English Expat considering a move to Cambodia, a few questions....

Rob321 wrote:

Hi All

Well done on a great forum with lots of useful information I have found out already.

But I have a few questions though, which if someone could help would be very useful.

I am a semi retired English guy in my 40's who has a reasonable online income and plan to stay in Cambodia for a year.

I have been reading its OK to get a tourist Visa at the airport on arrival for up to 30 days without much hassle for a UK citizen, but what would be my best method to extend this to 1 year? I have read that for around $200 someone can arrange this for you in Cambodia with the appropriate requirements. Or should i do it at the airport or online? Unfortunately i am living in Sri Lanka currently which does not have a Cambodian Embassy here.

I also have a Sri Lankan partner that i would like to live with in Cambodia, i have also read it's not possible to get a visa on arrival for her, and as i said before there is no embassy here.

Would it be possible for me to go first, arrange a work visa for myself then arrange for her to come afterwards?

Many thanks in advance, sorry for the long winded post, but i would really appreciate some sound advice here.

Kind Regards

First you do not take a tourist visa, but a Ordinary visa (used to be called business visa). It is valid for 30 days and in that time you can extend for 3, 6 or 12 months, the latter two with multiple entry. Extension can be done by a travel agency. Takes less than a week.

Second your partner can obtain a visa on arrival, if arriving at a designated airport. I'm not sure if that means only a tourist visa or also ordinary visa. If tourist visa only this can be extended once for 30 days, then the person has to leave the country, to come back (by air as I understand) for another tourist visa for 30 days. Remember that Immigration wants proof of financial means to stay in Cambodia, whether that be money on the person, a bank account or an invitation with liability from someone already living in Cambodia. Your idea to go first is a good one, you can arrange things then.

Tourist visas cannot be changed into ordinary visas. You need to apply for an Ordinary visa on arrival, costs only $5 more and has the advantage of extension for as long as you want.

Don't forget passport photos.

Good luck!

Applicants from Afghanistan, Algeria, Bangladesh, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka and Sudan, except for those employed by the UN, IMF,WORLD BANK, ADB and other International Organizations, must provide the following:

Letter of Sponsor from his/her company, local NGO, school
Return air ticket to and from Cambodia
One photocopy of Alien ID Card, student ID card

Checking again it seems your partner needs a visa issued by a Cambodian consulate.
They state that if there is no consulate in Sri Lanka, one should turn to the nearest consulate that has authority for Sri Lankan citizens, which is as far as I can see New Delhi.

I would advise to contact the New Delhi consulate and ask what the procedure is.

Here are their contact dates:

Cambodia Embassy in New Delhi
W-112 Greater Kailash Part II
110048
New Delhi
India
Phone+91-11-2921-4436
+91-11-2921-4435
Fax+91-11-2921-4438
Email: [email protected]

Hi Joe

Thanks for the information, very useful.

I will get an ordinary visa on arrival at the airport then extend it at a travel agency, is this an easy thing to do? How much should i pay?

I have sent an email to the Cambodian Embassy in New Delhi to find out about Visa Requirements for Sri Lankan citizens.

Once again, thanks, i hope i can buy you a beer one day to show my appreciation. By the way, which is the best local beer haha.

Rob

I extended my visa at the local travel agent for US$295 ( average price )

Rob321 wrote:

Hi Joe

Thanks for the information, very useful.

I will get an ordinary visa on arrival at the airport then extend it at a travel agency, is this an easy thing to do? How much should i pay?

I have sent an email to the Cambodian Embassy in New Delhi to find out about Visa Requirements for Sri Lankan citizens.

Once again, thanks, i hope i can buy you a beer one day to show my appreciation. By the way, which is the best local beer haha.

Rob

To start with the last: Angkor and Cambodia are the best sold beers. There is a popular heavier beer available called Phnom Penh Stout. Unfortunately no personal favourite as I stopped 5 years ago

Visa extension i snot big issue, you give your passport to an agency, plus photo plus about $300 for a 12 months extension. Within a week your passport is back with the visa. Keep a copy of your passport with you during the processing time in case someone asks for it.

Best local beer is Kingdom. Angkor, Anchor, and Cambodia are all generic 5% Lagers as can be found all over SE Asia. Not bad as long as they are cold.

Unlike most SE Asian countries, stouts are very popular in Cambodia, especially in the countryside. I do not care much for them, especially as they are often served warm.

More and more micro breweries popping up and some of them produce pretty good beers.

Thanks for all the replies, it seems beer is a very popular subject haha.

Chris, could you let m eknow which travel agent you used please?

Well i took the plunge and booked my flight yesterday.

Looking forward to arriving soon.

Thanks to you all again.

Regarding the Visa for Sri Lankans, we have found the Cambodian Embassy in New Delhi to be totally useless.

