Cambodia Visa

[Maynard100]

Hi

I am travelling to Cambodia, flying from Bangkok to Siam Reap. Can I get a tourist visa on arrival or do I need to prepare any paperwork before?

Thanks

May

[Gonsalviz]

You will need to provide more info, such as home country.

[theoldgit]

You will get a better response in the Cambodian Visa Forum.

I will move your post.

[ALFREDO]

=Maynard100=

You from the UK, as you write in other posting, so you need only your valid Passport and a Passport photo and 20 or 25 Dollar with you to get a Visa on arrival in Siam Reap. NO problem.

[TheSiemReaper]

1 month Tourist visa on arrival is $20. If you don't bring a passport photo - they may ask for an extra $1-$2 to scan the photo from your passport. Tourist visas can be extended once for another month and then you must leave Cambodia.

1 month Ordinary visa on arrival is $25. If you don't bring a passport photo - they may ask for an extra $1-$2 to scan the photo from your passport. These can be extended indefinitely in Cambodia and 6 and 12 month versions are multiple entry.

There are only 4 or 5 nationalities that don't qualify for visa on arrival in Cambodia.

[Finlaco]

1 month Tourist visa on arrival is $20. If you don't bring a passport photo - they may ask for an extra $1-$2 to scan the photo from your passport. Tourist visas can be extended once for another month and then you must leave Cambodia.

1 month Ordinary visa on arrival is $25. If you don't bring a passport photo - they may ask for an extra $1-$2 to scan the photo from your passport. These can be extended indefinitely in Cambodia and 6 and 12 month versions are multiple entry.

There are only 4 or 5 nationalities that don't qualify for visa on arrival in Cambodia.

Hi

I'm curious if 1 month Ordinary visa is the Business Visa or different class?

I've been to Cambodia twice; both times arriving at PP by plane and each time I've gotten the $20 visa.

So,

1. Are there any other requirements for the '1 month Ordinary visa'
2. Would you know the costs involved for extensions?
3. Is it possible to apply for an exit/re-entry permit and if so the costs involved?

Thanks

[TheSiemReaper]

1. The ordinary visa replaced what was once a business visa. Cambodia no longer issues a visa called a "business visa". For all intents and purposes the ordinary visa is the same thing.

2. A 1 year extension (multiple-entry no exit/re-entry permits required) is $285, a 6 month extension is about $175 (also multi-entry, no permits required), 3 month and 1 month extensions are available but are single entry and they are burned on leaving Cambodia - you need to start the visa process again on re-entry.

3. It's worth noting that you may be required, depending on where you live, what you do, etc., to pay for a work-permit which costs $100 annually. Enforcement on this is hugely random and hugely variable across Cambodia. But if you get caught without one and you need one - they back date to the start of your first entry to Cambodia and fine you $50 a year in addition to the $100 a year fee.

Hope that helps.

[Finlaco]

1. The ordinary visa replaced what was once a business visa. Cambodia no longer issues a visa called a "business visa". For all intents and purposes the ordinary visa is the same thing.

2. A 1 year extension (multiple-entry no exit/re-entry permits required) is $285, a 6 month extension is about $175 (also multi-entry, no permits required), 3 month and 1 month extensions are available but are single entry and they are burned on leaving Cambodia - you need to start the visa process again on re-entry.

3. It's worth noting that you may be required, depending on where you live, what you do, etc., to pay for a work-permit which costs $100 annually. Enforcement on this is hugely random and hugely variable across Cambodia. But if you get caught without one and you need one - they back date to the start of your first entry to Cambodia and fine you $50 a year in addition to the $100 a year fee.

Hope that helps.

thanks

[Tomtomtom69]

1. The ordinary visa replaced what was once a business visa. Cambodia no longer issues a visa called a "business visa". For all intents and purposes the ordinary visa is the same thing.

2. A 1 year extension (multiple-entry no exit/re-entry permits required) is $285, a 6 month extension is about $175 (also multi-entry, no permits required), 3 month and 1 month extensions are available but are single entry and they are burned on leaving Cambodia - you need to start the visa process again on re-entry.

