Last updated: October 19, 2026
Loving Cambodia and not ready to leave? Good news: staying longer is one of the easiest visa jobs in Southeast Asia — as long as you arrived on the right visa. This page explains who can extend, what each extension type means, what agents in Phnom Penh actually charge, and how the whole process works, step by step.
The short version: extensions are done inside Cambodia, you don't need to leave the country, and almost everyone handles it through a travel or visa agent for a modest fee. Below is the full picture, with the real prices — checked in October 2026 — so you can walk into any agent's shop already knowing what you should be paying.
Cambodia has two main visas for visitors, and which one you entered on decides whether a long stay is simple or impossible.
If you arrived on a tourist (T) visa, you can extend it once, by one month only. That's it. A tourist visa can never be converted into an E-class visa inside Cambodia — so if you fall in love with the place and want to stay for six months, you'll have to leave the country and re-enter on an Ordinary visa. It's the single most common visa mistake visitors make, and it's completely avoidable.
If you arrived on an Ordinary (E-class) visa, you're in luck: it can be extended again and again, in chunks of 1, 3, 6 or 12 months, without you ever leaving Cambodia. Technically, what you're buying is called an Extension of Stay (EOS). If you haven't arrived yet and there's any chance you'll want to stay past a month, enter on the Ordinary visa — it costs only a few dollars more than the tourist visa. You can check entry visa options and fees at the official evisa.gov.kh, and if your trip is still ahead of you, sort out the paperwork in the right order: the e-Arrival card guide covers the other mandatory form, and our homepage checklist runs through everything in 30 seconds.
When you extend an E-class visa, you choose a category. There are four, and picking the right one matters — they come with different rules.
EB — business. The workhorse extension, for people employed in Cambodia or running a business here. One thing to know: the EB extension by itself doesn't make working legal. You also need a separate work permit, arranged through your employer or business — it's a different document and a different process, so make sure whoever hires you has it covered.
ER — retirement. For visitors aged 55 and over. There's no official minimum income for the ER, though some agents will ask to see pension or income proof — informally, usually somewhere around $800–1,500 a month. One firm rule: ER holders may not work in Cambodia. If you might take a job later, the EB is the safer category.
EG — general. The in-between option, mainly for people in Cambodia looking for work. The EG is capped at 6 months total and is single-entry only, so think of it as a bridge while you job-hunt — once you're employed, the usual move is to switch onto an EB.
ES — student. For people enrolled with a school or university in Cambodia. Expect to show paperwork from your institution when you apply.
Here is the page's most useful table. These are the prices Phnom Penh travel and visa agents charge for an Extension of Stay, checked in October 2026. Prices vary a few dollars from agent to agent, so treat them as honest ranges, not exact quotes — if a shop's price lands inside the range, it's a fair price.
| Extension length | Agent price (Phnom Penh) | Entries |
|---|---|---|
| 1 month | $45–53 | Single entry |
| 3 months | $75–83 | Single entry |
| 6 months | $145–163 | Multiple entry |
| 12 months | $285–300 | Multiple entry |
The "entries" column is the detail people miss. Single entry means exactly that: if you leave Cambodia — even for a weekend in Bangkok — your extension ends the moment you cross the border, and you'll need a fresh visa to come back. The 6- and 12-month extensions are multiple entry, so you can come and go as you like for the whole period. Do the maths, too: a 12-month extension works out at roughly $24–25 a month, the cheapest per-month rate on the table — if you know you'll stay, buying the year is the bargain.
One more thing a long extension should trigger: insurance. Six or twelve months is long enough that cover stops being a "maybe" — one hospital visit can cost more than the extension did. Our Cambodia travel insurance guide explains what actually matters for long stays, including medical evacuation and the motorbike clause.
The process is refreshingly low-tech:
In a hurry? Most agents offer an expedited service for an extra fee. And no — at no point do you need to leave Cambodia, visit a border, or queue at an immigration office yourself. That's what the fee buys you.
Yes. Extensions can be done in person at the General Department of Immigration in Phnom Penh. The official fees are lower than agent prices — but the paperwork, the waiting and the back-and-forth are all yours, and most travelers quickly decide the agent's margin is money well spent. DIY makes most sense if your case is unusual or you simply enjoy doing things the official way. Either route is legitimate; the prices in the table above are what the easy route costs.
Visa agents are a normal, everyday part of life in Cambodia — this isn't a grey market, it's just how the system runs. A few habits will keep it smooth:
If your visa runs out and you do nothing, the fine is $10 per day — with no maximum. That adds up fast: a month of overstay costs about $300, which is more than a whole 12-month extension bought on time. Short overstays are fixable — you pay the fine and sort your status out — but once you're over 30 days over, it can't be handled casually: it must be cleared in person at Immigration headquarters in Phnom Penh. The friendly advice writes itself: put your expiry date in your phone calendar the day your extension lands, and renew before it runs out, not after.
No. A tourist (T) visa can never be converted to an E-class visa inside Cambodia. You can extend it once, by one month — after that, staying longer means leaving and re-entering on an Ordinary (E) visa.
Usually 5–10 business days through an agent, during which your passport is held for processing. Faster, expedited handling is available at most agents for an extra fee.
No. Extensions of Stay are processed entirely inside Cambodia — that's the whole point. Leaving is only necessary if you arrived on a tourist visa and need to switch to an Ordinary visa.
You'll owe an overstay fine of $10 per day, with no cap. Short overstays can be settled and your status fixed; anything over 30 days must be cleared at Immigration headquarters in Phnom Penh. The longer you wait, the more it costs — sort it out now.
Yes. Agents in Siem Reap handle extensions every day and charge similar prices to Phnom Penh, so there's no need to travel to the capital just for paperwork.
Yes. Both are multiple entry — you can leave and re-enter Cambodia as often as you like while the extension is valid. The 1- and 3-month extensions are single entry and end the moment you leave the country.
Staying longer is genuinely the easy part of Cambodia — the country is unusually welcoming to people who want to stick around. For the rest of the long-stay picture, including the ER retirement deep-dive and ER vs EB comparisons, head back to the Stay Longer hub.
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