Starting business w/criminal record

Gosh I had a buddy come over that had served time for growing weed, of course now the same guys that aressted him are growing and smoking weed now because it's legal, I think they are looking real criminals, child molesters , rapists, violence in criminal activity, it's basically legal here , people smoke all over although I would advise against it , you are not a criminal, smoking pot doesn't make you one , you will have no problem getting into Cambodia

Thanks for the reply mate  😊 Kinda sucks to start planning for months or even worse ending  up not getting work permit  for this serious crime back in 2004.

Well it's not a serious crime, not even a crime at all you can't walk a block in Phnom Penh without smelling weed , although I strongly recommend that if you must don't do it in the open like many ex pats light up in the bar or restaurant, no real problem but I think it's stupid I move away from them , you can be discrete on a balcony or not at all , but I highly recommend you stay away from public smoking of weed , I've smoked weed 50 years now , ( of course I'm sure to be a herion addicted mess, being pot is a gateway drug don't forget ) discrete is the word here , good luck to you happy travels , every happy pizza place puts weed on pizza they are all over cambodia , meth and coke and heavy drugs will land you in jail big time , but discrete smoking will not

Well. I dont antend to smoke in Cambodia. Kind of the past, but have nothing against it.

Want to move and invest in cambodia and it would suck not to get the right documents like work premit because I got caught smoking 14 years ago in my home country.

I am not the expert my gut feeling is no problem but to be sure ask khmer jo he will know for sure , what he says you can take to the bank he will know for sure I'm just speculating, but ask jo

No one would care, about such a small thing , I am sure, seeing you can buy it on a pizza ,their happy pizza or happy smoothy

First to those that think pot is no problem in Cambodia, many people are arrested for possession of marihuana, so don't take it too lightly, neither here nor Thailand or Vietnam.

It is illegal, marihuana is in the eye of the law enforcement a drug and possession is considered a crime.

Yes there are pizza joints that use weed in their cooking. There are bars, four that I know of, that allow customers to smoke weed in their bars. My guessing is the owners pay off police to not make problems.

So be careful out there, the best is to smoke where nobody will find out.

Then to the OP, who said not to be interested in weed or any drugs.

Unfortunately many business registrations demand a police statement of your country of origin and it should state if there is a criminal record. Hard to avoid that.

But another approach is this: as smoking weed is not a crime but a violation of the law in many countries it is not really serious to have a conviction for that. See it the same as a traffic violation, you can be convicted for drunk-driving or causing an accident, but it is not a crime.

My point is that in many countries it is possible to have certain parts [or all] of a criminal record be deleted if it's an old thing or a light crime/violation.

To find out if this is possible in your country and in your situation you need a lawyer who knows how to handle this. As your conviction is already 14 years old and for a minor violation [smoking weed as opposed to growing or selling weed] it might be possible to have it deleted.

This would be my approach in the coming years and I think it's very well feasible.

Get info about it and as you got a couple of years before you want to come to Cambodia you can make it, time enough.

If you don't make it, consider either going to another country or not starting a business. Living in Cambodia is not restricted to foreigners with no criminal record, it is not a question on your visa application form, so you can get into the country and extend your visa for years to come. Just to be in business might be tricky, but that depends on the flexibility of the justice system in your own country.

Hope this helps, good luck.

Joe
Cambodia expert
Expat.com team

Hey there Joe!

Sorry for the late reply. First day in front of a computer since last week. Takes ages to reply on the phone

Thanks a lot for taking the time to give me such a long  and informative answer.

I have been searching a bit around and think Ive found a solution to the problem. There are several kind of police checks here so I'll just get the same police check as I did when I was teaching. Minor drug offenses won't show up on that one.

Time to start planning now :

No Problems for minor offenses like smoking Pot. When you decide you want to come here. Just Get on a Plane and you can get a E business Visa at the Phnom Penh Airport. and All border crossing into Cambodia. They dont ask you for a Criminal Record. But make sure you pay the extra $5 it costs for the E Business visa. If they ask you tell them your on a Business long stay trip. This Visa can be extended to 12 months after your month entry Visa is about to finish its use by date. Now if you work here in your own business you must apply in Cambodia for a Work Visa for working and earning an income here. The CPP Government is extremely receptive to Foreigners. But if your from a Muslim Country or a suspected Drug Dealer they will make you wait to check your background but from Denmark or most Western Countries they never check anything... Because they want you to pay for a visa   $35 for  1month.  And $30 as a tourist but you can only extend that one more month. Then you must leave Cambodia.. Hope that helps put your mind at Rest... Welcome to Cambodia a great Small country. Iam from Australia you can Check my time line... I live in Kampot a great small Town..and I am a Legal Consultant/ Advocate. Part time. Peter David. Cambodia.