Cambodia jails illegal residents for up to 2 years under June 1 rules

What Cambodia's new overstay rules actually say

Cambodia is enforcing tougher penalties on foreigners who overstay visas or work illegally, with new provisions allowing arrest, fines and imprisonment for those who fail to leave within one month of being found in violation. The shift was flagged in a late-May notice from the Embassy of Nepal in Bangkok after Cambodian authorities waived overstay fines for 602 Nepali nationals as a one-time amnesty.

A separate notice from the General Department of Immigration aimed at African nationals set a hard deadline of May 31, 2026. From June 1, anyone remaining illegally faces up to two years' imprisonment, fines around $8,000 and removal, per media reproductions of the immigration notice. Public documents don't show a specific "life imprisonment" clause for simple overstay; the harshest sentences are tied to related criminal activity such as cyber-scam operations and trafficking.

Who gets caught in the net

The wording of the new provisions is generic and reaches every non-Cambodian: tourists, long-stay expats on work, business or retirement visas and remote workers living on tourist or ordinary visas without proper work authorization. Embassies have specifically warned foreigners linked to illegal online operations, a category Cambodian authorities have folded into the broader immigration crackdown.

Nepalis and Africans were named in recent official notices, but the legal framework applies across nationalities. The Nepali Embassy told amnesty recipients to leave within one week to avoid arrest under the tightened rules.

What overstayers and long-stay nomads should do now

• Standard tourist Type-T visa: 30 days, extendable once for another 30 days, roughly $30 plus extension fees.
• Traditional overstay fine: about $10 per day, historically settled at the airport on departure.
• Under the new framework: once flagged by immigration, failure to leave within roughly 30 days can mean arrest, fines and imprisonment rather than a counter payment.
• Embassy amnesties like the Nepali case are exceptional and require diplomatic coordination, not a standard right.

Remote workers on tourist visas should regularize status or exit before any extension lapses. Anyone already overstaying should contact their embassy and book departure rather than wait for an airport settlement.

Read our full Cambodia guide for the complete picture.