Cambodian Business Visa For Thai Girlfriend

[Phronesis]

Next year I will be relocating to Cambodia.

I am aware that you can get a one year multientry business visa, by applying through and agent after you first arrive on a tourist VOA.

I also understand that it is no longer called a business visa but has a new name and it costs around $300USD through and agent.

I am not married but have a Thai partner that I would also like to bring with me to Cambodia.

As a Thai national (on a Thai passport), is she also eligible to get the 12 month multi entry business visa??

So in summary:

1. What is the "new" name of the 12 month business visa for Cambodia?
2. What is the current cost?
3. Is this visa also available to a Thai traveling on a Thai passport?

Thank you very much for any assistance.

[Sheryl]

I didn't know it had a new name. everyone still seems to call it a business visa and still referred to as such on the Minisry of Foreign Affairs website/

Anyone with a valid passport can get it. It will be valid for 1 month initially, $25. Tbut unlike tourise visa can't f=do it as an evisa, need to apply on arrival or else get at Embassy.

when in Phnom Penh you go to any travel agent, provide your passport and a photo and they will obtain a 6 or 12 month extension for you as you prefer, multi entry. Do this at least a few days before the visa expires, obviously.

Mine just cost $290 for 1 year.

As a citizen of an Asean nation your GF is also eligible for visa exempt entries but only for short stays. I think 14 days.

[Phronesis]

Thanks Sheryl.

Can I please also have your overall opinion of life in Cambodia.

That would be appreciated greatly...

[Sheryl]

That is a very broad question and people's priorities differ enormously so what some people would consider a great life might be deficient for someone else.

Also it varies greatly by locale within the country. I certainly prefer Phnom Penh as a place to live over Bangkok, but for rural living, Thailand is still far easier and more comfortable than Cambodia.

The main negative to life in Cambodia, although it is one that is much better than it used to be and still getting better, is that there is still an element of tension in the society that, together with a degree of lawlessness worse than Thailand, drains a certain amount of mental energy and keeps one from fully relaxing. This is usually at subliminal level and often people have no idea why they find it a bit harder to sleep, or are a bit more irritable, or feel the need to get out of the country from time to time to unwind. As said it is getting much better but it is still there. I spend almost equal amounts of time in both countries and I am always struck by the sensation of letting go and relaxing I have when I go back to Thailand as I don't realize the extent to which I was carrying some tension while in Cambodia. You never really let down your guard completely in Cambodia and for valid reason.

By lawlessness I do not mean to imply that there is rampant violent crime all over. There is not. But the police and court system in Cambodia make that of Thailand look well functioning by comparison and it is definitely not advisable to invest in property unless you can afford to lose it without batting an eye as you have no protections no matter how by the book you did things. Conflicts of any sort can go south fast if you aren't careful of whom you are dealing with and how, and again, no safeguards. I don't feel that way in Thailand.

Another big drawback is that the quality of medical care is very poor. Dental is fine but for medical you really need to leave the country and that makes it not a very good place for people getting in in years or with chronic medical conditions.

On a positive note, the attitude towards foreigners is much more positive, no baggage (ironic since Thailand was never colonized and Cambodia was, but it is in Thailand that one sometimes runs into the post-colonial mindset suspicions and resentments, not in Cambodia). Not coincidently, visas are much easier (basically just an annual admissions fee!) and there are no barriers or limitations to foreigners working here. (Investing in a business though runs the same risks as mentioned re owning property).