3. It's worth noting that you may be required, depending on where you live, what you do, etc., to pay for a work-permit which costs $100 annually. Enforcement on this is hugely random and hugely variable across Cambodia. But if you get caught without one and you need one - they back date to the start of your first entry to Cambodia and fine you $50 a year in addition to the $100 a year fee.

Hope that helps.

How does one get a work permit if they're not working? Is it just a matter of paying the extra money to make the problem go away? What if you're just using the business visa for business/tourist trips to Cambodia every now and then, but never spending more than a few days in the country? Surely you wouldn't need a work permit for that and I highly doubt Cambodian immigration would start becoming like Thai immigration, asking about your work permit or something. Indeed there are still Cambodian officials who will happily stamp your passport without your presence for a few extra Baht or dollars, something which is highly illegal and impossible to do on the Thai side.

[TheSiemReaper]

1. The ordinary visa replaced what was once a business visa. Cambodia no longer issues a visa called a "business visa". For all intents and purposes the ordinary visa is the same thing.

2. A 1 year extension (multiple-entry no exit/re-entry permits required) is $285, a 6 month extension is about $175 (also multi-entry, no permits required), 3 month and 1 month extensions are available but are single entry and they are burned on leaving Cambodia - you need to start the visa process again on re-entry.

3. It's worth noting that you may be required, depending on where you live, what you do, etc., to pay for a work-permit which costs $100 annually. Enforcement on this is hugely random and hugely variable across Cambodia. But if you get caught without one and you need one - they back date to the start of your first entry to Cambodia and fine you $50 a year in addition to the $100 a year fee.

Hope that helps.

How does one get a work permit if they're not working? Is it just a matter of paying the extra money to make the problem go away? What if you're just using the business visa for business/tourist trips to Cambodia every now and then, but never spending more than a few days in the country? Surely you wouldn't need a work permit for that and I highly doubt Cambodian immigration would start becoming like Thai immigration, asking about your work permit or something. Indeed there are still Cambodian officials who will happily stamp your passport without your presence for a few extra Baht or dollars, something which is highly illegal and impossible to do on the Thai side.

You only need a work permit - if you are working; according to the law. How you get one is a bit of a mystery and in much of Cambodia nobody ever asks to see one... It doesn't matter if you're working for a single day a year though - if you do paid work, you should have a permit. In reality, anyone can buy one - just go pay the money at the appropriate office and pass a medical. That's it. And for reference - if you think you can't get a Thai official to stamp your passport without you being there, there's one born every minute. You 100% can and there are visa agents a-plenty who do just that. You just need to be on more than a 30-day visa run to make use of such services...

[Tomtomtom69]

1. The ordinary visa replaced what was once a business visa. Cambodia no longer issues a visa called a "business visa". For all intents and purposes the ordinary visa is the same thing.

2. A 1 year extension (multiple-entry no exit/re-entry permits required) is $285, a 6 month extension is about $175 (also multi-entry, no permits required), 3 month and 1 month extensions are available but are single entry and they are burned on leaving Cambodia - you need to start the visa process again on re-entry.

3. It's worth noting that you may be required, depending on where you live, what you do, etc., to pay for a work-permit which costs $100 annually. Enforcement on this is hugely random and hugely variable across Cambodia. But if you get caught without one and you need one - they back date to the start of your first entry to Cambodia and fine you $50 a year in addition to the $100 a year fee.

Hope that helps.

How does one get a work permit if they're not working? Is it just a matter of paying the extra money to make the problem go away? What if you're just using the business visa for business/tourist trips to Cambodia every now and then, but never spending more than a few days in the country? Surely you wouldn't need a work permit for that and I highly doubt Cambodian immigration would start becoming like Thai immigration, asking about your work permit or something. Indeed there are still Cambodian officials who will happily stamp your passport without your presence for a few extra Baht or dollars, something which is highly illegal and impossible to do on the Thai side.

