Applying for a Retirement visa in Cambodia as at March 2019

If you're over 55, it's easy to get an retirement visa in Cambodia. Pay about $290 for 1 year visa! No supporting documents are needed.

Gary67 wrote:

If you're over 55, it's easy to get an retirement visa in Cambodia. Pay about $290 for 1 year visa! No supporting documents are needed.

Do you need to leave the country to repeat the process (ordinary visa ----->ER EOS) before the existing 1-year EOS nearly expires?

No I went from ordinary visa to retirement visa never leaving the country

thankyou, gary67
you have made my day I dont have to worry anymore.
My next step is to visit Cambodia, any sugestions about where to start?
regards,
Arthur

Hey Arthur I can give you some really good advice , yes I want to first say he is my friend, but any questions take jos word , he knows almost everything, you can take his word to the bank as they say , he's a wealth of information and he's free , don't worry about the visa so easy in cambodia , it's nothing , you can get it renewed multiple entry , year after year never giving out information or going to a government office , I'm in Vietnam and every three months I will have to do a border run to Cambodia, but that will be good for me , cambodia is fantastic, you will love it and the people are by far the most welcoming in all of Southeast Asia, I love the people of Cambodia!!!

You must visit angor wat it's a must but for livable city with everything and safe I choose Phnom Penh

Hello.

As my name is mentioned by Twinsguy I post this short answer.

It has been covered a couple of times already so it would have been easier if the search option would have been used.

It's not true that there are no documents required for retirees of 55 and over. There is a demand to have a letter stating you're retired, don't work and get funds from your home country coming in into Cambodia.
Unfortunately not all immigration officers bother about it, so if an agent works with a certain officer the letter is not necessary, if the agent works with an officer who applies the new requirements you need this letter. I had it myself at my last extension.

The letter is no problem at all, provided you have a reliable agent.

Reliable agents have this letter ready for you, they put in your name and passport number, you sign and thumb print it and that's all. No additional costs.

This is the newest information right now.

Cheers.

Joe
Cambodia expert
Expat.com team

Does the letter have to come from an official source or can it come from me signed by me, and is there a minimum amount of funds

The agent has the letter stored so they only have to put your name in and passport number.

Funds,  no amount mentioned.

Joe

I stand corrected, I must go through the right agent, this is my second one , I got the last one February 7 , he never asked for anything, but I would pm me or definitely take jos advice, I personally was never asked

Hi Arthur. Welcome to Cambodia! Here is what I did. I visited Sihanoukville first but would not recommend that city for awhile since there is a lot of construction going on there. Give it some time and visit in a year or two. I highly recommend visiting Kampot and I think you would enjoy a few days spent there. There are lots of good restaurants and the ex-pat force is strong there :-). You can get bus service from Phnom Penh on Giant Ibis to visit both Kampot and Kep. I have not been to Kep but will be going later this year. I think you should also visit Siem Reap. Its a fun city even without the amazing Angkor Wat historical sites to see. The food scene is amazing there and I had a lot of fun seeing the Night Market and Pub Street and all the restaurants, markets, and shops there. I would recommend you also visiting Battambang. Its the second largest city in Cambodia but is completely different than Phnom Penh. Most all can be reached from each other by different bus services. I traveled all of these by either cheap air flights in the case of Sihanoukville to Siem Reap or by bus. How long you spend is up to you. I stayed longer in most places to get a sense of each place and its daily vibes. I spent a month in Siem Reap and two weeks in Battambang and a week in Kampot. It seemed good to me.

Then I rode the bus from Battambang back to Phnom Penh before departing for a 5 month trip to Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand which I am on now. I will be back to Phnom Penh in June for a few weeks. 

Hope this helps!

No, after 1 year apply for a new ER EOS!

Start after the border in Koh Kong!

