Cambodia

01The country in 30 seconds

Cambodia is one of the cheapest places to live in the region, and US dollars work almost everywhere. Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, and Kampot show three different sides of the country: a busy capital, a tourist hub near Angkor, and a quiet riverside town.

Getting in is easy — you can get a visa online or right at the border, with no embassy visits. But there's no legal "remote worker" status here. The realistic path is either a tourist visa with limited extensions, or switching to the ordinary (Type E) visa and later an EB extension, which since 2025-2026 requires an actual work permit.

• A visa is required for everyone, but it's easy to get — e-visa or on arrival, $30-36
• There's no dedicated digital-nomad visa
• Automatic tourist-visa extensions ended on November 3, 2025
• Budget per person runs about $500-1,500/month
• Facts checked as of September 2026

02Who it's for

Cambodia works well if:

• You want very cheap living and don't need Thailand-level infrastructure
• You work remotely for clients or an employer outside Cambodia
• You're fine handling your own visa and extensions, without a ready-made template
• You like that US dollars work everywhere, so you don't need a local bank from day one
• You want to try both capital-city life and something quieter — Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, and Kampot are all close to each other
• You're okay knowing remote work legality here is a gray area, not a clean status

Maybe not for you if:

• You want a clear long-term residency path without a business or employer
• You're not willing to register an FWCMS work permit if you stay on a Type E visa longer than a year
• You're counting on a Mir card or an easy bank transfer from Russia
• You care about infrastructure and services on par with neighboring countries

03Entry & visa

There's no visa-free entry to Cambodia for Russian citizens — everyone needs a visa. But getting one is simple, with no embassy visit required.

You have two easy options: an e-visa in advance at the official site evisa.gov.kh, or a visa on arrival at the airport. The tourist e-visa (Type T) costs $30 plus a $6 processing fee, and the ordinary/business e-visa (Type E) costs $35. Both give you 30 days, single entry.

You also need to fill in Cambodia's e-Arrival form before you fly, at arrival.gov.kh — a separate step from the visa, similar to Thailand's TDAC.

The land border with Thailand has been closed since mid-2025 because of the conflict, and it's still closed in 2026 — the Poipet and Cham Yeam crossings don't accept e-visa entries. So the classic "exit to Thailand and come back" visa run doesn't work right now. You can still enter by air (Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, Sihanoukville) or by land through Vietnam (Bavet) or Laos.

If you want to stay longer than a tourist visa allows, apply for the ordinary (Type E) visa instead — it can later be extended in-country (an EB extension) without crossing a border again.

04Residency & legalization

Cambodia has no visa made for digital nomads or remote workers. The realistic path is the ordinary (Type E) visa, followed by an EB extension, which in practice works as a stand-in for a business residence permit.

How it works:

1. Enter on a Type E visa (e-visa or on arrival, $35)
2. Apply for an EB extension inside Cambodia, through an agent or immigration directly — options for 1, 3, 6, or 12 months
3. Repeat the extension — many people do this for years

According to immigration-law and relocation sources, a 12-month EB extension costs around $285. This figure isn't confirmed directly on a government fee schedule, so double-check before applying.

The annual work-permit renewal deadline is March 31 (as reported for 2026). Without a valid permit on file, your visa extension can simply be refused.

In practice, many people doing fully remote work for foreign clients just keep living on a tourist visa or cycling through short visas, without ever getting an EB extension or work permit. This is not a legal status — it's a workaround that is tolerated in practice, not guaranteed.

05Work & taxes

There is no legal status of "remote worker on a Cambodian visa." The Type E visa is formally issued for a specific business or work purpose, not for freelancing with foreign clients.

In practice, many people live on a tourist or Type E visa and work remotely for clients and employers outside Cambodia. There's no visible active enforcement against this specific group, but it's a gray area, not a clearly legal one.

Sources disagree on how Cambodia taxes a foreign remote worker's income. Some say residents (182+ days in Cambodia in a tax year) are taxed on worldwide income; others say Cambodia only taxes Cambodia-sourced income, even for residents. This is a real, unresolved conflict between sources, not something we just skipped checking — if you plan to stay long-term and want to be fully compliant, get advice from a local tax consultant instead of trusting a single blog post.

06Banks, cards & money

Mir cards do not work in Cambodia at all. Cambodia isn't even on the short list of countries where Mir works with restrictions — don't count on it.

Some Russian banks issue UnionPay cards, and Cambodia does have ATMs that accept UnionPay. But there's no confirmed information for 2026 about whether Russian-issued UnionPay cards specifically work at Cambodian ATMs — it may work, depending on your bank, so treat it as unconfirmed.

You can open a local account without long-term residency. ABA Bank is the default choice for foreigners. You need a passport, any valid Cambodian visa, and a Cambodian phone number. In practice, the bank expects you to actually live in the country — a visa that shows intent to stay most of the year, not just a tourist stamp. A basic USD savings account needs about $50 to open; a current account with a debit card needs about $100.

07Renting a place

Look for housing in expat Facebook groups (like "Phnom Penh Expats" or "Kampot Expats"), on sites like IPS Cambodia, Khmer24, and cambodiaproperty.asia, or through local agents. Agents are usually free for tenants — the landlord pays the fee.

