Know before you go: Cambodia

Quick answer: Most nationalities need a visa (e-visa or visa on arrival) for stays of up to 30 days, US dollars are the de facto currency, and the cool dry season (November–March) is the best time to visit—but always double-check current entry rules before you fly, as Cambodia’s visa policy and border procedures have changed multiple times in 2025–2026.

Visa & entry

Cambodia now runs almost all civilian visa processing through a single official portal. Go to evisa.gov.kh - the only official Cambodia e-Visa website. It allows holders to enter Cambodia for tourism or leisure purposes for up to 30 days per visit. As of the most recent fee update, since 1 January 2025, the tourist e-visa (Type T) costs $30 USD and the business e-visa (Type E) costs $35 USD, applied for at the official government portal evisa.gov.kh with no separate processing fee. Visa on arrival remains available too: at the airport or land border, you fill a form, provide a passport photo, and pay $30 USD cash, with processing taking 10-15 minutes at major entry points.

A few important 2026 wrinkles to know:

• e-Arrival Card is now mandatory. Cambodia now requires a mandatory e-Arrival Card, ending paper stamps; it applies to arrivals by air and must be submitted online within 7 days before the flight, in addition to the e-visa. Air arrivals no longer receive a physical passport stamp, only an email confirmation.
• eVisas don’t work everywhere. eVisas are not accepted at all ports of entry, and as of December 2025, none of the border crossings from Thailand allow entry with an eVisa.
• ASEAN and regional exemptions. Citizens of Brunei, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam get visa-free entry for 14–30 days under ASEAN and bilateral agreements. There’s also a temporary program: a visa-exemption pilot running 15 June–15 October 2026 for ordinary passport holders from Mainland China, Hong Kong SAR and Macao SAR, allowing 14-day, multiple-entry stays without a fee, though a free e-Arrival Card is still required and Taiwan passport holders are not included.
• Land borders with Thailand may be affected. Land border crossings with Thailand, such as Poipet and Cham Yeam, normally offer visa on arrival, but crossings have been affected by border tensions in the recent past — check status before planning an overland route.
• Passport validity: most guides recommend at least six months’ validity from your entry date.

Confirm before you travel: visa fees, exemptions, and border-crossing rules change frequently — always check evisa.gov.kh and the General Department of Immigration directly, not third-party visa agencies, before booking.

Getting around

Cambodia has no metro or rail passenger network to speak of, so getting around relies on road transport and a growing set of apps.

• Within cities: In Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, ride-hailing apps like Grab and PassApp give metered fares and spare you the haggle, while traditional tuk-tuks remain the default city hop — negotiate before you climb in, as tourist prices can be triple the local rate. Phnom Penh’s city bus system is a cost-effective option, with fares starting around $0.40, covering defined routes across major parts of the city with air-conditioned buses. Payment is easy: you can either drop cash into the fare box or scan the KHQR code for a cashless payment.
• Between cities: Royal Railway operates trains between Phnom Penh, Sihanoukville, and Poipet, while major bus companies including Giant Ibis, Capitol Tours, and Virak Buntham serve routes between cities and tourist destinations. Expect tourist buses and shared minivans connecting major routes like Phnom Penh–Siem Reap–Sihanoukville for around US$10–15.
• Airport transfers: the most reliable way to get from Cambodian airports into town is to prebook a taxi or use a ride-hailing app, with typical fares of US$8–15 in 2026 for central hotels in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap. Note that Siem Reap’s airport has moved: Siem Reap–Angkor International Airport (SAI), which opened in 2023, sits roughly 50 km from Siem Reap town, so transfers take about 50–60 minutes and cost more.
• Domestic flights connect the main tourist hubs, though Cambodia Angkor Air is currently the only domestic carrier, so with no competition these flights run significantly more expensive than other transport — expect to pay around $100 for a 45-minute hop.
• Self-driving is generally discouraged: most travellers don’t drive themselves, as road rules are loose and accident rates are relatively high, so hiring a driver is usually better than renting a car or scooter.

Money & costs

Cambodia runs a genuine dual-currency system. Dollars are accepted for payment everywhere, often interchangeably with riel, and some tourist businesses quote prices in dollars — Cambodia is essentially a dual-currency economy. As a rule of thumb, USD is used for anything over $10-20, while Cambodian riel (KHR) is used for small change, at an exchange rate of roughly 4,000 KHR to $1.

Cash tips:

• Bring clean, crisp $50 and $100 bills from home, since ATMs now typically dispense only $100 bills in USD, and small denominations like $1–$5 are being phased out locally.
• Inspect any bills you receive: even the tiniest tear in a large US note, especially a $20, $50, or $100, renders it all but useless in Cambodia, and banks, moneychangers and businesses will not accept it.
• Most ATMs in Cambodia only dispense US dollars to foreign cardholders and charge a $4–5 USD fee per transaction. ABA Bank is an exception that lets you choose riel.
• Digital payment is booming: KHQR codes are accepted at roughly 4.9 million merchants, and the Bakong Tourist App works without needing a Cambodian bank account.
• Credit cards are accepted at most upscale hotels, shops and restaurants in the major tourist towns, but are generally not accepted outside of Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, Sihanoukville and the casinos in Poipet.

For sightseeing, note that you can buy your Angkor pass online through Angkor Enterprise, which accepts cards.

Best time to visit

The best time to visit Cambodia is during the dry season from November to March, which promises clear skies and coolest temperatures of around 30°C (86°F). This is also peak season: the trade-off of visiting during the dry season is sharing your experience with many others, especially during the festive period from late December through early January.

If you prefer fewer crowds, consider the shoulder months or the wet season. June through August are the rainy, low-tourism months and can be the best time to visit temples like Banteay Srei, Ta Prohm and Beng Mealea, which are now virtually empty, as long as you’re prepared for sudden downpours. Rain rarely ruins a whole day: most rainy-season days start clear, with mornings that feel calm and workable for temple visits, city walks and intercity travel, while rain usually arrives later, most often in the mid-to-late afternoon.

Emergencies & safety

Cambodia’s national emergency numbers, listed by the telecoms regulator, are: Police 117, Fire Fighter 118, Ambulance 119. A tourist-oriented helpline with multilingual operators is also commonly cited: Police with English, French and Italian speaking operators (24 hours a day) - +(012) 999 999, Tourist Police - +(023) 724 793.

Practical safety notes:

• English-language proficiency among local police can be limited outside major hubs — in most of Cambodia the police speak very little English, so it’s best to bring a translator with you, be it a friend, hotel employee, or tuk-tuk driver.
• If you’re a crime victim needing a police report (e.g., for an insurance claim), be aware that Cambodian police often supplement low salaries by requiring small fees for services rendered, so victims of crime should expect to pay a small amount to get a police report written, which you’ll need for a travel insurance claim.
• Save your embassy’s emergency contact number before you travel, and keep a photo of your passport and visa/e-Arrival confirmation on your phone.
• For medical emergencies in Phnom Penh, Calmette Hospital is a well-known 24-hour facility used by both locals and expats.

Official sources

• Cambodia e-Visa official portal (evisa.gov.kh)
• General Department of Immigration, Cambodia
• Tourism Cambodia — official Ministry of Tourism travel information portal
• Angkor Enterprise — official Angkor Archaeological Park ticket authority
• Telecommunication Regulator of Cambodia — official emergency numbers
• Phnom Penh Capital Hall — city government information