Before you start

A passport valid 6+ months
An ORDINARY (E-class) visa on entry — the T-class tourist visa is a dead end
The free e-Arrival card at arrival.gov.kh for air arrivals
For EB: documentation of employment, a business, or freelance activity
For the work permit: an employer prepared to register and file in FWCMS

Step-by-step

1
Arrive on the E visa, not the T visa
Take the ordinary (E-class) visa on arrival at Siem Reap–Angkor International or apply as an e-Visa beforehand. USD 35, thirty days. Overland arrivals from Thailand at Poipet can also issue it. Asking for the tourist visa because it is cheaper costs you a flight later.
OnlineWho: YouSame day or a few daysUSD 35
2
Find an agent before your thirty days run out
Siem Reap has fewer visa agents than Phnom Penh and they are concentrated near Sivatha Road and the Old Market. Ask in a newcomers' group or at your guesthouse for the one people actually use. Your passport goes with them for one to three weeks, so do not plan a border run during the window.
In personWho: You (via an agent)1–3 weeks~USD 285–300 for a 12-month EB via agent
3
Choose your suffix deliberately
EB if you work, run a business, freelance, or are a dependant of someone who does. EG if you are still job-hunting — short, single-entry and not renewable indefinitely. ER if you are 55 or over and retired. ES if you are enrolled at a school. The choice is not cosmetic: EG and ER do not permit work.
In personWho: YouAt extensionVaries by category and length
4
Chase your work permit yourself
The Ministry of Labour issues the work permit through FWCMS and the filing is the employer's job. In Siem Reap's hospitality and NGO sectors this step is skipped far more often than in the capital. Ask your employer for evidence of the FWCMS filing rather than a verbal assurance, and if you run your own business, file as the employer.
Via employerWho: Your employer (verify yourself)A few weeks~USD 130/year in government fees
5
Renew the work permit in the January–March window
The permit runs on the calendar year and dies on 31 December whenever it was issued. Renewal opens 1 January and closes 31 March. Miss it and you face penalties and, since 2024, an immigration officer who will not approve your next long EB extension.
OnlineWho: Your employerAnnually, Jan–MarRenewal fee plus penalties if late
6
Apply for your Angkor resident pass at two years
Once you have two years of legal residence behind you — evidenced by your ordinary visa extensions — apply to Angkor Enterprise for the special resident pass. It is free, valid for a year, renewable, and gets you into the Angkor park and Koh Ker at no charge.
OnlineWho: YouAfter 2 years of legal residenceFree

Documents you’ll need

Passport (6+ months validity)
Ordinary (E-class) visa and entry stamp
e-Arrival confirmation
Employment contract or business registration (for EB)
Proof of age and retirement income (for ER)
Work permit and employment card from FWCMS
Two years of visa extensions plus a 4x6cm photo (for the Angkor resident pass)

Things most newcomers don’t know

Two years of legal residence gets you into Angkor for free, and hardly anyone knows.

Angkor Enterprise has run a special resident pass since 1 September 2022 for foreigners who have legally resided in Cambodia for at least two years, giving free entry to the Angkor Archaeological Park and Koh Ker. It is free, lasts a year, and you apply online at spass.angkorenterprise.gov.kh or at the Angkor Enterprise office with your passport, proof of two years' residence and a photo. At USD 37 for a single visitor day, it changes the relationship you have with the place you moved for.

Source: Angkor Enterprise (angkorenterprise.gov.kh) resident pass scheme

Siem Reap employers file work permits far less reliably than Phnom Penh ones.

The capital's employers are mostly corporates and international organisations with HR functions that run FWCMS as routine. Siem Reap's are hotels, restaurants, schools and small NGOs, many of them seasonal. The legal duty is identical and the 2024 tightening applies equally, but the practice is patchier — so treat the work permit as something you verify rather than something that happens to you.

Source: MLVT / FWCMS; community-reported

EG is a clock, not a home, and Siem Reap's hiring is seasonal.

The job-seeking extension is short and single-entry, and it does not permit work. In a town where hiring concentrates around the November-to-February season, arriving in May on an EG can mean the category expires before the jobs appear. Time your arrival to the season, or arrive on EB with something already lined up.

Source: General Department of Immigration; Acclime Cambodia

The Poipet land border is a real option, and a real hassle.

Siem Reap is about three hours from the Thai border at Poipet, which makes overland runs to Thailand practical in a way they are not from Phnom Penh. It is also a crossing with a long-standing reputation for informal charges and scams around visa issuance. Have the exact fee ready, refuse to hand your passport to anyone in an unofficial booth, and prefer the e-Visa if it is accepted at your crossing.

Source: community-reported / consular travel advice

Common mistakes to avoid

Arriving on a T-class tourist visa and having to leave the country to fix it
Assuming a Siem Reap employer has filed your FWCMS work permit without asking for evidence
Missing the 1 January–31 March work-permit renewal window
Living here for years and paying USD 37 a day at Angkor without applying for the free resident pass
Arriving in the low season on a job-seeking extension that expires before the hiring starts

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