mike2011

There was a discussion on a Cambodian platform some time ago and the people described pretty much the same as Sheryl has shared. The only slight difference was that the alleged official price for a 1 year visa was reportedly a bit less, somewhere between USD 180-190.

I think it is telling that we do not even have a precise idea of the "official" price for a one year visa.

Interestingly, the Siem Reap price is identical with the PP price despite the fact that the passport has to travel to PP (I assume). The 282 at Lucky motors was supposedly the lowest in PP in July. Other agents charge a bit more. So no real price difference between PP and SR.

In SHV the price is reportedly about 292 USD at an established travel agency on the road leading from the Lion's Roundabout down to the pier at Serendipity beach. Seems they just added the price for a return trip on a standard bus to the "official" "unofficial price."

My visa took from Friday morning around 9 AM to Tuesday afternoon 4 PM = maximum three working days although they claimed initially that it would take four.

Kwaibah, how long does SR take to get it? That might be helpful for people in the town who think about getting one.

Philippines will be paradise for you. When travelling I buy my fish in the market and have it cooked right next to it in a carenderia. You might have some problems in Manila or Cebu but otherwise it is nothing unusual.

Thailand: I suspect you will need a lot of talking although my usual hangouts cook for me those Thai dishes I like and that are not on the menu. But these are Thai dishes.

well, the topic is about the increase in visa fees which is valuable information. This increases are real and documented. Taken the subject to the sphere of speculation dilutes the thread and we end up with useless clutter.

So maybe a thread clearly marked as discussion of what might happen is in place. This way we keep the chit chat separate and the hard data on hand easy to access.

The other reason I am a bit hesitant about such discussions is the scare mongering.

Perhaps, ending on a practical note: Did anyone pay less than 282 USD for a 1 year visa? and maybe be a second question when was the last time you bought one? This way we get an idea about the real situation.

We better stop speculating about an increase in fees for long term visa. It is an important subject matter for many and guesstimating does not help anyone and is without practical value. Right now the lowest reported rate is 282 USD in PP. This "fee" includes a lot of benefits for the middlemen and staff involved. Presumably also some very prominent people. Let's hope these people keep their green pasture well fenced and intact.

I personally find Siem Reap a bit too hot during most of the year. SHV is considerably cooler plus has pretty good air as compared to PP. Air polution in PP is not as bad as BKK but they are working on it. SR has this constant tourist influx and that might be a disadvantage while the good flight connections are nice. Local SR expats can tell you more about the impact of the package tourists and the backpack crowd.

Food. I visited Thailand this April and I found the food not so great anymore. Eating in the street places I tasted a lot of stuff like too much oil etc I dont like. More MSG than Cambodia? Difficult to say but my taste had changed. I usually cook on my own and thus have control over what is in my meals. This was a little alarm bell. In Isaan I came across GMO tomatoes and I had a hard time finding something else.

Basically you can get most of the same food stuff in Cambodia at the same quality and price as in Thailand. I like that cheese is cheaper in Cambodia (SHV much less than PP by the way). Bakery products as well. Street food is as good as in Thailand - if not better - once you have settled in and know your territory. I should add that I dont like it to spicy so the Cambodian way of letting the customer decide on the pile of chili added is perfect for me. Some Thai favorites I miss badly but then Cambodia has all that Vietnamese food you have a hard time to come by in THailand.

Seafood. SHV is an option not worse than Thailand were seafood simply means in the water (from the farm and frozen).

Cheaper farang restaurants are common knowledge but there are also some very good Khmer places, usually local Chinese, who do excellent food for maybe 2 USD more than other places and produce a cuisine that makes you return. Such places in Thailand would cost you an arm and a leg. In Cambodia they are a steal.

Perhaps a remark about language. English is pretty common in the three big places and some lesses frequented locations.

Another perspective would be to view staying in Cambodia like being in Isaan or another bit remote province. You have all the advantages of the relatively developed 3 centres (which you dont have in Isaan) plus can visit BKK practically overnite by bus or by a day's ride or a cheap flight.

Many seem to imagine that they turn their back on Thailand and end up behind an iron curtain. Nope, it there and for as little as 450 baht (involving an overnite ride) you can go from BKK to PP and vice versa. A bit more if you like more comfort or speed. So no huge difference in going from Udon, Ubon, CR to BKK than PP or SR to BKK.

