RJames

I have a Canadian passport and understand I can obtain a visa on arrival in Cambodia. Do I need to fill out visa application forms on arrivals? Is there anything I need to produce besides payment and a photo? How painless is the visa process? I have obtained VOAs in Nepal and Indonesia which were nothing but a pain in the you know what due to long lines, needing to queue to obtain the visa and then queue again for immigration - if the process in Cambodia is similar (ie, a pain in the rear end), I am thinking of applying for an evisa in advance.

Any info will be appreciated. Thanks.

Kathie

Yes, it will be similar to Nepal and Indonesia. the evisa will make your wait shorter. Maybe I have been lucky, but I didn't think the lines were bad in any of these places!

kikiv

I had my application, photo and $20 with me and did not think the waiting was bad. However I found it unsettling how each passport was passed from one official to the next. There were about six uniformed men sitting behind a long counter. It appeared that each passport was examined and handed over to the next officer until it reached the end of the line where your name was called out and your passport handed back to you.
I would say the whole process took about 20 mins.

Here is the link to the FAQ page of the Cambodian Embassy in D.C. http://www.embassyofcambodia.org/faq.html

lcuy

Get seats near the doors (they also use the back door on BKK Air) Have your form already filled out, and hustle across the tarmac so you are at the head of the line.

But don't worry. Even if you aren't at the head of the line, it doesn't take very long. If you have a driver waiting, he won't leave, no matter how long it takes.

CounterClifton

lcuy's got good advice. I didn't think our line was that bad in SR either, but BKK Air's planes aren't that big. More importantly, we'd just arrived ahead of a VN Air jet that was considerably bigger. Still not THAT big though. Like a 737, if I recall. So the line could only be so long.

I may just get lucky though. I didn't think the line into Indonesia (Bali) was too tough. I think maybe I've been through LAX too many times.

RJames

Thanks for the replies.

I should have mentioned in the op that I will fly to Phnom Penh airport and will need to obtain my in PP and not in Siem Reap. Does that change anything?

Elainee

You need two empty facing pages. People have been denied who did not have them.

CounterClifton

Oh, good point. The visa is big.

PP airport I still wouldn't think of as terribly busy, but I've only departed there. I was going to say that PP would be more modern, but it looks like SR has got the new terminal up. When we came through it was literally a machine shed with open garage doors.

ImDebbie_U

We were in Cambodia last month and got our e-visas (from US) in advance. It was painless and the best way to avoid any lines. Enjoy your visit.

brk01

Arrived PP airport last year and VOA process was easy. Only issue was that my almost-expired US passport had run out of pages specifically designated for visas (which I should, or could, have noticed). A $20 on-the-spot fee payment resolved the issue and I was on my way. Bottom line: VOA at Phnom Penh airport not a problem.

pattyroth

I just ordered and received my visa by email last week -- so easy and didn't need two facing pages to be free. Just printed out two copies as they specified that they wanted one upon entering the country and one leaving. For the photos, I had passport photos and took a picture of them with my iPhone, sized it to 2" x 2" and used that. Worked great.

silverwool

I wouldn't stress about the six people sitting in a line passing your passport from one to the other. Look at it this way, Cambodia is a poor country and six people are being employed instead of two or three. As for saving time, I've often had my visa and been through immigration before my luggage arrived on the carousel. On most flights I've been given the application form with plenty of time to fill it out before landing. I know you walk to the terminal from the planein Siem Reap and I think its the same in Phnom Penh. Therefore walk at a brisk pace and you'll be near the front of the queue.

Also, they hold up your passport with the photo page facing you to collect your visa so watch the man at the end of the line.

WWanderer

Can someone explain the evisa to me? I can see online visa services here in Toronto that will get me visas for Cambodia and Laos (we have no embassies in Ottawa I believe, let alone consulates here in Toronto.) But they seem awfully pricey. Is it worth doing that in advance at a premium?

As for VOA, how do you get the application filled out in advance? Do they hand out blanks on the plane?

WWanderer

P.S. I really don't like sending my passport off in the mail.

Kathie

How much are they asking for the visas? If it is significantly more than getting it on arrival, I wouldn't think it would be worth it.

RJames

It soundds like the online visa services is a company selling you the visa and not the Cambodian government. I would either obtain a VOA or evisa, I certainly wouldn't send the passport to a visa company to process the visa on your behalf. Can't comment on a visa for Laos.

silverwool

If you are flying into Laos, Visas are easily obtained on arrival. Not sure about land crossings.

Kathie

The Lao visa is also available at some land crossings.

I was also wondering if WW had found a visa services company (who will charge an arm and a leg) rather than the Cambodian government's e-visa site.

WWanderer

Yes, I'm sure it's a third party company. Neither Laos nor Cambodia have embassies in Canada.

I checked the price again, for Laos. They are ridiculous, and only good for 60 days, which wouldn't work for us anyways. $180 plus tax for Laos, $75-$155 for Cambodia depending on the visa.

Kathie

Yipes! Those prices truly are ridiculous. Get your visas on arrival.