Returning to Cambodia on a Different Passport: 2026 Aussie
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Returning to Cambodia on a Different Passport: The Aussie 2026 Guide
Renewed your Australian passport? Married and on a new surname? Travelling on a second passport for business? Cambodia treats every fresh passport number as a fresh applicant — here's what changes, what stays the same, and what biometrics still catch.
I'm an Aussie returning to Cambodia on a different passport — what do I need to know about the eVisa?
Each Cambodia eVisa application is keyed to the passport number, not your underlying identity. A renewed Australian passport, a second passport for business travel, or a passport in a new married surname produces a fresh application with no carry-over from prior trips — same $80 USD (~$122 AUD) Tourist or $90 USD (~$137 AUD) Business fee, approved in 3 business days, delivered as a printable PDF by email. Cambodia's MFAIC has no visibility on your prior visa history under the old passport number, so you apply as a 'new' applicant. The one place identity does resurface is at Immigration biometrics on entry — face match and fingerprint can still tie you back to a prior Cambodia record, which only matters if your earlier history included an overstay, deportation, or fraud flag.
Punti chiave
Cambodian Immigration keys to passport number, not person identity. A renewed, replaced, or post-name-change passport produces a fresh eVisa record with no link to prior trips on the previous passport number.
Your prior visa history isn't visible to MFAIC under the new passport — you apply as a 'new' applicant with $80 USD (~$122 AUD) Tourist or $90 USD (~$137 AUD) Business, approved in 3 business days.
Name-change marriage, DFAT renewal, second passport for business, and emergency replacement all produce the same application shape — what differs is the supporting paperwork you may need to carry on the plane.
Biometrics on entry (face match, fingerprint) can still surface a prior Cambodia record even when the passport number is new — relevant only if your earlier history included an overstay, deportation, or fraud flag.
The fix for a passport number mismatch on an existing eVisa is a free resubmission with the new details — never travel on a PDF that shows the old number.
Why Cambodia treats a new passport as a new applicant
Cambodia's eVisa system is built on the passport number as the primary key. Every application opens a fresh record, every approval pairs the visa to that exact passport number, and every entry at KTI, SAI, or KOS is checked against the passport you're physically holding. Person-level identity — your name, your face, your date of birth — sits in supporting fields, but it is the passport number that the database treats as canonical.
This has a clean practical consequence for Aussie returning travellers. A renewed Australian passport carries a different number from the old one. A second passport for business carries a different number again. A post-name-change passport replaces the surname field and the passport number. In every case, the Cambodian system sees a new applicant. The prior trips on your previous passport are not deleted — they sit against that earlier number — but they don't transfer, don't pre-populate, and don't generate any kind of returning-traveller flag at MFAIC's end.
The four Aussie scenarios — different passport, different paperwork
Four scenarios make up the bulk of 'different passport' cases we see on the Aussie returning-traveller desk. Each one produces the same shape of eVisa application, but each one carries different supporting paperwork you may need to show at check-in, at transit, or on rare occasion at Cambodian Immigration. Knowing which scenario you're in upfront keeps the trip clean.
Scenario 1: DFAT-renewed passport (same name)
The most common Aussie 'different passport' situation is a straightforward DFAT renewal between Cambodia trips. Your previous passport approached its expiry, you renewed it through Australia Post or a DFAT office, the new passport arrived with a different number and a fresh ten-year validity. Apply for the Cambodia eVisa on the new number — $80 USD (~$122 AUD) Tourist or $90 USD (~$137 AUD) Business, approved in 3 business days, delivered as a printable PDF by email. The old passport doesn't need to be carried, though some Aussies bring it as a souvenir; the cancelled stamps on the old one have no operational role at Cambodian Immigration.
Scenario 2: post-marriage name change
If you've married and updated your surname on the passport, the new document carries both a new name and a new passport number. The eVisa application uses the name exactly as it appears on the new passport's machine-readable zone. If the airline booking is still in your maiden name from before the change, fix that before flying — Cambodian Immigration cross-checks the passport name against the boarding pass on arrival. Carry the marriage certificate and a statutory declaration of name change in your carry-on; you almost certainly won't be asked for them at KTI, SAI, or KOS, but they are useful for airline check-in if the boarding-pass and passport names diverge slightly.