Not only is the attitude towards foreigners warmer it is also more inclusive and locals are very accepting of westerners living long term in their midst and do not regard them as a different species (not to imply that all Thais do, but it's an attitude more often encountered in Thailand than in Cambodia). They have a much more nuanced and sophisticated understanding of the differences among different foreign nationalities and are less likely to lump them together linguistically or otherwise. Maybe in part the result of the UN adminsitration period when there were dozens of different nationality peace keeping troops all over the country, plus of course prior exposure to French colonizers, a brief American presence and likewise a Soviet one....they've had plenty of exposure to the vast spectrum that are other nationalities. Must also be soemthing about what people are taught in school as there seems to deifnitely be a deep seated concept of "farang" in Thailand to which there is not really a Cambodian equivalent. In other words there is no "a farang is a farang" feeling but rather a much more nuanced view and better informed view. Speaking mainly of urban people, but even to an extent of rural ones.

The easy visa and work rules along with the large development aid effort probably help with this in that there is much more diversity among expats which in turn reduces stereotyping.

Mind you I have not been up in Siem Reap for many years now and that's the tourist mecca so it might be different here. In Phnom Penh they know that a foreigner could be anything -- a tourist, a businessperson, an aid worker, a resident artist, a journalist, a missionary, or a sexpat-- anything at all, there is no automatic assumption and they'll size you up on your own merits.

They also seem to have a sixth sense for the difference between tourists and expat residents. I walk in a store, restaurant or anywhere else, even one I have never been to, and they immediately know that I am a "local" and that they can speak to me in Khmer. How, I couldn't tell you, but they do. I have exactly the opposite experience in Thailand.

English speaking is much more wide spread in urban Cambodia than in Thailand. (totally not true just a decade ago, but it is now). So much so that people who settle in Phnom Penh nowadays don't really have to learn much Khmer whereas those of us who go way back had no choice and thus are fluent. It's a disadvantage in a way as speaking the language opens up a whole new world of relationships and understanding, just as it does in any country.

So as you can see, a very mixed bag.

[Phronesis]

Thanks for the lovely and honest post.

[Phronesis]

Sheryl

Your concerns regarding personal safety in Cambodia (real or imagined) are well noted.

But could you please provide me with your views on the availability and integrity of the internet in PP and also other places like Kampot.

Also how would you compare apartment rentals in PP with say Phuket or Grung Thep

Thanks in advance.

[Sheryl]

Internet is no problem anywhere.

Rentals in PP - definitely less expensive than Bangkok and probably also Phuket. You can get a nice apartment for about $250 - 300.

[phuketrichard]

its called an "ordinary " visa now.

you [ay $25 on ur first visit an they will give u the visa which can than be extended for 3,6 or 12 month

$75/$155/ $265-285

That's it,

I know a few westerners that have their thai wife's/gf's with them

Rents are about the same BIGGEST problem is u don't get what u pay for in Cambodia and the selection is poor for accommodations and if ur looking for a western style furnished apt u can only find them in PP and it will coast ya $500 and up/month

[Sheryl]

Sheryl

Your concerns regarding personal safety in Cambodia (real or imagined) are well noted....

I wasn't really referring to personal safety. You may understand that part better when you have spent more time here.

[cardholder]

Sheryl

Your concerns regarding personal safety in Cambodia (real or imagined) are well noted....

I wasn't really referring to personal safety. You may understand that part better when you have spent more time here.

You may need to be a bit clearer.

I think I understand that 'lawlessness' probably equals 'lack of established structure'.

I can only assume that any tension may relate to the (understandable) hangover from KR times.

Interestingly, Siem Reap seems to be immune from this - probably because it is virtually a tourist oasis.

[ALFREDO]

AS far as I know, you need on top of that Business Visa now, since some time, also a "Work permit".

Most Expats Long stayers in Cambodia, have a Business Visa, but did never work, do never work, is just the Visa what fits them better.

The Work permit is also, was also 1,5 - 2 years ago about 350.- Dollar per year, per person.

I prefer Cambodia over Thailand, because it is not so developed and still more relaxed.

Sihanoukville, Kep, Kampot, Phnom Penh.

The downside from the Under development is the still restricted shopping of food and Chain, Fast Food Restaurants,

if you used to that and like to use frequent them.

Edited March 19, 2013 by ALFREDO