If you’re headed to Thailand after Cambodia, you won’t necessarily need to get a visa in advance. Thailand offers a 30-day visa-free stay for 56 nationalities that can be extended once for an additional 30 days for 1,900 baht, which is about $60. If you’d like to stay longer, or if you’ve already entered Thailand a few times, you’ll need to get a visa for Thailand in Cambodia.
Heading to Thailand?
How to get a visa for Thailand in Cambodia
If you are planning to get a visa for Thailand while you’re in Cambodia, there are two ways to do it. If it is your first Thai visa, you can take you passport to any local travel agent in Phnom Penh and they can get it for you. Most Cambodian travel agents will not deal with customers with multiple visas who may be trying to live in Thailand illegally. If you are thinking of trying Cambodia for a visa run from Thailand, know that the Phnom Penh embassy has a reputation for being quite strict.
If you get your visa directly from the Thai Embassy, it’s possible to get a 60-day tourist visa for Thailand in Phnom Penh for most nationalities, including Americans, Irish, British and Australians. Generally the visas issued are single entry, but some have reported getting double entry visas. Application forms are available online or at the embassy and you’ll need to supply a passport photo, but they can be obtained easily for $2 or less in Cambodia. With your application you’ll be asked to supply your proposed address in Thailand, your date and means of arrival, and proof of onward travel. You may also be asked to show evidence of financial savings of 20,000 baht per person or 40,000 baht per family, but a bank statement will suffice.
The visa takes three business days and costs $40 (remember that the embassy is closed for both Cambodian and Thai national holidays, and there are a lot of them). If you do not have the above information, particularly proof of onward travel, they will not issue you a visa. Those with multiple visas may also be asked for additional proof that they are traveling for the purpose of tourism and intend to return to their home country.
Royal Thai Embassy, Phnom Penh.
If you’d like to use a travel agent instead, one recommended agent is Cina Travel in Phnom Penh. The cost is $55, and you’ll need to deliver it before 10 a.m. to get it back in three days (because they need to get it to the embassy by 11 a.m.). They will only be able to get visas for those who have not had multiple previous Thai visas. You’ll need to bring proof of a hotel booking in Thailand, evidence of a flight out of Thailand to show you aren’t planning on staying, three months of bank statements, and a 4x6cm photo with a white background.
Also, citizens of certain countries including Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and any country in Africa, will additionally need to prove that they have the right to live and work in Cambodia and show a copy of their work permit, employment letter, and a copy of business registration and tax patent of the company they work for.
In other words: Cambodia is not the place to get a visa if you are trying to live in Thailand illegally.
If you’re in Siem Reap, you will need to go to Phnom Penh for a visa. We checked with expat favorite travel agent, Sopheak Na Travel, and she explained that they no longer handle Thai visas for customers, and that people must apply themselves at the embassy. It’s possible other travel agents in Siem Reap may be willing to get a Thai visa for you, but it’s probably safer to just go to the embassy yourself.
Cambodian citizens get a 14-day visa-free exemption if they are traveling by air or plane.
You can only do two visa-exempt land border crossings to Thailand per year.
Things to know about crossing the border from Cambodia to Thailand
There are a few things that are important to know about going from Cambodia to Thailand. First, you can only cross overland (ie. by road rather than by plane) twice per year using the visa-free exemption mentioned above. They are very strict about this, and if you have more than two stamps in your passport, you will not be allowed to enter the country. If you have already crossed overland twice, you will need to go to the embassy and get a visa, or it may be easier and cheaper just to fly. You can enter Cambodia through the airport up to 6 times on a visa-free exemption.
There’s also a requirement that has long been on the books but has started being enforced more regularly, particularly at land crossings. It states that you need to have a passport with at least 6 month’s validity, proof of onward travel, and “adequate finances equivalent to at least 10,000 Baht per person or 20,000 Baht per family.” Although it is not specified that cash in hand is required (a credit card with a 10,000 baht limit should theoretically suffice) this is one way that they stop people from entering that they don’t want to enter.
I was once stopped at the Thai border at Poipet/Aranyaprathet and held for an hour with an officer who didn’t speak much English and kept shouting “pocket money! pocket money!” at me over and over. I was unaware of the requirements to enter, and sat there confused, having no idea what they wanted from me. When I finally pulled all of the cash I had on hand out of my purse, I was eventually allowed to enter (and they let me keep all of it).
It’s important to note that the current Thai government is cracking down on expats who are attempting to live in Thailand using successive tourist visas. If you are attempting to do a visa run or live in Thailand illegally, be prepared to be hassled at the border and potentially turned away.
For more details about Thai visas, check out Travelfish. I’m not going into every last detail here because this post is focused on visa issues for those traveling from Cambodia, but not Thai visa issues in general, which are covered on Travelfish.
