Axe Falls on Endless Cambodia Visa Extensions

[geovalin]

After long being the easiest destination in Asean for foreigners to obtain a long stay visa, the Cambodia government has brought the axe down on the practice with new regulations governing the issuance of six- and 12-month business (EB) visa extensions.

Effective from October 2, 2017, those wishing to extend an EB visa for either six- or 12-months will be required to present the following documents at the time of application:

• Employment letter (original) or
• Work permit card issued by the ministry of labor (copy) or,
• Business License or Patent certificate (copy) (for business owner) or,
• Employment Contract valid until the latest date of extension or,
• Relevant document stating the necessary of temporary stay in the Kingdom (copy)

The spouse, children, or partner living with the applicant will require a guarantee letter from the applicant’s employer.

Supplied

Cambodia travel agencies, law firms, and visa agents received the new instructions in a letter last Friday, September 29, advising them that the new Cambodia visa extension requirements would take effect starting October 2

Although not applicable to the first application for a one-, three-, six- or 12-month EB visa extension, the new rules apply to applications for all visa extensions if the applicant has previously held a six- or 12-month EB extension.

Also not affected by the new rules is Cambodia’s new ER (retirement) visa, or the EG (general) visa, both of which prohibit employment.

The new rules follow an announcement early last month of looming changes to the previously liberal criteria for six- and 12-month Cambodia business visa extensions, that has seen a large influx of Westerners from Thailand in recent years as visa requirements there have been gradually tightened.

Cambodia travel agencies, law firms, and visa agents received the new instructions in a letter last Friday, September 29, advising them that the new requirements would take effect ‘starting October 2’.

The new rules state that if a foreigner wishes to apply for a subsequent six- or 12-month visa extension and do not have the required documents they can change to an EG (general) visa for six months while they gather the necessary paperwork.

No information as to whether the EG class visa would be extended after the initial six months was available at the time of writing.

Business Visa Extensions: “It’s Unlike Before; It’s Getting Stricter”

 

THIS ARTICLE IS LONG AND EXTREMELY INTERESTING

READ MORE HERE

 

Axe Falls on Endless Cambodia Visa Extensions https://aecnewstoday.com/2017/new-rule-on-visa-extension-makes-harder-for-foreigners/#ixzz4uOgq6vy3

 

 

[Happyman58]

Also a big envelope would helps lots to Saves a lots of the reading Bs

[JackThompson]

When I lived there, all my 6-mo extensions were of the "O" (ordinary) type - extending an "O" VOA.  Since I left, I had heard that you needed to have a work-permit to extend these the 2nd year onward, but those are inexpensive and easy to obtain.  I suppose these "E_" types are the replacements.

 

This is also nice:

On 10/3/2017 at 6:42 AM, geovalin said:

... if a foreigner wishes to apply for a subsequent six- or 12-month visa extension and do not have the required documents they can change to an EG (general) visa for six months while they gather the necessary paperwork.

Can anyone imagine such in Thailand?  A sort of, "Please don't go.  I'm sure you/we can figure something out in a few months to allow you to stay."

I would bet that new Cambodian enterprises will find a way to "hire" the thousands of Westerners living there.  Many already left Thailand, due to visa 'crackdowns', and have since been spending their foreign-sourced incomes in Cambodia. 

 

The Cambodian authorities would be wise not to become too strict, or they will accomplish shifting those same foreign-sourced incomes on to Vietnam and The Philippines.  This would end countless local's careers, shutter thousands of shops, and lead to unoccupied rental-units and falling prices, as has happened in Thailand, thanks to the 'visa crackdown' here.

Edited October 4, 2017 by JackThompson