eVisa vs Visa on Arrival for Cambodia: Why US Travelers Should Apply Online First
Apply online before you fly. For US travelers in 2026, the Cambodia eVisa lands as a printable PDF in 3 business days, clears the airline gate cleanly, and lets you walk straight to Immigration — while the on-arrival counter is a slower, riskier fallback that only exists at a few airports.
Should US travelers get a Cambodia eVisa or a visa on arrival in 2026?
Apply for the Cambodia eVisa online before you fly. For US citizens in 2026 the eVisa is the cleaner, safer route: it is approved in 3 business days, delivered as a printable PDF by email, and it clears the airline gate in the United States so you are never at risk of being denied boarding. The on-arrival counter still exists at the open international airports, but it is a fallback — you queue after a long-haul flight, the cost is comparable, and it does not exist at any land border. The Tourist eVisa is $80 USD all-in and the Business eVisa is $90 USD all-in, both approved in 3 business days. Sorting the visa before you leave home removes the single biggest variable from your arrival.
Wichtigste Erkenntnisse
- Apply online first. The Cambodia eVisa is approved in 3 business days and delivered as a printable PDF, so you reach the airport with the visa already settled instead of gambling on a counter.
- The on-arrival counter exists only at the open airports (KTI, SAI, KOS) — never at a land border, and the airline can still deny boarding in the US if you turn up with nothing in hand.
- The Tourist eVisa is $80 USD all-in and the Business eVisa is $90 USD all-in, both approved in 3 business days, with free resubmission if Immigration flags a correction.
- Both routes cost real money and both still need the separate e-Arrival Card — the on-arrival counter saves you nothing and adds a queue at the worst possible moment, right after a long-haul flight.
- Land entry is the dealbreaker: all seven Thailand-Cambodia land borders have been closed since June 2025, so any Bangkok-overland plan is off the table and applying online before you fly is the only reliable path.
Why this choice matters more in 2026
This guide lays out both routes honestly — what the on-arrival counter actually is, where it exists, what it costs, and why the eVisa wins for almost every American traveler in 2026. If you are still working out whether you even need a visa at all, start with do US citizens need a visa for Cambodia, and if your plan involved crossing from Thailand, read the Cambodia-Thailand land border status before you book. For the full reference on cost, documents, and processing, the Cambodia visa for United States citizens hub pulls it together.
What each route actually is
The eVisa — applied online before you fly
The visa on arrival — handled at the airport counter
The single most important thing to understand is that the on-arrival counter does not exist everywhere. It is an airport-only service. There is no on-arrival option at any of the land borders, and the airline check-in agent in the United States can still refuse to board you if you show up with no visa and no eVisa PDF — because they are the ones penalized if Cambodia turns you away. The eligible entry points guide maps exactly which airports and crossings work for US travelers in 2026.
eVisa vs visa on arrival: the honest side-by-side
The price difference is not the deciding factor people expect. The on-arrival counter is not a discount route — you still pay a real fee, in cash, on the day. What the eVisa buys you for a comparable price is certainty: you know you are getting in before you board, and you are not depending on the counter being staffed, the card terminal working, or your cash being the right currency. If the money is what is driving the question, the breakdown of why the eVisa is cheaper than visa on arrival lays out the real numbers side by side.
Why applying online first wins for US travelers
- Boarding refusal in the United States. Airlines check for a valid visa or eVisa at the US gate before they let you on. Turn up at LAX, SFO, or JFK with nothing and the desk agent can lawfully refuse to board you, because the carrier eats the fine if Cambodia denies you entry. An approved eVisa PDF settles that question on the spot.
Häufig gestellte Fragen
Should I get a Cambodia eVisa or a visa on arrival as a US citizen?
Apply for the eVisa online before you fly. It is approved in 3 business days, delivered as a printable PDF, and clears the airline gate in the United States so you are never at risk of being denied boarding. The on-arrival counter still exists at the open international airports (KTI, SAI, KOS), but it is a slower, riskier fallback: you queue after a long-haul flight, pay a comparable fee in cash, and there is no on-arrival option at any land border. For almost every American traveler, applying online first is the clear winner.
Is the visa on arrival cheaper than the Cambodia eVisa?
No — the on-arrival counter is not a discount route. You still pay a real visa fee, in cash, on the day you land. The Tourist eVisa is $80 USD all-in and the Business eVisa is $90 USD all-in, both approved in 3 business days and delivered as a printable PDF. For a comparable price, the eVisa buys you certainty: you know you are getting in before you board, with free resubmission if anything needs fixing.
Can I be denied boarding in the US if I plan to get a visa on arrival?
Yes. Airlines check for a valid visa or eVisa at the US departure gate, because the carrier is penalized if Cambodia refuses you entry. If you turn up at LAX, SFO, or JFK with no visa and no eVisa PDF, the desk agent can lawfully refuse to board you. An approved eVisa settles that question on the spot, which is one of the strongest reasons to apply online before you fly.
Is visa on arrival available at the Cambodia land borders?
No. The on-arrival counter is an airport-only service — it exists at KTI in Phnom Penh, SAI in Siem Reap-Angkor, and KOS in Sihanoukville, but never at a land border. On top of that, all seven Thailand-Cambodia land borders have been closed since June 2025, so the overland route the on-arrival visa used to serve does not work in 2026. If your trip ever touched a land crossing, applying for the eVisa online before you fly is the only reliable path.
Do I still need the e-Arrival Card if I use the visa on arrival?
Yes. The e-Arrival Card is mandatory for every air arrival regardless of how you get your visa. It is a separate online form — 14 fields, submitted within 7 days before your arrival — that produces a QR code you present at the airport. Choosing the on-arrival counter does not remove this step, which is why it saves you less than it seems: you are doing online paperwork from home either way, so you may as well settle the visa at the same time.
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