eVisa vs visa on arrival vs e-Arrival: three things everyone mixes up

The Royal Palace in Phnom Penh — Sort the paperwork first — the sightseeing is the easy part.

Cambodia greets you with three similarly named pieces of paperwork, and the internet cheerfully muddles all of them. Two are visas — the same visa, bought two different ways. The third isn't a visa at all. This page puts the three side by side, kills the standard confusions one by one, and ends with a simple answer to the only question that matters: which ones do you need?

Last updated: October 19, 2026

Quick answer

The eVisa is a visa you apply and pay for online before you travel ($30 tourist / $35 Ordinary, only at evisa.gov.kh). Visa on arrival is the same visa, bought at the counter when you land or cross — no pre-application at all. You need one of those two, never both. The e-Arrival is something else entirely: a free online form, mandatory for everyone flying in since July 1, 2024, that replaces the old paper arrival cards. It is not a visa, and it doesn't replace one. Flying in? You need a visa (either kind) plus the e-Arrival.

The three, in one sentence each

eVisa — "I bought my visa on the internet before my trip."
Visa on arrival (VOA) — "I'll buy my visa at the counter when I get there."
e-Arrival — "I filled in the arrival form online so immigration can scan a QR code instead of a paper card."

That's genuinely the whole distinction. Everything below is the detail that makes it useful.

Side by side: the full comparison

	eVisa	Visa on arrival	e-Arrival
What it is	A visa, applied for and paid online in advance	A visa, issued at the border counter on the day	An arrival form — immigration, health and customs declarations in one
Is it a visa?	Yes	Yes	No
Who needs it	Visitors who want the visa sorted before traveling	Visitors who didn't (or couldn't) arrange a visa in advance	Everyone arriving by air — whatever visa they hold, including visa-exempt travelers
Cost	$30 tourist (T) / $35 Ordinary (E)	$30 tourist (T) / $35 Ordinary (E)	Free. $0, always
Where you do it	evisa.gov.kh — the only official site	The visa counter at your airport or land border	arrival.gov.kh or the official Cambodia e-Arrival app
When	Before you travel; allow about 3 business days	On the spot, when you arrive	Within 7 days before your arrival — not earlier
How long it takes	~10 minutes to apply, ~3 business days for approval by email	Usually 10–30 minutes at an airport counter	~10 minutes online
Where it's accepted	Only 5 entry points: the 3 international airports (KTI, SAI, KOS), Bavet (from Vietnam) and Tropaeng Kreal (from Laos)	All 3 international airports and open international land borders	Air arrivals; land and sea entries still use paper forms
How you pay	By card, online	Card accepted at international airports; land borders are cash US dollars only	Nothing to pay — any site charging you is a copycat
What you end up holding	An approval PDF by email — print two copies	A visa sticker in your passport	A QR code to show with your passport at immigration
Stay it gives you	30 days, single entry	30 days	None — it grants no stay at all

Fees are the official prices in force since January 1, 2025. Sites quoting $36 for an eVisa are out of date; sites quoting $60–99 are resellers.

Each one, in plain English

The eVisa: the visa, bought in advance

The Cambodia eVisa is a real visa, arranged entirely online at evisa.gov.kh. You apply, pay $30 (tourist) or $35 (Ordinary) by card, and the approval arrives by email as a PDF in about three business days. Its two quirks define when it's the right choice: it's single-entry, and it's accepted at only five entry points — Techo International (KTI), Siem Reap Angkor (SAI), Sihanoukville (KOS), Bavet on the Vietnam route, and Tropaeng Kreal on the Laos route. Land at a smaller border post with only an eVisa and you'll be redirected to the visa-on-arrival window — assuming that post has one. Our official eVisa walkthrough has the application step by step, including how to spot the reseller sites charging double for the identical visa.

Visa on arrival: the same visa, bought at the counter

Visa on arrival is exactly what it sounds like, and it's how most travelers still enter Cambodia. No application, no approval letter, no appointment: you show up at an international airport or an open land border with a passport (6+ months validity, a blank page) and a passport-size photo, pay the same $30 or $35, and walk away with a visa sticker — typically within 10–30 minutes at an airport. Two practical notes from our visa on arrival guide: cards are accepted for the fee at the international airports (much of the internet still says cash only — that advice is outdated), while land borders remain cash-only, so bring clean US dollars if you're crossing overland.

The e-Arrival: not a visa — the arrival form, gone digital

The e-Arrival is Cambodia's online replacement for the three paper forms you used to scribble on during the flight: the immigration arrival card, the health declaration and the customs declaration. It's been mandatory for all air arrivals since July 1, 2024, it's completely free, and you submit it at arrival.gov.kh or in the official app within 7 days before you fly — submitting earlier doesn't work; the window simply isn't open yet. You get a QR code, which immigration scans alongside your passport. It records that you're arriving. It does not, in any way, permit you to enter: permission is the visa's job. Our e-Arrival walkthrough covers the form field by field, plus the copycat sites that charge for it.

So — which do YOU need?

Find your row; that's your whole paperwork list.

