Cambodia is an easy visa for most Indian travellers and a surprisingly strict one about your exit. Nobody asks you to post a flight booking to an embassy months ahead. The pressure point comes later, at the airline counter and at the arrival desk in Phnom Penh or Siem Reap, where staff can want to see how you are leaving. This guide covers the visa options, quotes what Cambodian embassies actually publish about return tickets, and shows where a reservation is sensible and where you should hold a real ticket.
Cambodia visa for Indians: key facts
| Question | Official position |
|---|---|
| Main tourist visa | Tourist visa (T): single entry, a 30-day stay, valid three months from issue.[1][2] |
| How to get it | Online through Cambodia's official e-visa portal, from an embassy, or on arrival at designated airports and border points.[1][3] |
| Return ticket rule | "All travelers need a return ticket or leave the territory", without which boarding or entry "may be probably denied".[1] |
| Visa on arrival needs | Passport valid at least six months, a return ticket or proof you will leave, and a recent photo.[1] |
| Arrival airports with visa on arrival | Phnom Penh, Siem Reap and Sihanoukville, plus listed land and sea crossings.[1] |
| Arrival form | Cambodia runs an official online e-Arrival form at arrival.gov.kh.[4] |
Do Indians need a visa for Cambodia?
Plan on yes. Cambodia's visa-free arrangements mainly cover its regional neighbours, and an Indian passport holder should arrive with a visa or be ready to get one at the border. The usual choice is between three routes.
The e-visa. You apply online on the government portal, evisa.gov.kh, upload your passport page and photo, pay by card, and receive the visa by email. The London embassy's FAQ sends applicants to this portal for tourist and business visas.[2][3] We could not open the portal's own pages in October 2026 because it blocks automated access, so we do not quote its fee or processing time here. You will see both before you pay.
The visa on arrival. Cambodia's embassy in Paris describes it as a way of "facilitating the arrival of visitors without an entry visa", available at the three main airports and at a long list of land and sea crossings.[1] Whether it is open to every nationality is something to confirm on the official portal before you rely on it.
An embassy visa. You can still apply through a Cambodian embassy, which issues tourist visas in two to three working days at the Paris mission.[1] For most Indian travellers the e-visa is simpler.
Other passports: Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Nepali and Sri Lankan travellers should check the e-visa portal for their own eligibility. If you hold a passport from a neighbouring ASEAN country, check whether you are visa-exempt before applying for anything.
What documents do you need for a Cambodia tourist visa?
The list is short. For the visa on arrival, the Paris embassy names three things: a passport "valid for at least 6 months", "a return ticket or leave the territory", and "a recent photo".[1] For an embassy application, it asks for a completed form, a recent photo and a passport valid "at least 6 months after the date of departure from Cambodia".[1]
- Passport with comfortable validity and at least one blank page. Count six months from the day you leave Cambodia, not the day you arrive.
- A recent photo, digital for the e-visa, printed if you go for the visa on arrival.
- Proof you will leave: a return flight, an onward flight, or a bus or boat ticket out of the country.
- Your hotel address for the arrival form and the immigration officer.
- For the e-visa, a card that works for international online payments.
Notice what is missing. There is no bank statement, no covering letter and no itinerary file to submit, unlike a Schengen or Taiwan application. The flight question is not about your visa file at all. It is about the airport.
What do the official sources say about return tickets?
Here is the wording in full from the Royal Embassy of Cambodia in Paris:
- General rule: "All travelers need a return ticket or leave the territory without which the boarding at the airport or the entry to Cambodia by land or by boat may be probably denied."[1]
- Visa on arrival: issued "upon presentation of the passport, valid for at least 6 months, a return ticket or leave the territory, a recent photo."[1]
Two things stand out. First, the rule covers everyone, not only visa-on-arrival travellers. Second, it names the airline counter, not just Cambodian immigration, as the place you can be stopped. The phrase "leave the territory" also means a bus ticket to Bangkok or a boat onward counts as your exit, not only a flight back to India.
Plain answer: the embassy asks for "a return ticket". A hold is not a purchased fare, and an airline agent or immigration officer may want a real one. If you are flying in on the e-visa and your return is already bought, you have nothing to worry about. If you are travelling one way, sort out a genuine exit before you board.
Will the airline or Cambodian immigration check your exit?
