Crossing the Poipet Border Warnings

Many have experienced and written about their border-crossing horror stories, let’s hope through this you won’t have to write yours!

Poipet Boarder Crossing is the probably the busiest and most scamful of all the crossings into Cambodia. You really need your smarts to get through here. So when you're passing through, it's best if you're fully awake, sober, and in a good mood. Okay, maybe some alcohol might help ease the annoyance.  

You have arrived at the border. You know this because you can see the Kingdom of Cambodia Archway from afar. 

BUT, the tuk tuk will take you to a Visa office outside the Kingdom Archway. It looks legit with its clean, sanitary, business-looking surroundings and the clerks all in serious suits. Many are fooled. Don't be them.

This is NOT the Customs nor the Immigration office. There are LOADS of FAKE offices like this with fixers that charge double or triple the actual visa fee to do stuff for you. Tuk tuk and cab drivers get commission for every foreigner they bring in and that avail of their services. IGNORE ALL THIS and tell the tuk tuk to head straight to the archway. The driver may hesitate, playing dumb, but INSIST or threaten you won’t pay him.

WHAT TO DO AND WHAT YOU NEED for the VISA:

- Before getting to the archway, walk towards where it says Immigration (there’s a big blue sign just before the archway; in photo by Mike's head). 

- Go to the Departure Lane. Basically, you need to exit Thailand first.

- Being Asian, I simply get stamped in and out but since Mike is an American, we had to go through the process. 
   *For Asians - do check if your country is part of the visa exempted group.

- After getting stamped out of Thailand, you need to walk to the archway and to the Cambodia Immigration Office. It’s a small office with a lobby  and lots of foreigners filling out papers. 

- You need a pen, a recent photo for the application form, and $20 processing fee (best if you have the exact amount ready). 

- You need to fill out a form given there at the office. 

- Visa is for 30 days extendable. 

- You may also apply for the Visa Online . This is a good way to avoid getting hassled by the fixers or the immigration officials themselves. 

- The Immigration officials might ask you for other unimportant and unnecessary requirements ex, Vaccinations, some unavailable international documents. These are bogus. They only want money. Cambodia only requires a passport and photo plus the visa fee. 

- After filling out the form and getting the Visa, you walk on past the archway and the big casinos that fill the gap between the borders. Gambling isn’t allowed in Thailand, so the locals exit first to do some playing without having to enter Cambodia. 

- You reach a small, crowded office with 4 windows and foreigners all in queues.  This is the Poipet Border of the Crossing. You get stamped to enter Cambodia here. 

- Once all this is done, you go out and make a quick right at the shuttle waiting area.


Previously:  How to get from Bangkok to Siem Reap - Part 1
Next:    How to get from Bangkok to Siem Reap - Part 2