No appointment, no printing, no agent — you land, hand over your passport, pay by card or cash, and walk out with a visa sticker a few minutes later. Visa on arrival is the way most travelers still enter Cambodia, and it's genuinely easier than it looks. Here's the whole process, step by step, so there are no surprises at the counter.
Credit and debit cards ARE accepted for the visa-on-arrival fee at Cambodia’s international airports — we’ve paid by card many times. Most guides still say “cash only”; that advice is outdated. Cash (US dollars) is still a smart backup in case a terminal is down, and land borders remain cash-only — but at the airport, your card works.
Last updated: October 19, 2026
Yes, visa on arrival is still available in 2026 — at Cambodia's international airports (Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, Sihanoukville) and at open international land borders. It costs $30 for a tourist visa or $35 for an Ordinary visa, card payment accepted at the airports, cash US dollars works everywhere. Bring your passport (6+ months validity, one blank page) and one passport-size photo. Flying in? You also need the free e-Arrival submitted within 7 days before you land.
Visa on arrival is issued at all three international airports: Techo International (KTI) in Phnom Penh — the new airport that replaced the old PNH in 2025 — Siem Reap Angkor International (SAI), and Sihanoukville (KOS). It's also available at open international land borders, such as Bavet on the Vietnam route, which sees a steady flow of travelers arriving from Ho Chi Minh City.
One big exception: every Thailand–Cambodia land border is currently closed, so there is no visa on arrival on that route right now. If your plans involve crossing between Thailand and Cambodia, read our Thailand–Cambodia border status page before you book anything — for now, that trip means flying.
The counter asks for very little, but the details matter:
At the airport, the whole thing usually takes 10 to 30 minutes, depending on how many flights landed at the same time. Here's how it flows:
The process at an open land crossing is the same idea in a smaller room: an official visa window, your passport and photo, the same $30 or $35 in cash — land counters don’t take cards — and a sticker in your passport a short while later. At Bavet, on the road from Ho Chi Minh City to Phnom Penh, long-distance buses build the stop into the journey and the driver usually collects passports for the counter — routine, and not a cause for worry. Both the tourist and Ordinary visas start with a one-month stay, whichever door you enter through.
At the airports, the official fee is the whole fee. There are no legitimate extra "processing," "express," or "service" charges on top of the $30 or $35 — if your total at an airport counter is exactly the official price, you're being charged correctly.
Some land crossings are a different story. Touts and unofficial "helpers" sometimes intercept travelers before the official window and invent charges: fake health checks, form-filling fees, "fast track" offers. The rule is simple: pay only at the official counter window, and only the official fee. Anyone who approaches you before you reach that window can be politely skipped — a smile and a "no thank you" while you keep walking works fine.
Both are official and both cost the same. The eVisa is applied for online before you travel, so you skip the visa counter and go straight to immigration — but it only works at 5 entry points, and you have to have your trip planned a few days ahead. Visa on arrival works at more entry points, needs no advance planning, and suits last-minute trips; the trade-off is the counter queue. A simple way to decide: if you're flying into Phnom Penh or Siem Reap on a fixed plan and queues annoy you, the eVisa is worth the small effort. If your plans are loose, you're crossing by land, or you decided on this trip yesterday, visa on arrival was made for you.
One decision matters more than the eVisa-vs-arrival choice: tourist or Ordinary? If there's any chance you'll want to stay beyond a month — working, retiring, or just falling in love with the place — get the Ordinary ($35) visa. It can be extended again and again inside Cambodia, while a tourist visa can't be converted at all. Our visa extension guide explains how that works and what agents charge.
Yes — at the international airports. Card payment for the visa fee is accepted at Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, and we’ve paid by card many times, whatever older guides claim. Carry some US dollars as a backup in case a terminal is down, and note that land-border counters are cash only.
Usually nothing dramatic: in practice, officials typically charge a small fee of a few dollars in place of the photo. Bringing one anyway is cheaper and faster.
Usually 10 to 30 minutes for the visa counter, depending on how many flights arrive together. The e-Arrival submitted in advance keeps the immigration step after it quick as well.
Yes — the Ordinary (E) visa is sold at the same counters as the tourist visa. Just ask for the Ordinary visa and pay $35 instead of $30. It's the one you want if you might extend your stay.
Yes — children need their own visa to enter Cambodia, at the same price as adults, even if they're traveling on a parent's itinerary. Each traveler, each visa.
Sorting out the rest of your arrival? Head back to Plan Your Trip for the full set of guides, or start from the homepage checklist.
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