Before you start

A passport valid 6+ months with blank pages
An ORDINARY (E-class) visa on entry — not the T-class tourist visa, which cannot be converted
A completed e-Arrival card (arrival.gov.kh) — free, mandatory for air arrivals, and separate from the visa
For EB: an employer, company or freelance activity to document the business purpose
For the work permit: an employer willing to file through FWCMS, or your own registered company

Step-by-step

1
Enter on an E-class (ordinary) visa
Apply for the ordinary visa as an e-Visa before travel or take it on arrival at Phnom Penh International. It costs USD 35 and gives 30 days. Ask for the E, not the T — the tourist visa cannot be extended into a long stay, and swapping later means leaving the country.
OnlineWho: YouSame day (on arrival) or a few days (e-Visa)USD 35
2
Submit the e-Arrival card
Complete the Cambodia e-Arrival (CeA) at arrival.gov.kh up to seven days before you fly. It is free, takes minutes, and became mandatory for air arrivals in 2025. It is not a visa and does not replace one.
OnlineWho: YouMinutesFree
3
Extend under the right suffix before day 30
Choose your category: EB if you are employed, running a business or freelancing; EG if you are still looking for work; ER if you are 55+ and retired; ES if you are enrolled at a school. Hand your passport to an agent (this is the normal channel — immigration counters are not set up for walk-ins) and choose 1, 3, 6 or 12 months. Only the 6- and 12-month extensions are multiple-entry.
In personWho: You (usually via a visa agent)1–3 weeks with your passport held~USD 50 (1mo) to ~USD 285–300 (12mo EB) via agent
4
Have your employer file the work permit through FWCMS
The Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training issues the work permit and employment card entirely through the online Foreign Workers Centralised Management System. Your employer registers, files and pays; if you are self-employed through your own Cambodian company, you do it as the employer.
Via employerWho: Your employer (or you, as your own company)A few weeks~USD 130/year in government fees
5
Renew the work permit between 1 January and 31 March
The permit runs on the calendar year and expires on 31 December regardless of when it was issued. The renewal window opens 1 January and closes 31 March. Missing it means late penalties and, increasingly, a blocked visa extension.
OnlineWho: Your employerAnnual, Jan–MarRenewal fee plus penalties if late
6
Diary the two expiry dates separately
Your EB extension expires on its own anniversary; your work permit expires on 31 December. They will almost never line up. Put both in a calendar with a month's warning, because the agent who renewed your visa will not chase your labour ministry paperwork.
OnlineWho: YouOngoingFree

Documents you’ll need

Passport (6+ months validity, blank pages)
Ordinary (E-class) visa and entry stamp
e-Arrival (CeA) confirmation
Employment contract or company registration documents (for EB)
Passport photos
Work permit and employment card (issued via FWCMS)
Proof of age and retirement income (for ER)

Things most newcomers don’t know

The EB extension does not let you work. The work permit does, and they come from different ministries.

Immigration issues the visa extension; the Ministry of Labour issues the work permit through FWCMS. For years foreigners held the first and skipped the second, because nothing connected them. Since 2024 immigration checks for a valid work permit before approving six- and twelve-month EB renewals, so the omission now threatens your right to stay, not just your right to work.

Source: MLVT / FWCMS; Acclime Cambodia immigration guide

The work permit expires on 31 December, not twelve months after you get it.

Cambodian work permits run on the calendar year, with renewals filed between 1 January and 31 March. A permit issued in October is worth ten weeks. People who arrive in the second half of the year routinely pay for a full permit, then discover in January that they owe another one — budget for that rather than being surprised by it.

Source: MLVT / FWCMS

Ask for the E visa, not the T visa, at the airport.

The T-class tourist visa cannot be converted into a long-stay extension, and since November 2025 the automatic tourist extension that used to soften this has ended. Getting the wrong stamp means a flight out and back in. It costs five dollars more to get it right, and the officer will not ask you which life you are planning.

Source: General Department of Immigration; Cambodia Expats Online

Everyone uses an agent, and that is not a red flag here.

Cambodia's extension process is not built for individual foreigners to walk in and file. Visa agents — often the same shop that does your work permit — are the normal channel, and your passport will be out of your hands for one to three weeks. Use one your employer or landlord already uses, get a receipt, and don't book international travel over the window.

Source: community-reported / Cambodian expat consensus

Common mistakes to avoid

Landing on a T-class tourist visa and discovering it cannot be extended into a long stay
Holding an EB extension and assuming it authorises employment — the work permit is separate
Missing the 1 January–31 March work-permit renewal window because the permit expired on 31 December
Taking a 1- or 3-month extension, which is single-entry, and then leaving the country
Skipping the free e-Arrival card and being held up at the airport

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