Siem Reap was the one place on earth someone gave me a fake USD 1 bill. I had street food at the Vietnamese Pho place on the main street opposite from pub street. Last year I had just arrived in Cambodia late evening and paid with a larger USD bill. They needed to change in the supermarket or better convenience store (the place is in front of it). I was handed some singles and they were as usuall worn and old. It was dark and only the next day I noticed that one was a fake, yellowish paper. This was no accident on the part of the store owner who had given the bills to the waitress. Since then I always check in Siem Reap. Never happened in PP or SHV.

The money changers are pretty safe though. However, I would not change money at a changer who has covered his entire glass box with old bills. Such guys are sometimes scam artists and claim that you had given them a smaller bill. There is one such guy in SHV between Samudera supermarket and the market on the right hand side. Professional scammer. Easy to spot as he is the only one with such a setup of his place.

I have been traveling the past 10 days and flew out of Siem Reap. I can understand the impression that the USD rules. In Siem Reap literally all places quoted USD. However, the moment I pulled out that bundle of riels literally all places from street food to restaurants to market sellers, bakeries, the hotel, marts etc. gave me the 4000/1 equivalent.

In other words, it is very easy to come under the impression that it is USD in Siem Reap but it is not. It is a matter of convenience given the huge number of tourists who just run on USD. The use of riel by expats can easily make a difference of 300-500 USD or more (in case of a family household) per year. A nice little sum saved without the slightest reduction in the quality of services or products purchased.

Exchanging in Cambodia has another advantage mentioned earlier but worthwhile repeating it. One can convert any currency directly into the currency desired without first buying riel. In Thailand customers are forced to purchase bath first. this is an important advantage aside from the lower fees than Thailand.

Siemreaper - sorry to return but you persistently spread false info. Today the exchange rate is 4078 on the street in PP. This includes the profit for the changer. Your 0.25% exist only in your imagination. I take it that you do not change money as you are unfamiliar with the exchange rate.

If you can cut of 2% from your overall expense without any reduction in consumption it does not make you cheap. The other expats or tourists changing alongside me did not look like they were starving. Same held true for the local business guys.

For Richard: I just got a new 50K riel bill. They look much nicer and more like real money. In other words, there is a 12.5 USD bill which should in most local purchases and restaurants come in reasonably handy.

siemreaper- try to define 0.25% of 4000... then you get my point. 100 riel would be 2.5% while the 60-70 in PP make it to 1.5% and above. So nothing even close to the 0.25% as claimed in your previous post. Was it you who used the word nonsense? Get a tissue and wipe off that egg on your face

It is no new that USD can be used everywhere and that money changers popposite the market in PP offer better rates than banks do.

What matters is a seizable deduction in overall expenses if you stick to riel or - at times - to USD depending on the exchange rate.

The fact remains that paying with riel brings savings with a margin that people discuss at lengths when it comes to interest rates for deposits. So I think it is worthwhile bringing it up here as this is even more important since we talk expenses.

Siemreaper, work on your math a little.... or forward your post to your primary school teacher. She can explain the problem to you

Your post reflects your expart life-stile in Siem Reap which is limited to a small set of a few square miles. In other areas (large parts of the country), the USD is seen but not dominant or even frequent. It is an addition.

They do exist but are rare. They are brown and small. First I thought someone is playing a joke on me. They look like monopoly money with the old king printed over it. Usually money lenders have them and I try to use them asap at hotels or in the supermarket. The 20K bills seem much less likely to be a fake. On the other hand, if the source is ok like a bank, it is a way to carry one bag less to carry if you need to pay a large invoice.

Perhaps a correction to Richard: the largest riel bill I used this week was 50K. They are much less common but all money changers have them and they are readily accepted.

In sum, if you pay in riel and spend per week say 300 USD you will have 4.5 USD more in your pocket comes Sunday. Probably a little less if you go to supermarkets that price their items in USD. For a family of four the savings will be higher and calculated for the duration of a trip it might be of interest. The amount is the extra profit businesses often make. Those who fear to be considered cheap because of insisting on paying in the country's currency - think twice you can always make a donation.

Hotels, restaurants, house rent -- all are in dollsrs. Ditto most purchsses that cost over say $20.

Salaries in the private sector are paid in dollsrs as well.

It really is a dollar economy with riel serving mainly as change.

I politely disagree. Guesthouses also accept riel at 1:4000 as do motos etc. markets (not supermarkets). The above observation might hold true for some areas which cater mainly to foreigners, those who work for foreign companies, ngos etc.

Aside from some supermarkets and some entry tickets (like S21 museum in PP) riel is the first currency. Usually USD are converted at 1:4000 in daily transactions. This gives you an exchange advantage of 1.5-1.7 % on a 100 USD as the exhange rate fluctuates currently at around 4060 per dollar.

Sounds like a minor factor but when you go to a bank try to get 1.5% higher interest after tax.