You only need a work permit - if you are working; according to the law. How you get one is a bit of a mystery and in much of Cambodia nobody ever asks to see one... It doesn't matter if you're working for a single day a year though - if you do paid work, you should have a permit. In reality, anyone can buy one - just go pay the money at the appropriate office and pass a medical. That's it. And for reference - if you think you can't get a Thai official to stamp your passport without you being there, there's one born every minute. You 100% can and there are visa agents a-plenty who do just that. You just need to be on more than a 30-day visa run to make use of such services...

I think you'll find that if you do that in Thailand you'll get arrested - around 10 years ago lots of foreigners were handing over passports without traveling themselves to the border but not anymore (and keep in mind I'm referring to getting stamped in/out at the border not getting an extension at an immigration office where of course you can entrust an agent such as a friend to do it for you). In Thailand however there is only one fee and one method for any matters concerning immigration and no way you could get away with offering to pay for an immigration stamp. Having said that occasionally at some borders 20 Baht or so is requested, but shouldn't be; I digress. Anyway, let's stick with Cambodia as the discussion topic.

One more question: Can the same agent (such as Lucky! Lucky!) get a work permit for you? How does it work? And yes of course a work permit should only be required if you work, but what's this I'm hearing about some foreigners getting harassed for work permits down in Kampot even though they may not be working at all? I understand a work permit should be required if you are actually going to be working, but not if you work from home over the internet, don't work, are a dependent, a student (Cambodia doesn't issue student visas right?), are on business or retired. I thought Cambodia was the one country where one could just pay to stay, almost indefinitely without working, without ever needing to front up to immigration. What's going on over there?

[TheSiemReaper]

There's a tea money thing going on in Kampot over work permits; which, has been made worse by hysterical foreigners demanding to pay for work permits in fear of being busted. No, you can't get an agent to do a work permit - you have to do it yourself but... it does appear to be pretty easy to do so (unlike the visa). Work permits are processed locally and not centrally. The crazy part of all this is that the law requires a residence permit prior to getting a work permit. The Cambodian government admits - it has never issued a single residence permit but it has issued quite a lot of work permits....

Yes, you only need a work permit if you're employed in Cambodia. Yes, some of the hysterical folks in Kampot decided to pay even when they didn't need one.

The are occasional crackdowns on work permits in Snooky. I know people who have been caught in Phnom Penh but there seems to be no concerted effort to do so in the capital. In Siem Reap, to my knowledge, no-one's ever been asked for one.

[Tomtomtom69]

There's a tea money thing going on in Kampot over work permits; which, has been made worse by hysterical foreigners demanding to pay for work permits in fear of being busted. No, you can't get an agent to do a work permit - you have to do it yourself but... it does appear to be pretty easy to do so (unlike the visa). Work permits are processed locally and not centrally. The crazy part of all this is that the law requires a residence permit prior to getting a work permit. The Cambodian government admits - it has never issued a single residence permit but it has issued quite a lot of work permits....

Yes, you only need a work permit if you're employed in Cambodia. Yes, some of the hysterical folks in Kampot decided to pay even when they didn't need one.

The are occasional crackdowns on work permits in Snooky. I know people who have been caught in Phnom Penh but there seems to be no concerted effort to do so in the capital. In Siem Reap, to my knowledge, no-one's ever been asked for one.

OK so nothing to worry about then. Also, I have only ever stayed in hotels or short term apartments (they also accept long term residents but I have never stayed more than 2 nights) in Cambodia as my trips are too short to justify long term apartment rental. There was one time I was going to stay with friends but only for like 3 nights and I wouldn't have been registered anyway, just would have stayed over. I decided not to stay at that friends house because there was no bed for me only a sofa and looked too dirty and uncomfortable, so I decided to extend my stay at the hotel I was staying at. This was in Phnom Penh. The reason I brought this up is because I read that the expats in Kampot were staying in rented apartments or houses.

