Before you start

A valid driving licence from your home country
A translation into English or French certified by your embassy or consulate, if the original is in neither
A valid passport and visa with at least 15 days left to run
A residence letter from your Commune/Sangkat chief confirming your address

Step-by-step

1
Get your commune residence letter
Take your lease and passport to your local Sangkat (commune) office and ask for a residence confirmation letter. Your landlord's cooperation makes this trivial and their absence makes it hard — ask before you sign a lease whether they will help with Sangkat paperwork.
In personWho: You (with your landlord)Same day to a few daysSmall unofficial administrative fee is normal
2
Get your licence translated and certified
If your licence is not in English or French, your embassy or consulate must certify the translation. Doing this through a random translation shop is the most common reason applications bounce.
In personWho: YouA few daysEmbassy fee
3
Do the medical fitness check
A basic certificate of fitness to drive is required and is available at the service locations themselves, so you do not need to organise it separately in advance.
In personWho: YouSame visitSmall fee, paid on site
4
File the exchange at an MPWT service counter
The Ministry of Public Works and Transport runs driving-licence counters inside Phnom Penh's Aeon Mall locations, which is far more pleasant than the ministry itself. Bring three 4x6cm photos on a white background with everything else.
In personWho: YouA few hours to a few days40,000 riel (Type A) / 120,000 riel (Type B)
5
Collect the licence and diary the renewal
The Cambodian licence issued on exchange is valid for one year and renewed annually. Put the renewal in your calendar the day you collect it — an expired licence is one of the two things traffic police reliably stop foreigners for.
In personWho: YouAnnualRenewal fee

Documents you’ll need

Original home-country driving licence
Certified English or French translation of the licence (embassy/consulate)
Passport with a valid visa (15+ days remaining)
Commune/Sangkat residence letter
Certificate of medical fitness
Three 4x6cm photos, white background

Things most newcomers don’t know

Your International Driving Permit stops being useful the moment you become a resident.

An IDP works for short visits, but once you hold a long-stay extension the expectation is a Cambodian licence. Insurers take the same view: a claim on a rental or your own vehicle can be contested if you were driving on an IDP while resident. The exchange is cheap enough that there is no reason to run the risk.

Source: MPWT / Australian Embassy Phnom Penh guidance

The one-year validity catches almost everyone.

Most countries issue licences valid for five or ten years, so people file the Cambodian one away and forget it. It expires in twelve months. Traffic stops on Norodom and Monivong are routine and an expired licence is an easy fine, so set the reminder when you collect it, not when you next think about driving.

Source: MPWT / IPS Cambodia

The Sangkat letter is the real bottleneck, and it depends on your landlord.

The commune residence letter is what proves you live where you say you do, and it is needed for the licence, for some bank accounts and for other administrative steps. A landlord who has never registered a foreign tenant will make it slow. Ask about Sangkat cooperation during the viewing, alongside the questions about the water bill.

Source: community-reported

Type A and Type B are separate licences with separate fees.

Type A covers motorcycles, Type B cars. Most foreigners in Phnom Penh ride a scooter and drive occasionally, and the two exchanges are priced and processed separately — 40,000 and 120,000 riel. Decide which you actually need before you queue, or you will be back.

Source: MPWT fee schedule

Common mistakes to avoid

Assuming an International Driving Permit covers you once you are resident
Turning up with a translation that was not certified by your embassy or consulate
Not having a Commune/Sangkat residence letter, or a landlord unwilling to help get one
Forgetting the Cambodian licence expires after one year, not five
Applying with fewer than 15 days left on your visa

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.