INV,

 There is good transport available to Trat bus station. The bus to Rayong/Trat stops at Sukumvit in the southbound direction maybe 20 meters south of the Sukumvit/Central Pattaya Road intersection. There is a small woodden shack where the times are written and some motorbike taxidrivers hang around. You can ask them. First direct bus to Trat is around 5.30 AM. Check it the day before you go. Buses are safer than those Vans and also cheaper.

A Trat, modern Vans wait for frequent and regular departures to the border.

In case you have alot of things to carry and do need a Van, just shop around town at travel agents. They all are happy to sell you a special trip to the border.

Of course you can also rent a taxi and gain 1-2 hrs in total. It wont add up because of the wait at the border and in Koh Kong.

Be smart, and do your reading on the border scams and the scum in Koh Kong. Poipet is easy in comparison.

There are no direct buses to SHV you will need to take Van from Koh Kong.

Sheryl,

thank you for the info! It is the very best data I have seen so far among all those dozens of pages covering the topic in different places.

The law you quoted seems to be in contradiction to what some members on other forums claim to be happening now. They are not very specific and a lot is rumor. Phuket Richard's info tends to point into the same direction.

I am in a situation where I have the one year visa and no record of work and also no intention to start working. What would be my options in case the rumors/info are true and I am stopped and asked to present a work permit?

I know this question might be a bit difficult to answer but i nevertheless put it. Maybe you have an idea. I am sure I am not the only one wondering about it.

I think Bald Eagle has already done that and had his time with Khmer 440.Not necessarily the best place for info.

Visa. The 'ordinary' Visa is USD 25 at the border for 1 month, extendable in PP for 283 USD for another year. Price depends on the agent you use. 283 seems to be the lower end. You cannot get a 1-year ordinary at the border. Some claim that they had a chance to get one at PP airport but no proof of that so far. So dont count on it.

Work permit: There is currently an online debate on K440 and CambodiaExpatsOnline dot com about the need to obtain a work permit. Cost USD 100. So far, the info is vague as to whether non-working expats are also required to obtain it. So it is not difficult to get the permit, it is almost forced on you. The reverse from Thailand.

K440 has a section called the 'staff room' with info on teaching.

If you're in PP you better go to LuckyLucky motorbikes on Moningvon Blvd and have them sort out the visa. This way you cut out the hotel's commission and save some money. Plus they might get it back to you faster.

While luckylucky is a motorbike shop, they do have an office in the back which does the visa work. Dozens of foreigners use it every day. i saw piles of passports. Very professional and competitive prices.

They are on google maps when you check the Phnom Penh map.

 

 

They have only been doing ED visas for University studies for some time now in KL. Your school should of known that.

 
Not true. I know someone who got an ED visa for a language school at KL just last week.
 
This is new.
 
I came on to also report this, as a friend who is in KL just emailed me to say his ED visa was turned down too and he's studying at a university in Thailand. Same reason given. Now requires a university degree. No university degree, no ED visa for you.
 
So, the incredibly intelligent Thai junta have now decided you're not smart enough to learn anything new if you don't already have a degree.
 
Loving this!  Mass exodus from Thailand of most farangs coming soon, as retirement visas are the next thing they're going after - so I hear from someone I know at immigration.

 

So now you need to have a university degree to study for a university degree!

The madness gets madder....

 

No madness. Usually you need officially certified papers from your home country and these papers meet the host's countries demands. Usually acceptable school papers plus a year or more in a university of your home country. Or you need to present a certified university degree which would qualify you to enter a university.

There are some variations but in principle these are quite common requirements. A consulate cannot assess a visa applicants' status without the university's paperwork in hand.

Universities have to guard academic standards (ok, bring it on, this is Thailand...., i know) and admit only students who are fit to do so. In other words, football hooligans will face the same barriers in Thailand as they do elsewhere. I am not referring to the posters or anyone specific. Just in general to make the point clearer.

Fly to Laos. Get a new passport. Get a non-imm visa. Return.

Enjoy the holiday while there.

Surely your name and details are on the Immigration computer system somewhere and if you have a different passport your name will still get flagged up. Also to get a new passport, at least for the UK you need to have a copy of the police report saying that it was lost or stolen and then you wait for 8 to 10 weeks for a new one. It is possible I believe to get a temporary one from the UK embassy in BKK but what it will permit you to do in the way of travel I am not sure. Again you will nbeed a copy of the police report.

For other countries I have no Idea.