In the vast majority of cases, I stay only in Phnom Penh (or earlier this year, Koh Kong) and simply try to visit clients I have done business with in the past or intend to do business with or if I'm passing through on the way to Vietnam, I may or may not get the opportunity to visit friends if my trip is too short. I simply have the 1-year multiple entry visa to avoid having to apply for new visas all the time and after a few entries apart from saving space in your passport it may actually begin to be cheaper than applying for a whole set of new visas each time you enter. If Cambodia offered visa free visits for some nationalities like Laos does where I get 15 days visa free, I wouldn't even need the visa extension in the first place and would be more than happy just coming in on those visa exempt visits. Until that happens though, I'm sticking with the 1-year extension, which has worked for me in the past (well last time I only needed 6-months but ended up with nearly 8 since that extension expired on my birthday the following year).

If one tries to get a work permit themselves but has no job, I wonder how this would be done? An agent should still be able to assist right, at least go in with you? Especially for a foreigner who can't speak or read Khmer? I certainly wouldn't go to the work permit office myself, knowing only a tiny amount of Khmer and not knowing what to do, it would be a pretty intimidating and weird experience. Someone would surely be able to assist? It seems that agents can do just about anything for you in Cambodia.

[TheSiemReaper]

There's a tea money thing going on in Kampot over work permits; which, has been made worse by hysterical foreigners demanding to pay for work permits in fear of being busted. No, you can't get an agent to do a work permit - you have to do it yourself but... it does appear to be pretty easy to do so (unlike the visa). Work permits are processed locally and not centrally. The crazy part of all this is that the law requires a residence permit prior to getting a work permit. The Cambodian government admits - it has never issued a single residence permit but it has issued quite a lot of work permits....

Yes, you only need a work permit if you're employed in Cambodia. Yes, some of the hysterical folks in Kampot decided to pay even when they didn't need one.

The are occasional crackdowns on work permits in Snooky. I know people who have been caught in Phnom Penh but there seems to be no concerted effort to do so in the capital. In Siem Reap, to my knowledge, no-one's ever been asked for one.

OK so nothing to worry about then. Also, I have only ever stayed in hotels or short term apartments (they also accept long term residents but I have never stayed more than 2 nights) in Cambodia as my trips are too short to justify long term apartment rental. There was one time I was going to stay with friends but only for like 3 nights and I wouldn't have been registered anyway, just would have stayed over. I decided not to stay at that friends house because there was no bed for me only a sofa and looked too dirty and uncomfortable, so I decided to extend my stay at the hotel I was staying at. This was in Phnom Penh. The reason I brought this up is because I read that the expats in Kampot were staying in rented apartments or houses.

In the vast majority of cases, I stay only in Phnom Penh (or earlier this year, Koh Kong) and simply try to visit clients I have done business with in the past or intend to do business with or if I'm passing through on the way to Vietnam, I may or may not get the opportunity to visit friends if my trip is too short. I simply have the 1-year multiple entry visa to avoid having to apply for new visas all the time and after a few entries apart from saving space in your passport it may actually begin to be cheaper than applying for a whole set of new visas each time you enter. If Cambodia offered visa free visits for some nationalities like Laos does where I get 15 days visa free, I wouldn't even need the visa extension in the first place and would be more than happy just coming in on those visa exempt visits. Until that happens though, I'm sticking with the 1-year extension, which has worked for me in the past (well last time I only needed 6-months but ended up with nearly 8 since that extension expired on my birthday the following year).

If one tries to get a work permit themselves but has no job, I wonder how this would be done? An agent should still be able to assist right, at least go in with you? Especially for a foreigner who can't speak or read Khmer? I certainly wouldn't go to the work permit office myself, knowing only a tiny amount of Khmer and not knowing what to do, it would be a pretty intimidating and weird experience. Someone would surely be able to assist? It seems that agents can do just about anything for you in Cambodia.

I've lived here for 3 years and no-one has so much as suggested I might need a work permit. I don't; I don't work in Cambodia at all.

From what I hear, from friends who have permits, the process is absolutely painless and requires no agent or additional support. Forms in English, process conducted in English, zero hassle. They'll take anyone's money for a work permit - the vast majority of Cambodian businesses are unincorporated so paperwork is viewed with extreme leniency.

