Anyone can get a Cambodian Visa when they arrive in Cambodia at Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, or any major border crossing. The only thing you need is a passport photo with you.
…or do you?
WATCH US GET TRADITIONAL CAMBODIAN SAK YANT TATTOOS HERE
CHECK OUT CAMBODIA’S SECRET ISLAND PARADISE HERE
THE LONG STORY
We arrived in Cambodia at Seam Reap airport late at night, absolutely exhausted. The line for customs didn’t look that bad, maybe 15/20 minutes and the airport was small.
But that line is for people who already HAVE their visa.
There was another line on the right for Tourist Visa on Arrival.
The wait for Visa on Arrival was probably another 20 minutes.
OK, not a big deal. I had planned to get my Visa on arrival anyway. I was prepared.
PASSPORT PHOTO REQUIRED.
I was not prepared.
PANIC.
I did not bring any passport photos with me, and a brief look around the airport confirmed there were no passport photo booths anywhere.
NOT EVEN A GIF SELFIE BOOTH FFS.
I frantically looked online for answers on what to do but unsurprisingly it seems most travelers and bloggers were more thorough in their research than I was.
I got to the front and explained – in not so many words – that I had Fuuuucked up, please don’t send me to Cambodian Jail…
The Cambodian customs official reassured me it was not a problem, BUT that there would be an extra charge.
Now if you’ve read any of my blog posts, you would know my WHOLE THING is saving money, getting deals and not overpaying.
So this was annoying that through my own fault I would be paying more.
But it’s Cambodia, surely the fee can’t be much??
The Visa itself was $36. Maybe the fee would be $20 as a sort offline. Not the end of the world but annoying when that could get you two nights accommodation on the beach!
The fee was $1.
ONE. DOLLAR.
Making the total price for my visa $31. And no, it didn’t take any longer to process than for people who already had their photos. I didn’t even have to do anything, I guess they just scanned the photo from my passport.
If we had known about photo thing, we would have wasted so much time in Thailand trying to find somewhere that did passport photos and then definitely paid more than $1 for them. Interestingly Visa on Arrival with no photo is the CHEAPEST way to get entry to Cambodia. All it costs you is 20 minutes of your time at the airport.
THE SHORT VERSION
For me, Visa On Arrival with no Passport Photo was the best option because:
- Cheapest option
- No time wasted trying to get Passport Photos
- No time wasted searching online for the right Evisa page(and not a company that overcharges you)
- Didn’t have to worry about keeping my Cambodia Tourist Visa safe whilst traveling before arriving in Cambodia.
Only Downside:
- Unpredictable extra wait at the airport whilst Visa on Arrival is processed.
CAMBODIA TOURIST VISA OPTIONS
Cambodia E-Visa Online
$36
+ Price of recent Passport Photo
Confirmation time: 3 Business Days
Visa On Arrival (with Passport Photo)
$30
+ Price of recent Passport Photo
Confirmation time: Instant
Visa On Arrival (No Passport Photo)
$31
Confirmation time: Instant
For all the information you need on Cambodia Tourist Visa’s and Online E-visa‘s including how and where to apply CLICK HERE
The post The Cheapest Way to get a Cambodia Tourist Visa appeared first on The Cheeky Traveler.
