Cambodia e-Arrival vs eVisa: How Long Each One Takes
The Cambodia eVisa and the e-Arrival Card run on two completely different clocks. The visa is approved in 3 business days; the e-Arrival confirmation comes back fast inside a 7-day window. Here is exactly how long each one takes, why the order matters, and how to time both so neither one is the thing that holds up your trip.
How long does the Cambodia e-Arrival Card take versus the eVisa?
They run on two separate clocks. The Cambodia eVisa is approved in 3 business days and delivered as a printable PDF by email — that is the document that takes real lead time, so you apply for it well before your trip. The e-Arrival Card is a short pre-arrival declaration, not a visa, so it clears far faster once you file it; you submit it within the 7 days before you land. The practical order for an American is simple: get the eVisa approved first, then file the e-Arrival Card in the final week. You need both for entry, and they are checked together at the immigration desk, but only the visa carries a multi-day approval window you have to plan around.
Key Takeaways
- These are two different documents on two different clocks: the eVisa is approved in 3 business days, the e-Arrival confirmation comes back quickly inside a short window.
- Apply for the eVisa first and well ahead of your trip — its 3 business days run on Cambodian business days, so weekends and Khmer public holidays do not count toward the clock.
- File the e-Arrival Card last, within the 7 days before you arrive. It is a short declaration, not a visa, so it clears far faster than the eVisa once it is in.
- You need both. The eVisa is your permission to enter; the e-Arrival Card is the pre-arrival declaration. They are checked together at the immigration desk and one does not replace the other.
- We deliver the eVisa as a printable PDF by email in 3 business days and the $5 USD verified e-Arrival as a printable confirmation, both checked end-to-end before they reach Cambodian Immigration, with US-timezone support if anything is flagged.
Two documents, two clocks
The single most common timing mistake American travelers make with Cambodia is treating the eVisa and the e-Arrival Card as one thing on one clock. They are not. They are two separate documents, filed at two different points in your trip planning, that clear at two completely different speeds. Mix them up and you either file the e-Arrival far too early or leave the visa far too late — and only one of those mistakes is recoverable in time.
Here is the short version. The eVisa is the document with real lead time: it is approved in 3 business days and delivered to you as a printable PDF by email. The e-Arrival Card is a short pre-arrival declaration — it is not a visa, it does not go through a multi-day approval, and it clears quickly once you submit it inside the 7-day window before you fly. So the visa is the thing you plan around, and the e-Arrival is the thing you do last.
This guide breaks down each clock separately — what 3 business days actually means for the visa, how fast the e-Arrival confirmation really comes back, and how to sequence both so neither one becomes the reason you are stuck at a gate or a kiosk. If you only want the visa side, our full guide to how long the Cambodia eVisa takes for Americans covers the approval window in depth. When you are ready, you can apply and start the 3-business-day clock right away.
The eVisa clock: approved in 3 business days
The Cambodia eVisa is approved in 3 business days. That is the number to plan everything else around, because it is the longest single wait in your whole entry process. Once your application is in and your payment clears, the file goes through review and comes back to you as a printable PDF in your inbox, ready to fold into your travel wallet. The Tourist eVisa is $80 USD all-in and the Business eVisa is $90 USD, and both clear on the same 3-business-day timeline.
The word that matters most in "3 business days" is business. The clock runs on Cambodian working days, not calendar days, and not your US calendar. If you apply on a Friday, the clock effectively picks up the following week — Saturday and Sunday do not count. Cambodian public holidays do not count either, and Cambodia has a cluster of them: Khmer New Year in April and Pchum Ben in late September or October both pull several working days off the table at once. Apply right before one of those and a 3-business-day approval can land a week out on the calendar.
Why you apply early, not last-minute
Because the eVisa is the slow document, it is the one you start first. The visa is valid for 3 months from issue, so there is no penalty for applying weeks ahead — you are not burning validity by being early, and you remove the single biggest source of last-minute trip stress. An American who applies a month out has a printed PDF sitting in a folder long before they need to think about the e-Arrival Card at all.
Frequently asked questions
How long does the Cambodia eVisa take for Americans?
The Cambodia eVisa is approved in 3 business days and delivered as a printable PDF by email. The clock runs on Cambodian business days, so weekends and Cambodian public holidays do not count toward it. Both the Tourist eVisa ($80 USD all-in) and the Business eVisa ($90 USD) clear on the same 3-business-day timeline.
How long does the Cambodia e-Arrival Card take?
The e-Arrival Card is a short pre-arrival declaration, not a visa, so it clears far faster than the eVisa once you submit it. It is 14 fields, and the confirmation comes back quickly. The thing to plan around is not its speed but its window: you file it within the 7 days before you arrive in Cambodia.
Which one takes longer, the eVisa or the e-Arrival Card?
The eVisa, by a wide margin. It carries a 3-business-day approval window, which is the longest single wait in your entry process. The e-Arrival Card is the quick step that clears fast once filed. That is why you apply for the visa well ahead of your trip and file the e-Arrival last, in the final week before you fly.
Do I need both the eVisa and the e-Arrival Card?
Yes. They are two separate documents that do two different jobs. The eVisa is your permission to enter Cambodia; the e-Arrival Card is the pre-arrival declaration. Both are mandatory for every air arrival into Cambodia in 2026, and they are checked together at the immigration desk. One does not replace the other.
Should I file the e-Arrival Card before or after I get my eVisa?
After. Apply for the eVisa first because it is the slow document with the 3-business-day approval window, then file the e-Arrival Card last, within the 7 days before you arrive. You will usually have your printed eVisa in a folder for a couple of weeks before you even open the e-Arrival form.
Can I file the e-Arrival Card weeks in advance to save time?
No. The e-Arrival Card has to be filed within the 7 days before you arrive. It is keyed to a specific flight and arrival date, so filing too early falls outside the window and will not be accepted. The practical sweet spot is two to three days before you fly, once your flight details are settled.
Do weekends and holidays affect the e-Arrival Card the way they affect the eVisa?
Not in the same way. The eVisa runs on a 3-business-day clock, so Cambodian weekends and public holidays push that approval out. The e-Arrival Card is a fast declaration filed inside a 7-day window keyed to your arrival, so the holiday calendar matters far less — what matters is filing it inside that window and getting the fields right.
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