Do Russians need a visa to Cambodia?

Many tourists, resting in Thailand, are not averse to going to Cambodia, because in this rather cheap country is located the UNESCO listed temple complex Ankhor-Wat. But the question arises whether a visa is needed for Cambodia for Russians. If you have a stamped in your passport, issued by the embassy of Thailand, then you do not need a visa to enter the neighboring territory. These two states have concluded a bilateral agreement, according to which tourists can enter the territory of one power by permission of another. The period of stay is limited to the period of validity indicated on the label.

But if you just put a stamp on your passport on arrival in Thailand (Russians mostly come to the country for recreation in this way), then you need to make an entry permit for the excursion to Cambodia. This is done by numerous tourist offices: at your request a one-time visa can be opened or a whole package of services can be provided, including transfer, excursion support, meals and accommodation. If you travel to Southeast Asia and want to cross Cambodia, you need to arrange transit transit. It is obtained identically to a tourist permit - for a period of 30 days and at a price of $ 20 US. The exception is the entry from Laos - there at the border points the stamps in the passport are not pasted.

What is a tourist visa to Cambodia? This is the so-called sticker C (unlike A, B and D - transit, long-term and business). It gives the right to stay on its territory for a month (without the right to work). It happens with a one-time entry and multi-entry (with the possibility to leave the country and re-enter it). You can open this visa in three ways, and we will now consider them.

The easiest, effortless way is to get a sticker on arrival. A visa to Cambodia is issued on a first-come-first-served basis at a border crossing point, that is, the whole procedure takes from 5 minutes to half an hour. Russians can get this stamp in their passport at the international airports of Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, as well as at land border crossings (except for the Cambodian-Laotian border). It costs 20 $ (payment is in US currency). As always, you need to have a passport with you to go abroad, and it must be still valid for more than a month after you enter. Still need two photos in the size of three by four centimeters. Who does not take with him the necessary pictures of his person, pays a "fine" in the amount of 1-3 $.

However, there are nuances. Cambodia is considered to be a country where corruption is rampant, and border guards often - especially in Thai-Cambodian crossings - can request both 40 and 50 euros, arguing that this is some kind of medical insurance and the need to buy tablets. These requirements are illegal: you can complain to their superiors, or you can "pay a fine" directly to the insolent border guard. In order for a visa to Cambodia to become yours without any problems on the border, it is better to apply for it at the country's consulate in Moscow. It is necessary to pass the valid passport and its photocopy, three photos 3 to 4, a questionnaire filled in Russian or English (the form is issued in the consulate) and pay $ 25 of the consular fee. On average, after three working days you can pick up the completed documents.

If you are not a resident of Moscow and it is costly for you to travel to a foreign consulate in the capital, you can choose a win-win and not too time-consuming method of obtaining an entry permit: it is a visa to Cambodia via the Internet. It is valid at the international airports of the country, as well as on land crossings from Vietnam (Bavet) and Thailand (Cham Yeam and Poipet). To obtain such permission, you need to find a website of the Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (evisa.mfaic.gov.kh), download the questionnaire (it in English) from there and fill it, attach a scan of the photos already mentioned and pay with a MasterCard, Visa, Discover or American bank card Express 25 $ to the specified account. As a rule, no later than three to four business days you will receive an email on the electronic box, which should be printed out twice and stapled both copies to the passport. Thus, you not only can avoid problems on the border, but also save the page of an important document.