Rough monthly prices for a studio or 1-bedroom:

• Phnom Penh — $250-600 in popular areas (BKK1, Toul Tom Poung), $250-450 in newer areas further from the center
• Siem Reap — $150-350
• Kampot — $100-250

Standard deposit is 1-2 months' rent, plus the first month paid in advance. Contracts usually run 6-12 months. Furnished month-to-month rentals exist in tourist areas, but cost more.

One local detail: by law, your landlord must register you as a foreign tenant with the local authorities. If they don't, both of you can be fined, and it can also cause problems when you try to renew your visa. Ask if this is done before you sign.

08SIM card & internet

Three main carriers: Cellcard, Smart Axiata, and Metfone. 4G coverage is good in all three cities.

• A local prepaid SIM costs $1-20, depending on the carrier and starter package
• Cellcard's data bundles (25-40GB for 28-30 days) cost about $4-5
• Tourist eSIMs from international resellers usually cost 2-3 times more than a local SIM for the same data

Home fiber internet: about $25/month for 30 Mbps, $40/month for 100 Mbps, $70/month for 300 Mbps. Providers include Metfone and Digi, available in Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, and Kampot (fewer provider choices in Kampot).

09Healthcare & insurance

Public healthcare in Cambodia is not really built for foreigners — limited resources, mostly Khmer-language, and almost no expats use it. Everyone goes to private clinics instead.

Private care price range:

• A consultation at a small clinic (like Khema) — about $25
• A consultation with an embassy-recommended doctor — about $35
• A visit at a bigger hospital (Royal Phnom Penh, Raffles) — $50-200
• One night in a private room at a regular hospital — $120-150
• One night in an international-standard room (like International SOS) — from $650
• A serious hospitalization — anywhere from $1,000 to $20,000+, depending on the case

Private insurance with evacuation coverage costs about $80-200/month.

Good hospitals: Royal Phnom Penh Hospital and Raffles Medical in Phnom Penh; Royal Angkor International Hospital in Siem Reap (same group as Bangkok Hospital, English-speaking staff). Kampot has no serious private hospital — for anything beyond a basic clinic visit, people go to Phnom Penh or evacuate to Bangkok.

10Transport

Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, and Kampot have no metro and no bus system you can really rely on. The main ways to get around are tuk-tuks, moto-taxis, and ride-hailing apps.

PassApp is a Cambodian app that works in all three cities and is often cheaper than Grab. Grab is also available everywhere and may feel more familiar if you've used it elsewhere in the region. There's no Yandex Go or Uber in Cambodia.

Renting a scooter is common, especially in Siem Reap and Kampot, where it's often the main way to get around. Rental prices are low, but road accidents are a real risk — Cambodia has a high road death rate, and helmet use is low.

11Safety & important laws

Overall, Cambodia is safe for foreigners. Serious violent crime against tourists and expats is rare. The real risks are traffic and small-scale scams, not violence.

Common scams:

• Tuk-tuk drivers overcharging, or claiming your destination is "closed" to redirect you elsewhere
• Fake police checkpoints asking for an on-the-spot "fine"
• Fake gem-selling scams near Angkor Wat
• ATM card skimming — withdraw cash at ATMs attached to a bank branch, not standalone street machines

Police occasionally raid beach parties, raves, and pool parties, and test attendees on the spot.

One locally important detail: some rural areas, especially in the northwest near the Thai border and in the northeast, still have unexploded landmines and ordnance left from past wars. Stay on marked roads and tourist paths, and don't cut through forests or empty land to save time.

Also: the land border with Thailand has been closed since the summer 2025 conflict and is still closed in 2026. Avoid the border area — tensions flare up periodically.

Tourist Police with English-speaking officers operate in Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, and Sihanoukville. See Health above for emergency numbers.

12How much money you need per month

Total: Around $500-1,500 per month per person, depending on city and lifestyle

13Step-by-step moving plan

1. Check your passport has enough validity and blank pages for visas and stamps.
2. Get an e-visa in advance at evisa.gov.kh (Type T tourist — $30+$6, Type E ordinary/business — $35), or plan for a visa on arrival.
3. Fill in the e-Arrival form at arrival.gov.kh before you fly.
4. Bring cash US dollars and a non-Russian card if you have one — don't rely on Mir.
5. Get health insurance with evacuation coverage before you fly, or right after landing.
6. Book short-term housing for your first week or two, then look for a longer rental through Facebook groups or a local agent.
7. Buy a local SIM card on day one — Cellcard, Smart, or Metfone.
8. Pick your city — Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, or Kampot — and start looking at longer-term housing.
9. If you plan to stay longer than a tourist visa allows, apply for a Type E visa and find out if you'll need an EB extension and an FWCMS work permit.
10. Open a local bank account (like ABA) once you have a visa that shows intent to stay long-term.

14Useful links & Telegram

• Cambodia official e-Visa portal
• Cambodia e-Arrival form
• FWCMS — foreign work permit system
• General Department of Taxation Cambodia (GDT)
• Numbeo — Cost of Living in Phnom Penh
• ABA Bank — Current Account for foreigners