Why would anyone have his passport "lost" or "stolen" and transport himself into all those nasty databases?? Flying, traveling etc will become a nightmare. A friend forgot his passport in his laundry. When he opened the washer the piece was positively toast. He handed it back to the authorities and got a new one once he had paid the obligatory fee.

I saw that bus at KK aircon bus station (the new no.3). Correct me if I am wrong, but I believe that in order to be able to take that direct bus to Vientiane you need to have a valid Laos visa in your passport. Thus, those without still need to get to the bridge by a different means of transport and then do their business at immigration.

The Poitpet - Battambang and on to Phnom Penh route is used by many of the national bus companies which operate differently than the Poipet-SR scam bus.

Capitol and other companies have regular schedules like these here (for example):

http://capitolkh.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=46&Itemid=90

http://www.ppsoryatransport.com/eng/index.php?page=schedule

there is also GST and Mekongexpress and others

The overnight buses leaving Poipet for PP at around 8 PM also accept customers going only as far as Battambang.

For the boat do some web surfing and you get an idea about the river culture, the bird sanctuary etc. you will pass through. Take enough water and memory for the digcam with you.

You book the trip at your hotel/guesthouse in Battambang. I once booked it at the pier and the police asked me where I had stayed. Prices seem to be the same. They register all departures as a security measure. That was some 5-6 years ago. Try some of the travel boards for more up to date info.

Assuming that you want to do the entire CM-Aranyaprathet trip by train:

You will need to take the 1 pm train from BKK to Aran. This will bring you to Aran at around 7 PM. Outside the train station some tuktuks or motortaxis will wait. They take you directly to the border - of course you haggle over the price. Theevisa makes little sense as it is something like 27-28 USD now while the 20 USD touristvisa will not cost more than USD 25 if you decide to pay the "fee" and not to stand your ground. You can still make it to the bus stops in poipet on time by paying 1 USD to a motortaxis at the border and not the three they ask for initially. Make sure that the motortaxi guy disappears and does not involve himself in the purchase of the ticket. He will try to get 3-4 USD commission out of your pocket.

You would be around 11 PM or midnite in Battambang and can go on the next day. Or do it slowly, spend the night in Poitpet (USD 10) or in Aran (250 baht at Aran Garden 2, Aran Garden 1 is - i think - 175 baht). If you stay in Aran make sure you get to the border early and get to the PP buses.

The trip is pretty straight forward. Just do your reading on the border scams at Poipet aside from the awful bus scam there are plenty.

No pickups in SR:

Sorry i was not very specific. If you surf the SR guesthouses' websites you will see that they offer pickups from the pier (for boats from Battambang) and also from the bus-station and the airport. BUT NOT from the SR-bus station. THis is because the trip from Poipet to SR is controlled by what might descrived as a mafia. Buses are delayed on purpose so that you arrive after dark in SR. There, you are dropped off outside the city (near the airport) in a compound that is gated. Only tuktuk drivers who pay to the company are allowed to take on passengers. They sometimes even close the gates and effectively detain tourists thereby forcing them to pay the inflated prices.

The tuktuk drivers also try to extort a full night's price from the guesthouse as a commission for dropping you off or try to take you to another guesthouse where they get better pay.

If you come by shared taxi fom Poipet it is pretty much the same game. Driver claims he cannot enter SR (not true) or tries to get you to 'his' guesthouse. As for taxis do not pay before he drops you off at exactly the spot you decided on and he had agreed to.

As for bus transport, try to leave the compound and walk back to the main street. motos will find you. Pay say 2 USD which is a good price.

This scam is much more elaborate than anything you might know from CM. CM bath bus driver fade in comparison to the PoitPet-SR route. This goes on for well over (?) 2 decades now. I can attest to 13 yrs.

Perhaps a worthwhile change of route. Go from Poipet to Battambang and take the boat to SR. Costs more time and money and the boat ride takes a whole day. But it is memorable and you see a lot of stuff you would otherwise never ever view.

I should have added that the 7 USD rooms have, of course, the same cable and wifi as the aircon rooms have. Price difference between fan and aircon is usually 5 USD. if you pay for fan you often simply dont get the aircon remote.

I m in PP now and no need to aircon. It cools down nicely thanks to rains. Some like it more cool, of course.

USD 7 = 240 baht should get you a single fan room with ensuite bath in both cities at good locations. No need to book ahead as the cannot pick you up as you will come to SR from Poipet (I assume). I do not need a aircon room during the rainy season.

If you go first to PP this would make a difference as the guesthouse would give a free pickup from the bus. this way no mototaxi guy charges them a commission.So both sides win.

PP has lots of places to stay. A full week might be a little long but then you could do a tour to Takeo province if temples are your thing.