Royal Thai Embassy, Phnom Penh
Hours for visa applications: 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Hours for visa collection: 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
196 Norodom Blvd, Phnom Penh
T: 023 726 306
thaiembassy.org/phnompenh
Cina Travel
129Eo Street 130, Psar Cha, Daun Penh, Phnom Penh
T: 023 998 775; 023 998 774
E: cinatravel@cinatravel.com.kh
Hi there I have question I’m based actually in Thailand through a tourist visa ,a company recruit me so I need to get the N.B first and later on the work permit I was wondering if I the agency can get for me a N,B type B I have all the documents required including the WP3 and I’m from Tunisia
What does this have to do with Cambodia?
Thanks for this info.
I have never heard that you can get a 30 day visa overland if you are from a G7 country. That would be a lot easier for me, being from the UK, as I intend to arrive in Thailand from Cambodia overland. Do you just get this at the border?
Do you know if there are any complications as I will be entering Thailand by air, leaving for Loas after around a week and then re-entering Thailand again from Cambodia after around 2 months. I know I will have to enter on separate Thai visa’s each time but will there be any complications with this?
The last time I went through overland (about 6 weeks ago) I got a 30-day entry automatically. Occasionally they change it and make it 15 days, but I haven’t heard about that lately. You won’t have a problem re-entering (particularly) by air if you don’t have previous multiple Thailand visas. They are trying to prevent expats from living in Thailand on successive tourist visas but they have no interest in restricting the movements of actual tourists.
Mala say:
Hello Lina,I am Cambodian now staying in Thailand and my visa will expire on 13th October, May I extend Visa in Thailand?
or I has to go back to Cambodia and require it again.
I’m sorry, I’m not familiar with the rules for Cambodians, you should probably check with your embassy. Good luck!
Hello Lina. If I am going to be in Siem reap do u recon I can go to PP and get my visa in one day with lucky lucky?
2-day service is usually the fastest you can get, but things change all of the time so it would be worth giving them a call.
Hi! If we go to lucky lucky, how will the procedure look like? Do we need to leave our passports with them in the travel agency? Regards from Hanna
You’ll need to leave your passport with them, but they are very trustworthy.
Hello again Lina,
Thank you for the reply. However I read feedbacks that Combodia hardly allows Iranian to get into the country, even if they have Visa.
What a shame! I can’t believe this kind of attitude from a country, apparently they stop Iranians at the airport, behave them so bad and force them to return for no reason!
Funny that USA does not have such attitude toward Iranians, considering all the conflicts between Iran and US politically.
Yes, I confirm that I can get the Visa here at Cambodia embassy as an Iranian, but then they gonna deport me as soon as I get into Cambodia.
Hi Lina,
First of all, congrats on this very informative post and on your great blog! I would like to know if I understood one thing correctly: If I get my visa through the agency, it means I won’t need the proof of onward travel?
Thanks in advance and a lot of energy to keep on with your project!
Yes, if you get a visa in advance, you won’t need proof of onward travel once you arrive.
Thanks a lot! I’ll go in a couple of weeks. I’ll let you know if something has changed!
Please do, that would be very helpful. I just did the border crossing a few weeks ago, but didn’t get a visa in advance.
So right now you entered with the usual 15-days (or 30) overland on arrival visa?
Ok. Good to know. The thing is, I will be applying for the 60-days visa. Hope they don’t need the proof of onward traveling for that one either. I’m from Spain, so I only get 15-days overland :(
Ok. Let’s see if I’m lucky with Lucky! :p No worries, I’ll let you know asap :)
Yes, I’ve done it twice in the last 8 weeks or so, never with proof of onward travel and got 30 days overland at Poipet.
If an agent can’t do it, the guard outside the embassy can. Basically his $15 fee is so you don’t need the correct paperwork. Please do let me know what an agency says, I’d use Lucky! Lucky!
For tourist visa has only 60days,right?and how about 90days or 180days?Now i am staying in thailand .i cannot extand my visa in thailand ,i will continue my studying until December this year.
i think i can get reoly soon!
It depends on your nationality. Where are you from?
If you are French can you get a 90 or 180 days visa ?
Hello Matt,
Do you have an idea if my country is not listed in those 48 countries, I can still get Thailand tourist visa? while I am in Cambodia with my ordinary (business) visa. My passport is Iranian.
Thanks
You need to apply in person at the embassy and bring 5 passport photos and 5 copies of the visa application, per the Phnom Penh Thai embassy page: http://www.thaiembassy.org/phnompenh/th/services/1435/21868-Tourist.html
Just wanted to confirm that Lucky! Lucky! Motorcycle Shop does get you a valid visa. The Thai embassy was closed due to demonstrations but our tuk tuk driver got us over to Lucky! Lucky! and they had visas for my girlfriend and I in 1 hour. I can’t vouch for the prices quoted here but we were each charged $85. Seems high but it was well worth it to get out of PP and into Vietnam ASAP.
Thanks for the update, Matt. I’m guessing the price was higher than usual because the embassy was closed. I’ll check the prices and update this post if they’ve changed, though.