[Tomtomtom69]

There's a tea money thing going on in Kampot over work permits; which, has been made worse by hysterical foreigners demanding to pay for work permits in fear of being busted. No, you can't get an agent to do a work permit - you have to do it yourself but... it does appear to be pretty easy to do so (unlike the visa). Work permits are processed locally and not centrally. The crazy part of all this is that the law requires a residence permit prior to getting a work permit. The Cambodian government admits - it has never issued a single residence permit but it has issued quite a lot of work permits....

Yes, you only need a work permit if you're employed in Cambodia. Yes, some of the hysterical folks in Kampot decided to pay even when they didn't need one.

The are occasional crackdowns on work permits in Snooky. I know people who have been caught in Phnom Penh but there seems to be no concerted effort to do so in the capital. In Siem Reap, to my knowledge, no-one's ever been asked for one.

OK so nothing to worry about then. Also, I have only ever stayed in hotels or short term apartments (they also accept long term residents but I have never stayed more than 2 nights) in Cambodia as my trips are too short to justify long term apartment rental. There was one time I was going to stay with friends but only for like 3 nights and I wouldn't have been registered anyway, just would have stayed over. I decided not to stay at that friends house because there was no bed for me only a sofa and looked too dirty and uncomfortable, so I decided to extend my stay at the hotel I was staying at. This was in Phnom Penh. The reason I brought this up is because I read that the expats in Kampot were staying in rented apartments or houses.

In the vast majority of cases, I stay only in Phnom Penh (or earlier this year, Koh Kong) and simply try to visit clients I have done business with in the past or intend to do business with or if I'm passing through on the way to Vietnam, I may or may not get the opportunity to visit friends if my trip is too short. I simply have the 1-year multiple entry visa to avoid having to apply for new visas all the time and after a few entries apart from saving space in your passport it may actually begin to be cheaper than applying for a whole set of new visas each time you enter. If Cambodia offered visa free visits for some nationalities like Laos does where I get 15 days visa free, I wouldn't even need the visa extension in the first place and would be more than happy just coming in on those visa exempt visits. Until that happens though, I'm sticking with the 1-year extension, which has worked for me in the past (well last time I only needed 6-months but ended up with nearly 8 since that extension expired on my birthday the following year).

If one tries to get a work permit themselves but has no job, I wonder how this would be done? An agent should still be able to assist right, at least go in with you? Especially for a foreigner who can't speak or read Khmer? I certainly wouldn't go to the work permit office myself, knowing only a tiny amount of Khmer and not knowing what to do, it would be a pretty intimidating and weird experience. Someone would surely be able to assist? It seems that agents can do just about anything for you in Cambodia.

I've lived here for 3 years and no-one has so much as suggested I might need a work permit. I don't; I don't work in Cambodia at all.

From what I hear, from friends who have permits, the process is absolutely painless and requires no agent or additional support. Forms in English, process conducted in English, zero hassle. They'll take anyone's money for a work permit - the vast majority of Cambodian businesses are unincorporated so paperwork is viewed with extreme leniency.

Thanks for your comments, they have been very useful. The reason I am asking is because apart from the immigration crackdown in Thailand that is worrying me (it shouldn't affect me personally at this point, but it could in the near future depending on how officers interpret my travel history) I am contemplating possibly opening a business over in Cambodia as doing so in Thailand would be too tedious and involved. Additionally, I believe that starting a business in Cambodia should be quite easy with the investment needed not being very high. However, for the time being I will simply be heading over to Cambodia, back and forth for business and short term travel as I have done so far. Once I get to the stage of opening the business I suppose I will look into the work permit requirement. Thanks for confirming that I probably don't have to worry about it for now, especially in my situation.

[TheSiemReaper]

There's a tea money thing going on in Kampot over work permits; which, has been made worse by hysterical foreigners demanding to pay for work permits in fear of being busted. No, you can't get an agent to do a work permit - you have to do it yourself but... it does appear to be pretty easy to do so (unlike the visa). Work permits are processed locally and not centrally. The crazy part of all this is that the law requires a residence permit prior to getting a work permit. The Cambodian government admits - it has never issued a single residence permit but it has issued quite a lot of work permits....