Scenario 3: second passport for business travel
DFAT issues second Australian passports for travellers whose work requires overlapping visas — consultants, NGO staff, journalists, sales staff with concurrent visa applications in multiple countries. A second passport carries its own unique number and a five-year validity. The eVisa application is keyed to that second-passport number; Cambodia treats it as a wholly separate document. Carry the DFAT authorisation letter that links the two passports — airlines sometimes flag the second-passport boarding pass if the system has the primary passport on file. The Cambodia eVisa second passport guide for Australians has the full mechanics.
Scenario 4: emergency replacement passport
Lost-passport scenarios in transit, or inside Cambodia, produce a DFAT emergency travel document or a short-validity emergency passport. The eVisa application on the emergency document uses the document number printed on it. Cambodian Immigration will accept the application as long as the document is genuinely a current Australian travel document; bring the DFAT emergency letter and, if relevant, the police report of the lost passport. The Cambodia eVisa emergency passport DFAT guide for Australians covers the in-Cambodia replacement flow specifically.
What the fresh application actually looks like under a new passport
The application form looks identical to a first-time Cambodia eVisa application. Same fields, same passport bio-data scan upload, same colour photo to the photo spec, same 3-business-day processing, same delivery as a printable PDF by email. There is no checkbox on the form for 'I have been to Cambodia before on a different passport' and there does not need to be — from the system's standpoint, the passport number you're submitting under is the canonical identity and the system has no prior record of it.
The one piece of careful work to do is the name field. Type the surname and given names exactly as they appear on the machine-readable zone of the new passport — uppercase, hyphens preserved, no expansions or contractions. Aussie applicants whose passport name shows a slight variation from their everyday name (a middle initial only on the passport, a hyphenated surname compressed, a maiden name retained in parentheses) sometimes type the everyday version instead and get pulled at the photo-stage check. The fix is a free resubmission with the corrected name; the trip is fine but the Aussie-timezone support team will be in touch.
The biometrics caveat — what new-passport identity does NOT reset
The passport-number-as-key rule is clean at the application stage but has one important limit at the entry stage. Cambodian Immigration runs biometrics on every air arrival — a face match against a passport-photo capture, and on some travellers a fingerprint check. Biometrics are person-level, not document-level. A face match can tie your new-passport entry back to a prior Cambodia visit on the old passport, even though the document numbers are completely different.
For the overwhelming majority of Aussies, this caveat has no practical effect. The biometric system surfaces the prior record silently; the officer at the counter sees a clean entry on the new passport and processes the trip normally. The system isn't comparing your old visa history for marketing or auditing purposes — it's looking for two specific historical flags. Flag one is an overstay on a prior visit that was not paid off at exit (the standard overstay penalty of roughly $10 USD (~$15 AUD) per day was not cleared). Flag two is a deportation or denial-of-entry record from a prior visit. Both are rare for Aussie travellers but do appear on the desk a few times a year.
If your prior visa history was completely clean — you arrived, stayed within your authorised period, and left on time — the biometric link surfaces nothing the officer cares about and the new-passport entry proceeds without comment. If your prior history included an unpaid overstay, the biometric flag is the moment Immigration brings it up. The honest path is to clear the overstay before applying on the new passport. The Cambodia overstay fines recovery guide for Australians walks through the cash-payment-at-exit flow and what to do if you left the country without paying.
The Cambodia overstay fines recovery guide for Australians covers what to do if you have a prior unpaid overstay and you want to return on a new passport. It is not a workaround — the biometric system will surface it — but the resolution path is well-trodden.
Don't try to use a new passport to dodge a prior overstay
Aussies sometimes ask the desk whether a renewed passport can be used to 'reset' a prior unpaid overstay. The honest answer is no — biometrics catch the link at entry, and arriving with an unresolved overstay on the record is a worse outcome than clearing it upfront. The clean path is to pay the overstay at exit before you return on the new passport, or to clear it through the Cambodian embassy in Canberra before the next trip if you've already departed.
Fixing a passport-number mismatch on an already-issued eVisa
A specific edge case shows up enough times to deserve its own walkthrough. You applied for the Cambodia eVisa on Monday, your DFAT-renewed passport arrived on Wednesday, and you fly on Friday. The eVisa PDF has the old passport number on it; the passport you're physically taking has a new one. Cambodian Immigration scans the passport at entry, the system pulls up the eVisa record, the two numbers don't match, and the entry is refused at the counter.
The fix is a free resubmission with the new passport details — never travel on a PDF that shows the old number. Contact our Aussie-timezone support before you fly. The resubmission produces a fresh PDF with the new passport number, approved on a faster cycle because the underlying data is already validated, and the trip proceeds normally. The original $80 USD (~$122 AUD) Tourist or $90 USD (~$137 AUD) Business application fee is not charged again; the only cost is a few hours of correction time.