No information on the website
Will not communicate via email
Wont answer their phone numbers.

However i did find this, so i'm wondering if it would be better for my partner to fly to Singapore and get a Visa there..

"The embassy (in singapore) can also process a Cambodia business visa for S$45, but you'll need to show an invitation letter from a Cambodian business. This letter should include full contact details for your sponsor. Business visas allow multiple entries and can be extended. Extensions cost S$60 for three months, S$100 for six months, or S$180 for one year"

Is it possible there are established Cambodian Businesses who would allow my partner to use their name to secure a visa? Maybe on the basis of future employment possibilities?

Would it be a better idea, rather than get a 12 month business Visa for her (Sri Lankan) before entry, to try and get an ordinary 30 day visa, then try and extend in at a travel agent while in Cambodia, do you think this might be the best way of doing things?

Thanks

She won't be able to get a visa on arrival. Some countries are excluded from this, Sri Lanka is one of them.

She will have to apply for a visa at the nearest consulate to her country of origin, and I'm quite sure it won't be a 1-year visa, more probably a 30 day tourist visa with the possibility to extend once for 30 days. After that she has to leave the country and can only come back with a new visa, issued by the nearest consulate to her country of origin.

Sorry.

Rob321 wrote:

Regarding the Visa for Sri Lankans, we have found the Cambodian Embassy in New Delhi to be totally useless.

No information on the website
Will not communicate via email
Wont answer their phone numbers.

However i did find this, so i'm wondering if it would be better for my partner to fly to Singapore and get a Visa there..

"The embassy (in singapore) can also process a Cambodia business visa for S$45, but you'll need to show an invitation letter from a Cambodian business. This letter should include full contact details for your sponsor. Business visas allow multiple entries and can be extended. Extensions cost S$60 for three months, S$100 for six months, or S$180 for one year"

Is it possible there are established Cambodian Businesses who would allow my partner to use their name to secure a visa? Maybe on the basis of future employment possibilities?

1, This won't work as it is illegal. No company would give it's name for this purpose, to get someone, strange to them, into Cambodia.

2. Immigration states clearly that for Sri Lankan residents the nearest consulate is New Delhi and that is an obligation. They say the visa needs to be issued by a consulate that is faniliar with issuing Sri Lankan citizens.

Read this site, 39 countries where she can go without a visa, among them Myanmar, Singapore, Vietnam and Phu Quoc (also Vietnam).

https://lankapage.wordpress.com/2015/01 … hout-visa/

We want to go to Cambodia though, can it be illegal for a company to request the services of someone for potential future employment. There are Sri Lankans travelling all over the world to secure Jobs they have been promised in other countries that they have never been to.

Do you think it would be possible for her to enter on an ordinary visa obtained through an Embassy outside Sri Lanka and then upgrade this to a 12 month working visa if she can find employment in Cambodia?

Thanks

To be honest on your last question: I'm afraid not.

The only possibility to obtain a business (ordinary) visa is to be invited by an employer, officially with all dates concerning the employer. That is not easy at all, but also not impossible.

If an employer is interested to hire her, provided she fulfills all conditions, they can invite her to come over to Cambodia to talk about employment.

With that invitation she can apply for a business visa which can be extended each time for a year. But that visa has to be issued by the nearest consulate to her country that has experience with Sri Lankan citizens, and that seems to be New Delhi.

Thanks again for the reply.

So it seems our best bet is for me to travel first and establish myself there, then try and find a business contact who would consider an interview with a view to employment and be prepared to write an invitation letter, then apply for a Visa. She is well educated from a good family with excellent English skills, so maybe not too hard to sort.

There are quite a few stories of Sri Lankans obtaining Visas through Embassies outside India such as Singapore so hopefully that will be possible.

I second the advice already given. Never get a tourist visa.

I would expect that getting a visa in advance for your partner could be done through the nearest embassy (New Delhi?) using DHL/FedEx. Unless you expect to travel back and forth, you would need to courier the visa back anyway. Having said that, if there is a question over eligibility, an agent here may be able to oil the wheels to bend the rules, as they did for me.

IATA says visa on arrival is possible (including ordinary) with proof of funds and documents demonstrating next country of onward travel. Bank statements and credit card available funds are useful. Onward travel to somewhere that doesn't require a visa is easy to produce - get the confirmation email from the last flight you booked and edit it, then print it out.

Other documents that people got: back in 2013 - a Letter of No Objection from Sri Lanka (obtained easily at Bangkok SL embassy) and in 2010 - a Letter of Guarantee (from a travel agent!, employer or friend) but these are probably redundant.

Travelling to Bangkok and getting the visa there is a not entirely bad option.

Trawling The Thorn Tree (Lonely Planet) and TripAdvisor (usually out of date) may tell you more.