क्या ट्रांजिट यात्रियों को कंबोडिया e-Arrival कार्ड की आवश्यकता है? (2026 कनेक्टिंग उड़ान नियम)

With the September 2025 opening of Techo International Airport (IATA: KTI) near Phnom Penh and the expansion of regional routes through Siem Reap Angkor International Airport (IATA: SAI), more travellers are routing through Cambodia between Southeast Asia, East Asia, and the Middle East. That raises a practical question before departure: do you need to file a Cambodia e-Arrival Card (CeA) and obtain a visa if you are only changing planes?

Under Cambodian immigration regulations, the requirement for both a visa and the Cambodia e-Arrival Card is triggered by passing through border control (passport control) to enter the territory of the Kingdom of Cambodia. It is not triggered merely by your aircraft touching down on a Cambodian runway.

You qualify as a true airside transit passenger only when every one of the following four conditions holds true for your itinerary:

• Both flights are booked under a single booking reference (PNR) with airlines that have an interline baggage agreement.
• Your checked luggage is tagged at your origin airport all the way to your final destination outside Cambodia.
• You either hold your onward boarding pass already or can collect it at the airside international transfer desk inside KTI or SAI without exiting into the public terminal.
• Your connection is same-day and does not require you to leave the sterile international departures concourse.

When all four conditions are met, you follow the International Transfers signs upon disembarking at KTI or SAI, clear transit security screening, and walk directly into the international departure gate lounge. Because you never present yourself at Cambodian immigration, you do not need a Cambodia e-Arrival Card, you do not need a Cambodia eVisa, and you will not receive a digital V-Pass.

The most common trap in Southeast Asian travel is booking two separate point-to-point tickets — for example, flying into Techo International Airport (KTI) on one carrier and booking an onward ticket out of KTI three hours later on a separate low-cost airline such as AirAsia Cambodia, Vietjet, or Lanmei.

When you travel on two separate tickets, the first airline sees Phnom Penh (KTI) as your final destination on their manifest. Even if you are travelling with hand luggage only, many regional carriers do not operate airside transfer desks for separate-ticket passengers and require you to exit through immigration, walk upstairs to the landside departures hall, verify your visa for your next destination at the check-in counter, and re-enter through departure security. For a full explanation of how your visa and arrival declaration interact when you enter landside, read our