Cambodia Visas in 2026: the Cheap 30-Day E-Visa and How Nomads Extend It

Cambodia has one of the most flexible and cheapest visa systems in Southeast Asia — and no dedicated digital nomad visa. Most remote workers and long-stay travellers here are not on a glamorous nomad permit; they arrive on a standard tourist or Ordinary (business) e-visa and extend it month by month from inside the country. That is the whole point of the story: the system is built for people who want to stay, and it costs far less than its neighbours. This hub sets out the fees, the extension ladder and the paperwork traps that actually get applications rejected. Figures were last verified on 1 September 2026 against the official Cambodia e-Visa portal and the General Department of Immigration.

The two e-visas at a glance

• Tourist e-Visa (Type T): USD 30, single entry, valid 3 months, stay up to 1 month, processing 3 business days.
• Ordinary e-Visa (Type E): USD 35, single entry, valid 3 months, stay up to 1 month, processing 3 business days — this is the one you extend for long stays.
• The e-visa is single entry. If you leave, the visa is cancelled.
• Apply only through evisa.gov.kh, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' official portal. Never a third-party 'visa service'.
• Most foreign nationals can also get a Tourist (T, $30) or Ordinary (E, $35) visa on arrival at the major airports, cash only.

The official e-visa portal also issues Type A (diplomatic), B (official) and C (courtesy) visas, which take around 15 business days — but those are not relevant to travellers or nomads. The authoritative fee and processing list is on the e-Visa site.

The e-Arrival Card (mandatory, free)

Every traveller, including visa holders and those exempt, must submit a Cambodia e-Arrival Card within seven days before arrival. It is free and done online at arrival.gov.kh, and it generates a QR code you show at immigration. Miss it and you wait at the counter — or risk being turned away. This is separate from the e-visa.

Working remotely: the honest picture

Cambodia has no digital nomad visa and no official remote-work permit, so what most nomads do is live on the Ordinary (E) visa and extend it. There is no official income floor, no proof-of-savings requirement and no bank-statement check, which is exactly why it is so popular. The honest framing: the E visa and its extensions do not authorise local employment for a Cambodian company. Remote work for a foreign employer or overseas clients is the grey area effectively everyone in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap lives in, and it is rarely enforced against individuals. What you cannot do is take a Cambodian salary without a work permit.

Extending the Ordinary visa: the ladder

From the E visa you apply for an Extension of Stay (EOS) inside Cambodia — no border run needed. Roughly, using a Phnom Penh agent (the standard and easiest route): 1 month around USD 45-55, 3 months around USD 80-110, 6 months around USD 150-160 and 12 months around USD 280-300. Government fees are lower; the agent fee is the difference. Stays of 6 months or more usually require a work permit and an employment letter from a registered company, and the 12-month route (types ER, EB and ES) is a multiple-entry renewal you can take out again without leaving the country. The official schedule is published by the General Department of Immigration.

The one trap that gets extensions rejected more than anything else is the FPCS registration. Cambodia tracks foreigners through the Foreigners Present in Cambodia System (FPCS) app, and your landlord or hotel must register you at your address. Immigration checks it digitally; if you are not registered, the extension is turned down no matter how clean your paperwork is. Confirm the registration before you apply.

If you overstay

The overstay fine is USD 10 per day. Under thirty days you settle it at the airport or border on exit; over thirty days you have to pre-clear the fine plus a USD 30 exit visa at the Phnom Penh visa office, a process that can take a couple of days. Nobody plans on it, but it is worth knowing the number.

Where nomads actually base themselves

Phnom Penh is the practical hub: the biggest expat community, the cheapest good coworking, and where the visa agents and immigration office are. Siem Reap is quieter and lower-cost with a strong cafe scene but fewer coworking options. Sihanoukville has the beach but is thinner on infrastructure and community. For most nomads the trade is cost against connectivity, and Cambodia wins on the first and loses on the second compared with Thailand or Vietnam.

Compare with the neighbours

Cambodia's cheap, no-paperwork flexibility is matched by Thailand's purpose-built five-year Digital Nomad Visa and Malaysia's DE Rantau, the region's cheapest dedicated nomad pass. Vietnam uses a simple 90-day e-visa. Read our Thailand visa hub, Malaysia visa hub and Vietnam visa hub to weigh which long-stay system suits your budget and your need for infrastructure.