They can, and the airline is the more likely of the two. Carriers check every international passenger's documents against IATA's Timatic database, which airlines rely on to avoid fines for carrying travellers who are refused entry.[5] When a booking is one way into Phnom Penh, the agent may ask how you leave.
At the arrival hall, the visa-on-arrival desk is the one place where the return ticket is written into the requirements.[1] E-visa holders usually move through faster, but the general rule still applies to them. Keep the itinerary printed or ready on your phone, along with your hotel address.
Before landing, complete the government's online e-Arrival form at arrival.gov.kh, which Cambodia uses for arrival details.[4] Check the portal for when you can submit it relative to your flight.
A worked example. Say you fly Kolkata to Bangkok, then Bangkok to Siem Reap on a separate one-way ticket, planning to bus to Ho Chi Minh City nine days later. The airline in Bangkok sees a one-way ticket into Cambodia. Showing your bus ticket out to Vietnam, plus the Vietnam e-visa, answers its question. Our guide on showing an overland exit covers this sort of exit.
E-visa, visa on arrival or embassy visa: how they compare
| Point | e-visa | Visa on arrival | Embassy visa |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where you apply | Official portal, evisa.gov.kh | At designated airports and crossings | Cambodian embassy |
| Stay | 30 days, single entry | 30 days, single entry | 30 days, single entry |
| Flight proof at application | Not part of the upload | "a return ticket or leave the territory" | Form, photo, passport |
| Exit rule at boarding | "All travelers need a return ticket or leave the territory" | ||
| Best for | Most Indian travellers | Backup, or travellers whose nationality is eligible | People who prefer paper visas |
Where a flight reservation helps for Cambodia
For the Cambodian visa itself, a reservation adds very little, because the e-visa does not ask for one. Where it does help is the wider trip.
- Another embassy wants your full route. Planning a Japan or Schengen trip that passes through Phnom Penh? That consulate may want a flight plan covering every leg, and a reservation lets you show it without paying for each flight early.
- Your plans are not fixed yet. While you compare a Siem Reap-first route with a Phnom Penh-first one, a reservation is a cheap way to set out dates for the hotel and the visa form.
- A reservation is acceptable to the person asking. Some agencies and tour operators just want an outline itinerary.
Where it is the wrong tool: boarding a one-way flight to Cambodia. The embassy's wording is "a return ticket", and an airline agent is entitled to ask for one. We would buy a cheap, changeable onward fare or a bus ticket out rather than gamble at the counter. Our page on onward tickets explains the options, and denied boarding without an onward ticket sets out what happens when it goes wrong.
Staying longer than 30 days
The tourist visa gives a single 30-day stay. If you want more time, the Paris embassy says tourist and business visas can be extended at the Immigration Department in Cambodia, for an additional charge.[1] Apply before your 30 days run out rather than after. An overstay is a much harder conversation than an extension.
This also affects your exit ticket. If you buy a return for day 28 and later extend, change the flight to match. A ticket dated before your extended stay ends is fine; one dated after your permitted stay is not.
Routes into Cambodia and the transit visas to watch
Most Indian travellers reach Cambodia with a connection, commonly through Bangkok, Singapore or Kuala Lumpur, or by air to Thailand or Vietnam and overland from there. Flight schedules change, so check with the airlines rather than any fixed list.
Two rules decide whether your transit stop matters. If you stay airside on one booking, you usually only need what the transit airport asks of connecting passengers. If you fly on separate tickets, collect bags or leave the airport, you are entering that country, and its own visa and onward-ticket rules apply. Thailand is a good example: its 30-day tourism exemption, in force since 15 September 2026, expects onward travel within those 30 days and an online arrival card (TDAC) filed within three days before arrival.[6] Our Thailand onward ticket guide has the detail.
Going overland from Vietnam? Arrange your Vietnam e-visa separately and choose the dates with care, because Cambodia's 30 days start when you cross. For layover rules in general, see onward tickets in transit and the transit visa guide.
Getting a Cambodia e-visa, step by step
- Check your passport. At least six months' validity after you leave Cambodia, and a blank page.
- Go to the official portal, evisa.gov.kh, and choose the tourist visa. Ignore look-alike sites that charge extra.
- Upload a clear passport scan and photo, and enter your planned arrival date and port.
- Pay by card and keep the receipt.
- Print the e-visa when it arrives and keep a copy on your phone.
- Sort out your exit: a return flight, an onward flight, or a bus or boat ticket out.
