Cambodia Citizenship by Investment

Cambodia has no citizenship-by-investment product with a guaranteed outcome. What it has is naturalization under the Law on Nationality, with a faster track for investors and donors.

Article 7 of the law says naturalization isn't a right of the applicant but a favor granted by the Kingdom, and an application can be refused at the government's discretion. Naturalization is decided by Royal Decree (Article 16), and new citizens take an oath before the Supreme Court (Article 17).

A sub-decree of Dec. 1, 2025, numbered 225, revised the investment and donation routes, according to published summaries of its text. The official text hasn't appeared on a government website, so this page shows no investment or donation threshold until it does.

• What is granted: Khmer nationality, by Royal Decree
• Residence period: waived for qualifying investors
• Investment and donation thresholds: revised in 2025; official text pending
• Family can join: Yes, spouse and children under 18 in one family application

This is a change of nationality, not a visa or residence permit. For stays short of that, see the Cambodia guide.

Article 8 of the 1996 law sets the conditions for naturalization. The applicant must:

1. Hold a certificate of good behavior and moral conduct from the chief of the commune (khum) or quarter (sangkat) of residence.
2. Hold a criminal record certificate showing no conviction for any criminal offense.
3. Have lived in Cambodia continuously since receiving a residence card under the immigration law.
4. Live in Cambodia at the time of applying.
5. Speak Khmer, read Khmer script and know some Khmer history, and show they can live in harmony with Khmer society and custom.
6. Be in a mental and physical condition that poses neither danger nor burden to the nation.

Investors: Ordinary naturalization requires 7 years of continuous residence from the issue of a residence card; qualifying investors are exempt from that period. Under Articles 10 and 11, the investment needs authorization from the Council for the Development of Cambodia (CDC) or the Royal Government, and the capital must have been spent on the project.

Donors: Article 12 lets a foreigner who has made a cash donation to the national budget apply after meeting conditions 1, 2, 5 and 6 only, so neither residence condition applies.

These are the conditions in the 1996 text. Whether Sub-Decree No. 225 changes them, including the language test, wasn't confirmed from an official copy.

No official document checklist for investor or donor applicants was found for this update. The conditions in the 1996 law point to these documents:

• A good conduct certificate from the commune or quarter chief
• A criminal record certificate showing no conviction
• Proof of residence in Cambodia, including the residence card for applicants who rely on the residence period
• For investors, the CDC or Royal Government investment authorization and proof that the capital was spent
• For donors, proof of the cash donation to the national budget
• For a family application, proof of the marriage and of each child's age

An applicant who wants a Khmer name states it in writing in the application (Article 15).

This page shows no investment or donation amount. Sub-Decree No. 225 of Dec. 1, 2025 revised both thresholds, according to published summaries, but its official text isn't available from a government source. Figures quoted without that text shouldn't be treated as settled.

• Investment or donation: amount pending the official text of Sub-Decree No. 225
• Government fees: no official schedule found
• Other costs: legal help, translations, certificates and travel to Cambodia for the oath

The law leaves the procedure to a sub-decree (Article 16). No official application portal, form or processing time was found for this update.

1. Make and carry out the authorized investment, or make the donation.
2. File the naturalization application with the supporting documents.
3. Wait for the government's decision, issued as a Royal Decree if granted; the application can be refused (Article 7).
4. Take the oath before the Supreme Court (Article 17).

A family can apply as a whole: a husband, wife and children under 18 (Article 14).

Naturalization grants nationality, not a stay permit, so there is no visa period to count and no renewal step once the Royal Decree is issued.

Whether new citizens may keep another nationality under the 2025 rules couldn't be confirmed from an official text.

Citizenship doesn't set tax status; residence does. Under Article 5 of the Law on Taxation (2023), a person is a tax resident if they live in or have their principal place of abode in Cambodia, or are present for more than 182 days in any 12-month period ending in the tax year.

Residents are taxed on income from Cambodian and foreign sources, and non-residents only on Cambodian-source income (Article 4). Residents' salary tax covers foreign salary, with a credit for tax paid abroad (Articles 41 and 50).

No official source gives naturalized investors a special tax regime. The English text cited here is an unofficial translation hosted by India's embassy in Phnom Penh; the Khmer text governs.