Flying in, trip planned a week or more ahead: eVisa (apply now, print two copies) plus e-Arrival inside the 7-day window. You'll walk past the visa counter entirely.
Flying in, leaving soon or plans just changed: skip the eVisa and take visa on arrival at the airport — it's built for exactly this. You still need the e-Arrival within 7 days before you fly; it's a ten-minute form, so "soon" is fine.
Coming by land from Vietnam (Bavet) or Laos (Tropaeng Kreal): either visa works — eVisa in advance, or visa on arrival at the post with US dollar cash. No e-Arrival: land borders use paper forms.
Coming by land anywhere else: visa on arrival (the eVisa isn't accepted there), cash in hand — or a visa arranged at a Cambodian embassy beforehand.
Might stay longer, work, or retire: whichever route you take, choose the Ordinary (E) visa at $35, not the tourist visa. The E-class is the one that can be extended in-country; a tourist visa can't be converted later, full stop.
Visa-exempt passport (several ASEAN nationalities, for example): no visa needed at all — but if you're flying in, the e-Arrival still applies to you.
Planning to cross between Thailand and Cambodia by land: don't build that plan right now — every Thailand–Cambodia land border is currently closed, so that leg means flying, with the air-arrival rules above.

Two trips, worked end to end

The temple week. You're flying into Siem Reap for ten days of Angkor. Ten days out: apply for the $30 tourist eVisa at evisa.gov.kh, get the PDF, print two copies. Three days out: submit the free e-Arrival and screenshot the QR code. At Siem Reap Angkor International: skip the visa counter, show passport + eVisa copy + QR code at immigration, done. Total government cost: $30.

The open-ended one. You're bussing from Ho Chi Minh City to Phnom Penh and might stay for a year. At Bavet you could use an eVisa — but the smart move is the $35 Ordinary visa on arrival at the border (US dollars cash), because the E-class is extendable once you're in. No e-Arrival (you're entering by land; paper forms at the post). Total government cost: $35 — and your long stay stays possible.

The confusions, killed one by one

"The e-Arrival is my visa." It isn't. It's an arrival form. Travelers do occasionally land believing the QR code is their permission to enter; it grants no stay whatsoever. Visa separately, always.
"I need an eVisa AND a visa on arrival to be safe." You need one visa. They're the same 30-day permission sold through two channels. Buying both just pays the government twice.
"The eVisa works at any border — it's electronic." Five entry points only: the three international airports, Bavet and Tropaeng Kreal. This is the single most expensive misconception on this page if it reroutes your trip.
"Visa on arrival needs an approval letter first." That's a different country's old system. Cambodia's VOA needs nothing in advance — passport, photo, fee, done.
"A website charged me $25 for the e-Arrival, so it must be official." The e-Arrival costs $0 and lives only at arrival.gov.kh and the official app. The $25 bought a copycat a nice lunch; the form itself is free.
"The eVisa costs $36" (or $80). Since January 1, 2025 the official prices are $30 and $35. $36 is last year's price still quoted by stale pages; anything far above $35 is a reseller marking up the identical application.
"I'll just fill in the e-Arrival at the airport." It must be submitted within the 7 days before arrival. Do it at home, and screenshot the QR code — airport Wi-Fi and a dying phone battery are not a paperwork strategy.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between the Cambodia eVisa and the e-Arrival?

They do completely different jobs. The eVisa is an actual visa — permission to enter Cambodia, applied for online in advance at evisa.gov.kh for $30 (tourist) or $35 (Ordinary). The e-Arrival is not a visa at all: it's the free online arrival form that replaced the paper immigration, health and customs cards for people flying in. Having an e-Arrival gives you no right to enter the country — you still need a visa, either an eVisa or a visa on arrival.

If I have an eVisa, do I still need the e-Arrival?

If you're flying in, yes. The e-Arrival has been mandatory for all air arrivals since July 1, 2024, whatever visa you hold — eVisa, visa on arrival, or visa-exempt. Submit it free at arrival.gov.kh within 7 days before your flight (not earlier) and keep the QR code with your passport. If you're entering by land, the e-Arrival doesn't apply — land borders still use paper forms.

Can I get a visa on arrival if I haven't applied for anything in advance?

Yes — that's the whole point of it. Visa on arrival needs no pre-application, no approval letter and no appointment. At Cambodia's international airports and open land borders you simply show up with a passport valid for six months, a blank page and a passport-size photo, pay $30 (tourist) or $35 (Ordinary), and the visa sticker is issued at the counter, usually within 10–30 minutes at an airport.

Is the Cambodia eVisa accepted at every border crossing?

No — and this catches people out. The eVisa works at only five entry points: Techo International Airport (KTI) in Phnom Penh, Siem Reap Angkor International (SAI), Sihanoukville International (KOS), the Bavet crossing from Vietnam, and the Tropaeng Kreal crossing from Laos. Arrive anywhere else and the eVisa won't be accepted there; use visa on arrival or a visa from a Cambodian embassy instead.

Do I need both an eVisa and a visa on arrival?

No. They are two ways of getting the same thing — one 30-day visa — and you only ever need one of them. The eVisa is the visa bought online before you travel; visa on arrival is the same visa bought at the counter when you land or cross. The e-Arrival is a separate, additional form for air arrivals, and it's the only one of the three you combine with a visa.

I paid a website to submit my e-Arrival. Was that a scam?

Almost certainly, yes. The e-Arrival is completely free and can only be submitted at arrival.gov.kh or in the official Cambodia e-Arrival app. Copycat sites charge 'processing fees' for a form that costs $0. The submission itself may still be genuine, but the money bought you nothing — and note that it also didn't buy you a visa. If you still need one, apply at evisa.gov.kh or plan on a visa on arrival.

Ready to actually do them? The step-by-steps are the eVisa walkthrough, the visa on arrival walkthrough and the e-Arrival walkthrough. Crossing from Laos afterwards? See the Tropaeng Kreal border guide. Everything else pre-flight lives in Plan Your Trip.