Cambodia limits 14-day visa-free stays for Chinese tourists through Oct. 15

Cambodia temporarily removed visa requirements for certain Chinese passport holders on June 15, but it hasn’t approved the broader visa-free access under discussion for European and other high-income markets.

China pilot runs through Oct. 15

Before the trial, affected travelers generally needed an e-Visa or visa on arrival. The four-month pilot covers passport holders from mainland China, Hong Kong and Macao, excluding Taiwan.

Travelers don’t need a visa application or visa fee during the trial, but they must complete Cambodia’s E-Arrival Card and pass standard immigration checks. Multiple entries are permitted, with each stay capped at 14 days.

Eligible travelers must arrive during the pilot, which ends Oct. 15. Unless Cambodia formally extends the exemption, arrivals after that date will return to the standard visa rules.

Wider access remains a proposal

Cambodian officials have discussed visa-free stays of 15 to 45 days for European travelers visiting for tourism, business or cultural purposes. No government decree, country list or start date has been published.

Travelers from the European Union, United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and South Korea still need an e-Visa or visa on arrival. Cambodia’s existing exemptions for several Southeast Asian countries and a small number of other nationalities remain unchanged.

EuroCham Cambodia has recommended visa-free stays of up to 30 days through Dec. 31, 2027, covering Europe, the United States, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand. That remains an industry proposal, not government policy.

Long stays still require the E-class route

The China pilot doesn’t replace Cambodia’s long-stay system. Expats and remote workers planning to remain beyond short tourist visits still need an E-class ordinary visa and, where required, a work permit under Cambodia’s residency rules.

EuroCham has separately proposed a three- to six-month live-and-work pathway for remote professionals before they enter the standard E-class and work-permit system. Cambodia hasn’t approved or published that pathway.