you have arrived in Cambodia.
STEP 1 A – IF YOU’VE ENTERED CAMBODIA WITH AN E-CLASS VISA (ORDINARY VISA) ON ARRIVAL OR PRE-APPROVED E-CLASS VISA APPLIED FOR AT A CAMBODIAN EMBASSY OUTSIDE OF CAMBODIA:
The E-class visa or Ordinary Visa must not to be confused with an electronic e-visa which is a T-visa (Tourist Visa)
- 1 x Visa extension onto EG visa (Seeking Employment Visa)
- The EG visa allows you to seek employment
- Processing time: 15 working days
- Approximate Cost
- $90.00 for a 3 month Visa
- $170.00 for a 6 month Visa
IDEALLY TO BE DONE IN THE 1st WEEK OF ARRIVAL
From here, you can continue to STEP 2 as per below
STEP 1 B – IF YOU’VE ENTERED CAMBODIA ON A T-VISA (TOURIST VISA) ON ARRIVAL:
In the very unlikely event you are not issued an Ordinary (E) visa on arrival, you’ll need to do a visa run to convert your T-class visa to an E-class visa. Our team on the ground will assist you with this process. Doing a visa-run is a very common practice for all teachers in Southeast Asia and many see these as a great adventure to get some travel time in. You get to see other countries and get another stamp in your passport. Once your E-visa has been approved, you will not need to do any more visa runs for as long as you are this class visa.
Visa runs are generally done to either Bangkok, Singapore or Kuala Lumpur. Our suggestion would be to look at going to Bangkok as the travel costs will be minimal. You will also be able to fly in early the morning, visit the Royal Embassy of Cambodia, apply for your visa and receive it on the same day. This means you will be able to fly back the same day or else spend a night or two, to explore this amazing city. Have a look at some great flight specials on Air Asia
- 1 x Visa extension allowed
- Processing time: 15 working days
- Approximate Cost: $58.00
**IDEALLY TO BE DONE IN THE 1st WEEK OF ARRIVAL – As soon you can, within the validity of your entry visa time period, you will need to do a “visa-run” or “border-hop” to apply for the correct EB-visa (Business Visa) at any Royal Cambodian Embassy outside of Cambodia.
PLEASE NOTE, THIS PROCESS CAN NOT NOT BE DONE IN COUNTRY! YOU CAN’T EXTEND A T-VISA TO ANY E-CLASS VISA (E, EG, EB, ETC) IN-COUNTRY
Your closest Royal Cambodian Embassy options are:
** Please check current entry/visa requirements based on your nationality to any of the above
EB Visa (Business Visa):
- Validity: 12 months
- Processing time: 1 to 2 working days
- Approximate Cost: $300.00
** Your employer will give you all the required paperwork in order to apply for the correct visa.
From here, you will continue to STEP 3 as per below.
E-class Visa (Ordinary visa):
- Validity: 30 days
- Processing time: 1 to 2 working days
- Cost: $35.00
The visa process takes 1 day so you will need to go and apply very early in the morning and then go back the following working day to collect your visa.
Visa fees will need to be paid in the local currency so please make sure you have the chosen currency in hand. They do not accept US Dollars!!
From here, you will continue to STEP 1 A as per above
STEP 2 – Getting your Work Visas (EB Visa)
You can only apply for an EB visa when you have signed a contact with a licensed business, school or organization in Cambodia. You can only apply for this visa if you are on either an E-class visa (Ordinary Visa) or an EG visa (Seeking Employment Visa). The visa application is done in-country so no need to leave Cambodia to apply for this visa.
EB Visa (Business Visa):
- Validity: 12 months
- Processing time: 15 working days
- Approximate Cost: $300.00
** Your employer will give you all the required paperwork in order to apply for the correct visa.
From here, you will continue to STEP 3 as per below.
STEP 3 – Work Permits
Once you have your EB visa or EG, you have to apply for your Work Permit regardless if you have an employer or not. Your employer will again be able to assist you with the correct paperwork. If you don’t have an employer yet, your Work Permit will be issued as if self-employed.
- Processing time: 4 to 5 weeks
- Approximate Cost: $200.00 plus $25.00 for a basic medical. The medical is not a full medical. They merely check that you are fit and healthy. (Weight, height, blood pressure, heart rate, etc.)
A work permit is valid from January 1st to December 31st. If you enter Cambodia anytime from January 1st to September 31st, you have to apply for your work permit.
If you enter Cambodia anytime from October 1st to December 31st, our suggestion is to wait until the new year and only pay a penalty fee of $100 (half of what you should have paid) when you apply for the next year’s work permit. So in this case, $20 for medical, $100 penalty plus $200 for the new years work permit.
We hope this will give you some more clarity on how the visa and work permits work in Cambodia