Yes, you only need a work permit if you're employed in Cambodia. Yes, some of the hysterical folks in Kampot decided to pay even when they didn't need one.

The are occasional crackdowns on work permits in Snooky. I know people who have been caught in Phnom Penh but there seems to be no concerted effort to do so in the capital. In Siem Reap, to my knowledge, no-one's ever been asked for one.

OK so nothing to worry about then. Also, I have only ever stayed in hotels or short term apartments (they also accept long term residents but I have never stayed more than 2 nights) in Cambodia as my trips are too short to justify long term apartment rental. There was one time I was going to stay with friends but only for like 3 nights and I wouldn't have been registered anyway, just would have stayed over. I decided not to stay at that friends house because there was no bed for me only a sofa and looked too dirty and uncomfortable, so I decided to extend my stay at the hotel I was staying at. This was in Phnom Penh. The reason I brought this up is because I read that the expats in Kampot were staying in rented apartments or houses.

In the vast majority of cases, I stay only in Phnom Penh (or earlier this year, Koh Kong) and simply try to visit clients I have done business with in the past or intend to do business with or if I'm passing through on the way to Vietnam, I may or may not get the opportunity to visit friends if my trip is too short. I simply have the 1-year multiple entry visa to avoid having to apply for new visas all the time and after a few entries apart from saving space in your passport it may actually begin to be cheaper than applying for a whole set of new visas each time you enter. If Cambodia offered visa free visits for some nationalities like Laos does where I get 15 days visa free, I wouldn't even need the visa extension in the first place and would be more than happy just coming in on those visa exempt visits. Until that happens though, I'm sticking with the 1-year extension, which has worked for me in the past (well last time I only needed 6-months but ended up with nearly 8 since that extension expired on my birthday the following year).

If one tries to get a work permit themselves but has no job, I wonder how this would be done? An agent should still be able to assist right, at least go in with you? Especially for a foreigner who can't speak or read Khmer? I certainly wouldn't go to the work permit office myself, knowing only a tiny amount of Khmer and not knowing what to do, it would be a pretty intimidating and weird experience. Someone would surely be able to assist? It seems that agents can do just about anything for you in Cambodia.

I've lived here for 3 years and no-one has so much as suggested I might need a work permit. I don't; I don't work in Cambodia at all.

From what I hear, from friends who have permits, the process is absolutely painless and requires no agent or additional support. Forms in English, process conducted in English, zero hassle. They'll take anyone's money for a work permit - the vast majority of Cambodian businesses are unincorporated so paperwork is viewed with extreme leniency.

Thanks for your comments, they have been very useful. The reason I am asking is because apart from the immigration crackdown in Thailand that is worrying me (it shouldn't affect me personally at this point, but it could in the near future depending on how officers interpret my travel history) I am contemplating possibly opening a business over in Cambodia as doing so in Thailand would be too tedious and involved. Additionally, I believe that starting a business in Cambodia should be quite easy with the investment needed not being very high. However, for the time being I will simply be heading over to Cambodia, back and forth for business and short term travel as I have done so far. Once I get to the stage of opening the business I suppose I will look into the work permit requirement. Thanks for confirming that I probably don't have to worry about it for now, especially in my situation.

Cambodia allows expats to sole-trade without licensing of any kind. Incorporation takes time and is a bit of a pain from a paperwork perspective but it's cheap and anyone can open a Ltd. company in Cambodia - no requirement for local ownership at all. (Except for some NGOs).

There is some debate over whether a business owner needs a work-permit or not but if they do; it shouldn't be too hard to get one.

[Tomtomtom69]

Cambodia allows expats to sole-trade without licensing of any kind. Incorporation takes time and is a bit of a pain from a paperwork perspective but it's cheap and anyone can open a Ltd. company in Cambodia - no requirement for local ownership at all. (Except for some NGOs).