- Complete the e-Arrival form online before you fly.
- At check-in, show the e-visa and your exit plan if asked.
Mistakes that cause trouble on a Cambodia trip
- Using an unofficial e-visa website. Only the government portal issues Cambodian e-visas.
- Counting passport validity from arrival. The embassy counts six months from departure.
- Flying one way with no exit plan. The rule says "a return ticket or leave the territory".
- Overstaying the 30 days. Overland itineraries can drift; count the days.
- Arriving at a crossing that doesn't handle your visa type. Check the port before choosing a route.
- Skipping the arrival form. Fill in the e-Arrival details before landing.
If you need a reservation for another visa, here is how ours works
Suppose a Schengen or Japanese consulate wants the Phnom Penh leg on paper. We prepare a held booking under your passport name, backed by a live code in the airline's system, which you can pull up on the carrier's website yourself. Treat it as evidence of a plan; it gets nobody onto an aircraft.
One flat fee per person covers one direction or both; longer chains of flights are billed for every two sectors. Expect the PDF by email roughly ten minutes after you pay through Razorpay (UPI, cards and netbanking all work). The hold can run up to fourteen days, though the airline fixes the real figure, so we'd order it close to the date you submit. Follow progress on the track page; every currency is on dummy ticket price.
Showing a multi-country Asia route?
One reservation can cover several legs. ₹699 / $9 per passenger, per pair of legs.
Read how to verify your reservation before you hand it in anywhere, and flight reservation for visa for the difference between holding and buying. If a visa file also wants accommodation, see hotel bookings for visas.
Cambodia visa and return ticket FAQ
Do I need a return ticket to enter Cambodia?
Yes, or proof that you will leave. Cambodia's embassy in Paris says all travellers need "a return ticket or leave the territory", and that without it boarding or entry may be denied. A bus or boat ticket out of Cambodia can serve as your exit. Keep it printed or on your phone for check-in and arrival.
Does the Cambodia e-visa ask for a flight booking?
The e-visa application is mainly a passport scan, a photo, your travel dates and an online payment, and the embassy pages we checked do not list a flight upload for it. The exit rule still applies when you travel, so the airline may ask to see your return or onward ticket before boarding.
Can I use a dummy ticket to fly to Cambodia?
We would not rely on one for boarding. The official wording asks for "a return ticket", and a held reservation is not a paid ticket. If you are flying one way, buy a changeable onward fare or an overland ticket out. Reservations are better suited to another country's visa file that includes a Cambodia leg.
How long can I stay on a Cambodia tourist visa?
Thirty days on a single entry. Cambodian embassies describe the tourist visa as valid for three months from issue, with a 30-day allowable stay once you arrive. The Paris embassy adds that tourist visas can be extended at the Immigration Department in Cambodia, for an extra charge.
Which airports offer a visa on arrival in Cambodia?
The Paris embassy lists Phnom Penh, Siem Reap and Sihanoukville airports, plus land crossings on the borders with Thailand, Vietnam and Laos and several sea ports. Confirm that your nationality is eligible on the official portal first. Many travellers prefer the e-visa so the question is settled before they fly.
What is Cambodia's e-Arrival?
It is the government's online arrival form at arrival.gov.kh, used to collect your arrival details before you land. Fill it in shortly before you travel and keep the confirmation. The form is separate from your visa, so you need both an e-visa (or eligibility for a visa on arrival) and the completed arrival details.
Can I enter Cambodia by land from Thailand or Vietnam?
Yes. The Paris embassy lists land crossings such as Poi Pet and Cham Yeam on the Thai border and Bavet on the Vietnamese border for visas on arrival. Check that your crossing handles your visa type before you set off, and remember the exit rule applies whichever way you come in.
Sources
All sources last checked: October 2026.
- Royal Embassy of Cambodia in France, Visas (English version): visa types, visa on arrival, return ticket rule.
- Royal Embassy of Cambodia in the United Kingdom, Frequently asked questions.
- Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Kingdom of Cambodia, Official e-visa portal (could not be opened by our checker in October 2026).
- Kingdom of Cambodia, Cambodia e-Arrival.
- IATA, Timatic travel document database.
- Royal Thai Embassy, Helsinki, Updated tourist visa exemption scheme (30 days), effective 15 September 2026.
Related: requirements by country · onward ticket · sample tickets · Schengen visa guide.