The Cambodia eVisa resubmission guide for Australians has the resubmission flow in detail, including what you need to upload and how long the corrected PDF typically takes. The same flow handles other late-stage corrections — wrong date of birth, wrong photo, wrong visa class.
The short version for Aussies returning to Cambodia on a different passport: it's a fresh eVisa application on the new passport number, $80 USD (~$122 AUD) Tourist or $90 USD (~$137 AUD) Business, approved in 3 business days, delivered as a printable PDF by email. Cambodia's MFAIC has no visibility on your prior visa history under the old passport, so you apply as a 'new' applicant. Biometrics at entry can still surface a prior record but only matter if that record includes an overstay, deportation, or fraud flag. The Cambodia eVisa application page handles all four scenarios — renewal, name change, second passport, emergency replacement — with the same form.
I just renewed my Australian passport — does my old Cambodia visa history carry over?
No. Cambodia keys every eVisa record to the passport number, so your renewed passport produces a fresh applicant record with no link to prior trips on the old number. Apply on the new passport — $80 USD (~$122 AUD) Tourist or $90 USD (~$137 AUD) Business, approved in 3 business days, delivered as a printable PDF by email. The cancelled stamps on the old passport are not operationally relevant at KTI, SAI, or KOS.
Do I need to mention previous Cambodia visits when applying on a new passport?
No. The eVisa form has no field for prior Cambodia history under a different passport number and does not require you to declare it. Type the new passport details exactly as they appear in the machine-readable zone, apply, and treat the application as you would a first-time application. Cambodian MFAIC has no system view of the prior record under the old number.
I got married and my passport is in a new surname — what does the eVisa application look like?
A fresh application on the new passport, using the name exactly as it appears on the new passport's machine-readable zone. Same $80 USD (~$122 AUD) Tourist or $90 USD (~$137 AUD) Business fee, 3 business days, printable PDF by email. Carry the marriage certificate and a statutory declaration of name change in your carry-on for airline check-in scenarios where booking details still reference the maiden name.
I travel on a second Australian passport for business — does Cambodia accept it?
Yes. DFAT-issued second passports are valid Australian travel documents and Cambodia processes them like any other Australian passport. The eVisa is keyed to the second-passport number; carry the DFAT authorisation letter that links the two passports in case an airline flags the second-passport boarding pass. The Cambodia eVisa second passport guide for Australians has the full mechanics.
Can my biometrics still tie my new passport back to my old Cambodia visits?
Yes — Cambodian Immigration runs face-match and fingerprint biometrics on air arrivals at KTI, SAI, and KOS. The system can link your new-passport entry back to a prior visit on the old passport. For travellers with clean prior history, this surfaces nothing the officer cares about. For travellers with a prior unpaid overstay, deportation, or fraud flag, the biometric link is the moment Immigration brings it up — clear the prior issue before returning.
What if my old passport had an unpaid Cambodia overstay — does a new passport reset it?
No. The overstay sits against your person-level record via biometrics, not against the passport number, so a renewed or second passport doesn't clear it. The honest path is to pay the overstay at exit or clear it through the Cambodian embassy in Canberra before applying on the new passport. The Cambodia overstay fines recovery guide for Australians has the resolution flow.
My DFAT-renewed passport arrived after I already applied — the eVisa has the old number on it. What now?
Do not travel on a PDF that shows the old passport number — Cambodian Immigration scans the passport at entry and the mismatch produces an entry refusal at the counter. Contact our Aussie-timezone support before flying and we will process a free resubmission with the new passport details. The resubmitted PDF typically returns within 1-2 business days because the underlying data is already validated.
I have an emergency DFAT passport because mine was stolen — can I still apply for the Cambodia eVisa?
Yes. DFAT emergency travel documents and short-validity emergency passports are accepted by Cambodian Immigration. Apply for the eVisa on the emergency-document number, carry the DFAT emergency letter and any relevant police report, and ensure the document validity covers your full intended stay plus a buffer. The Cambodia eVisa emergency passport DFAT guide for Australians walks through the in-Cambodia replacement scenario specifically.
Margaret heads the Returning-Traveller desk at VisaToCambodia. She works with Aussies who fly to Cambodia three-plus times a year — consultants, expats, retiree snowbirds — and owns the multi-entry vs extension decision playbook the team works from.