There is some debate over whether a business owner needs a work-permit or not but if they do; it shouldn't be too hard to get one.

Thanks again, your advice has been very useful. So opening a small factory all I would need is enough capital to open it, then I could just employ any number of locals I need and perhaps an expat or two if I want right? No need to worry about expat/local worker ratios or minimum capitalization (i.e. 2 million Baht) like in Thailand?

[TheSiemReaper]

Cambodia allows expats to sole-trade without licensing of any kind. Incorporation takes time and is a bit of a pain from a paperwork perspective but it's cheap and anyone can open a Ltd. company in Cambodia - no requirement for local ownership at all. (Except for some NGOs).

There is some debate over whether a business owner needs a work-permit or not but if they do; it shouldn't be too hard to get one.

Thanks again, your advice has been very useful. So opening a small factory all I would need is enough capital to open it, then I could just employ any number of locals I need and perhaps an expat or two if I want right? No need to worry about expat/local worker ratios or minimum capitalization (i.e. 2 million Baht) like in Thailand?

For a factory; you'd need to incorporate, pay the appropriate license fees and then yes, you can employ whomever you like and it's up to you how much you invest and when you invest it. This could change at some point in the future but that's how it is today. You would probably also find that you need to pay "tea money" to inspectors, etc. but that's true pretty much everywhere in Indochina and they won't be out to bankrupt you like they would in the Philippines.

[Sheryl]

An important consideration is the unusually high cost of electricity in Cambodia which can make it hard to turn a profit.

[TheSiemReaper]

An important consideration is the unusually high cost of electricity in Cambodia which can make it hard to turn a profit.

And of course the incredibly erratic provision of electricity in Cambodia too... outside of Phnom Penh, Battambang and Siem Reap services are pretty dire and even in those cities; blackouts for 2-4 hours are semi-regular events.

[Tomtomtom69]

An important consideration is the unusually high cost of electricity in Cambodia which can make it hard to turn a profit.

And of course the incredibly erratic provision of electricity in Cambodia too... outside of Phnom Penh, Battambang and Siem Reap services are pretty dire and even in those cities; blackouts for 2-4 hours are semi-regular events.

Maybe that explains why the Koh Kong industrial zone has so few tenants? I've been past there a number of times over the past few months and have not identified one new tenant in any of the shop houses next to the industrial zone that are advertised to Thai and other international investors using both English and Thai in their advertising.

[TheSiemReaper]

An important consideration is the unusually high cost of electricity in Cambodia which can make it hard to turn a profit.

And of course the incredibly erratic provision of electricity in Cambodia too... outside of Phnom Penh, Battambang and Siem Reap services are pretty dire and even in those cities; blackouts for 2-4 hours are semi-regular events.

Maybe that explains why the Koh Kong industrial zone has so few tenants? I've been past there a number of times over the past few months and have not identified one new tenant in any of the shop houses next to the industrial zone that are advertised to Thai and other international investors using both English and Thai in their advertising.

I'd say that the number one deterrent to running a manufacturing business in Cambodia is the abysmal transport infrastructure. It's costly to move things around. You need to pay a lot of bribes to move freight down highways and there is a high-risk of an accident causing loss of life and/or products. It takes nearly 20 hours to drive from the Poi Pet border to the Saigon border - it should take around 6-7 hours if the roads were fit for purpose. Despite the huge amounts of "work" down the sides of this major arterial route for the country; the roads have actually deteriorated rather than improved.

Then there's the problem of sourcing raw materials. Then the problem of an appallingly uneducated population (even "graduates" have essentially just paid off their lecturers for passes). Then the problem of importing equipment (Cambodian customs are greedy for bribes and will keep your stuff for an age just for kicks - I had a developer friend who had so spend 5 days walking a mere $2k of equipment personally through customs). Then the problem of exporting your goods (those lovely customs folk again). And so on...

I love Cambodia but I don't think that if you won the lottery you could set up a successful manufacturing business here without being in with some very serious folks (okhna).