I'll just add, all these posts are helpful; I renew with Lucky on Monivong. As said, $290 p/a never been asked any details, financial and otherwise. I have very good friends and family all over (Australia, Malaysia, Thailand,+ UK "special" 8yr granddaughter :-) ) but my heart for 15 years with Ko & super stepson Thea in Phnom Penh. Thea just finishing Uni. he and his young Khmer friends, and many others are a joy to know. Enjoy your time here. :-) PS - due to the above geography I spend a lot of time in the air!

Should they ever tighten up the rules for the retirement visa - let's face it, this could happen at any time - I do hope they go with the Thai model of either a monthly pension of Xxxx OR money in the bank. Many countries only pay out pensions after you have turned 65 or so, so just demanding you have a pension of a certain amount would leave a lot of folks high & dry, not to mention those who will receive less than what's required.

All you need to do is get the E-type (Ordinary) Visa on arrival, and then apply for the 6 or 12 month ER (Retirement) EOS via a Visa agent...as you are over 55 no supporting documentation is required.

twinsguy20
 
I will leave Siem Reap by bus  AM 17 April and hope to arrive in  PP on the same afternoon,  I will be staying  for a few days  to look around. I would like to meet up with you if possible.
Regards,
Arthur

mpmilestogo

sorry for not replying sooner , I have had the motherboard replaced in my computer, now it is working again.

Thanks for your advice, I am leaving  for Siem Reap tomorrow 12 April and then on to Phnom Penh on 17th for a few more days.

Regards,
Arthur

Hello Arthur.

Could you please use the PM function for personal messages and not the forum thread?

Thanks a lot.

Joe
Cambodia expert
Expat.com team

Just want to pile on and say...

This is a prime reason why we've changed plans favoring Cambodia as our primary residence, as opposed to Thailand which is stickier every year.

Hi Jo,
Just wondering why you are suggesting to use an agent, can you not do it yourself?
My experience with agents is they are very costly
cheers
Steve

What is the PM function and how do I use it ?

steevjee wrote:

Hi Jo,
Just wondering why you are suggesting to use an agent, can you not do it yourself?
My experience with agents is they are very costly
cheers
Steve

Hi Steve.

You can try to do it yourself, but:

1. Do you speak Khmer? You cannot expect that all officials speak English.
2. Do you know any officials at Immigration Office?
3. How many times you want to travel to the Immigration Office? They don't call you.
4. Are you prepared to pay the same price? Reported by people who did it themselves.

So you see that using a reliable agent is a great help and makes things way easier.

The fee they charge is not that high. For that you have one visit to the agent to apply and one to pick up your passport with extension. The rest is done by the agent.

Cheers.

Joe

steevjee wrote:

What is the PM function and how do I use it ?

Steve, click on the name of the person you want to PM, then click "Send message", that's all.

PM is better if you have personal questions or remarks, that do not fit in the general forum.

Cheers.

Joe

Look steve this subject has been beat to death listen to jo it's totally idiotic to do it yourself, everybody does it by a travel  agent never once in four years have a heard of them losing it etc, they do this all day long , and it's much cheaper than doing it yourself , they have connections you do not , they will for sure see a sucker coming and get you for a few extra buck, not only is it easier to go by agent but cheaper, your not in Kansas anymore as they say, look jo Khmer has been around along time you take his advice you will not go wrong, oh they love a guy trying to circumvent the system and “ do it yourself” they will be happy to see you show up doing it yourself, the agents they have to please because they bring in the income your just a easy extra buck, no this is not the western world this is my 20  th visa , now I go for one year retirement, never but with a agent , they are faster and more reliable than you, not sure why you would even attempt this it will take you twice as long , if you want to be smart about cambodia go with jo Khmer he knows , don't think like a westerner anymore or wherever your from , just go to any agent this is what they do cheaper than you could ever do yourself , be smart and don't think on your own when it comes to Southeast Asia, they do things different here, I have one agent I use jo has another they are all reliable, thinking you can save 5$ well first you won't second you may not see your passport in a few months , mine gets it done in 3-10 days tops , be smart listen to the experts, this is not a time to think on your own, it's just not a wise thing to do , a good way to lose your passport, never happens with any guesthouse, or agent , they do this all day everyday