Cambodia Business Visa for a Meetings-Only Week: Why Aussies Still Need the E-Class (2026)
Aussie sales directors flying to Phnom Penh for a 5-day meetings-only week often assume the Tourist eVisa covers it — you're not 'working', after all. MFAIC reads the application differently. The Business eVisa at $90 USD (~$137 AUD) is the correct category any time the purpose-of-visit is meetings, sales calls, conferences, supplier visits, or due-diligence. Here's the honest 2026 read with a Phnom Penh worked itinerary.
Do Australians need a Business eVisa for a meetings-only week in Cambodia?
Yes. The Cambodia Business eVisa (E-Class) at $90 USD (~$137 AUD) all-in is the correct category for any Aussie trip whose purpose-of-visit is meetings, sales calls, conferences, supplier visits, or due-diligence — even a quiet 5-7 day week of nothing but meetings, no paid work. The Tourist eVisa technically restricts to leisure activities only, and MFAIC distinguishes purpose-of-visit on the application form. The Business eVisa is Approved in 3 business days, Delivered as a printable PDF by email, valid 3 months from issue, with a 30-day stay on arrival. Apply 10-14 days before flight, print 2 paper copies, file the e-Arrival Card within the 7-day window before flight.
نکات کلیدی
- Aussies flying into Cambodia for a 5-7 day meetings-only week need the Business eVisa (E-Class), not the Tourist — even with no paid work, no consulting hours, just back-to-back meetings.
- The Business eVisa is $90 USD (~$137 AUD) all-in through us — Approved in 3 business days, Delivered as a printable PDF by email, valid 3 months from issue, 30-day stay on arrival.
- MFAIC distinguishes purpose-of-visit on the application form. Ticking "Business" covers meetings, paid work, conferences, sales calls, supplier visits, due-diligence, long stays, sponsored events.
- Ticking "Tourist" technically restricts the trip to leisure activities — sightseeing, family visits, the Angkor loop. Misclassification rarely causes a rejection but can cause border-officer questions.
- The $10 USD (~$15 AUD) price gap between Tourist ($80 USD / ~$122 AUD) and Business ($90 USD / ~$137 AUD) is genuinely the cheapest insurance a corporate Aussie traveller buys all year.
- Apply 10-14 days before flight, print 2 paper copies of the eVisa PDF, file the 14-field e-Arrival Card 7 days before flight, carry a copy of any meeting agenda on your phone if asked at the counter.
Why the Tourist-or-Business call matters even for a quiet meetings week
How MFAIC reads purpose-of-visit on the application
The meetings-only edge case
Why the $10 USD (~$15 AUD) price gap is cheap insurance
Carry the meeting agenda on your phone
Even on the correct Business eVisa, having a one-page agenda — date, attendee names, company names, a one-line meeting purpose per slot — saved as a PDF on your phone is the kind of detail that closes any border-officer question in under thirty seconds. You will almost certainly never be asked. The five minutes it takes to prepare is the kind of margin a senior Aussie traveller builds into every short-haul trip.
Worked example: Aussie sales director, 5-day Phnom Penh trip
Pre-trip — 14 days before flight
Pre-trip — 7 days before flight
In-country itinerary
- Sunday — Lands at KTI mid-afternoon. Business eVisa stamped without question. Quiet evening at the BKK1 hotel.
- Monday — Two meetings with the Phnom Penh distributor at their HQ, lunch with the regional banking partner, afternoon de-brief with the on-the-ground sales rep.
- Tuesday — Half-day at the distributor's warehouse, afternoon meeting with a logistics provider, evening client dinner.
- Wednesday — Drives to Sihanoukville for a half-day at the distributor's coastal operation, late return to Phnom Penh.
سوالات متداول
Do Australians really need the Business eVisa for a meetings-only week with no paid work?
Yes. MFAIC's purpose-of-visit field on the eVisa application is what determines the class, not whether you are being paid for the specific trip. The Business E-Class category covers meetings, sales calls, conferences, supplier visits, and due-diligence — regardless of whether you are invoicing or salaried. A 5-day distributor meetings week with no paid hours is exactly what the E-Class is designed for.
What happens if I enter Cambodia on a Tourist eVisa for a meetings-only trip?
Most of the time, the entry goes through without question — Cambodian Immigration rarely actively rejects Aussies who picked the Tourist class for a Business activity. What can happen is the border officer asking what brings you to Cambodia, hearing 'meetings', and pausing to ask why you are on the Tourist class. That can mean a short secondary check or a few extra minutes of conversation. The $10 USD (~$15 AUD) price gap between Tourist and Business is the cheapest way to avoid the situation entirely.
How long does the Cambodia Business eVisa take to process?
Approved in 3 business days through us. The eVisa is Delivered as a printable PDF by email once approved, with Aussie-timezone support handling any questions during the application. Apply 10-14 days before flight to keep margin in hand around Cambodian public holidays and weekends — the 3-business-day window is reliable but worth not pushing.
Is the Business eVisa valid for an entire week-long meeting trip?
Yes — the Business eVisa is valid 3 months from issue date and runs a 30-day stay from arrival. A 5-7 day meetings week sits well inside both windows. The 30-day stay also gives you genuine optionality if the trip extends mid-week into a follow-up workshop or a Friday extension; the Business eVisa absorbs that without further admin.
Should I carry a meeting agenda at the border?
Not required, but recommended as 30-second optionality. Save a one-page PDF to your phone with date, attendee names, company names, and a one-line meeting purpose per slot. You will almost certainly never be asked. If you are, it closes the question instantly. Aussie senior travellers carry it as a routine professional reflex, the same way you would carry a hotel booking confirmation.
Can I extend the Business eVisa if my meetings extend into a second week past day 30?
Yes — the Business eVisa (E-Class) is the only Cambodia visa Aussies can extend in-country. Extensions of 1, 3, 6, or 12 months are processed through a Phnom Penh or Siem Reap registered immigration agent. The Tourist eVisa, by contrast, is a hard 30-day stay with no in-country extension path since November 2025. That is the second quiet reason the Business is the lower-regret pick for any meetings-flavoured trip.
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