Cambodia eVisa on a DFAT Second Passport for Australians: Which Passport to Use in 2026

Lining up the e-Arrival Card with the right passport

The Cambodian e-Arrival Card is a separate form from the eVisa, mandatory for every air arrival, and submitted within 7 days before your flight. It has 14 fields, costs $5 USD (~$7.50 AUD) verified through us, and includes the passport number as one of the core identity fields. Like the eVisa, the e-Arrival Card is tied to whichever passport number you submit it under, and like the eVisa it must match the passport you present at Cambodian Immigration on arrival.

The practical sequence for a second-passport traveller is straightforward. Apply for the Cambodia eVisa using your second passport number. Wait the 3 business days for approval. Print the approved eVisa PDF or save it offline on your phone. Then, in the 7-day window before your flight, submit the e-Arrival Card using the same second passport number. The two forms travel as a matched pair, both pointing at the same passport, and they line up cleanly at the Cambodian arrival counter.

The mismatch failure mode is the easy mistake to make. A traveller applies for the eVisa on the second passport, then fills the e-Arrival Card on autopilot using the primary passport number that lives in their phone's password manager. The two forms now point at different passports, the airline check-in system flags the mismatch, and the trip stops at the Australian gate. The fix is annoyingly manual — re-submit the e-Arrival Card under the correct passport number with another $5 USD (~$7.50 AUD), and live with the lost time. The Cambodia e-Arrival 14-fields walkthrough has a slow-pass on every field.

The DFAT second-passport process and timeline (June 2026)

DFAT does not issue second passports on request. The application requires a justification — documented evidence that the applicant either travels on business frequently enough that a single passport cannot meet their needs, or works in a government or sensitive role where two passports are operationally required. The most common Aussie case is the frequent-business pattern: a corporate or consulting role with regular regional travel and overlapping visa-processing windows that would otherwise leave the traveller passport-less for weeks.

The mechanics start with the standard PC8 application form, plus a written justification letter from the applicant or their employer detailing the travel pattern and why a second passport is genuinely needed. Supporting documents typically include recent travel records, employer letterhead, and a clear schedule showing where the conflict arises. DFAT reviews the application against its guidelines, and approval is not automatic — a meaningful share of first-time applications are returned for more detail.

The 6-week lead time is the binding constraint for most first-time second-passport applicants. If you are reading this with a Cambodia trip in 3 weeks and no second passport yet, the second-passport path is not the answer for this trip. The realistic move is to travel on your primary passport for Cambodia, then apply for the second passport ahead of the next frequent-business window. The Australian Passport Office page lists the second-passport application steps and the current fee schedule.

Edge cases — concurrent visas, lost primary, renewal cycles

Concurrent visa processing is the textbook reason to hold a second passport. If your role involves applying for Chinese, Indian or Russian visas — all of which traditionally require the physical passport to be surrendered to the consulate for processing — and your Cambodia trip falls inside that window, the second passport is the clean way through. Apply for the Cambodia eVisa on the second, travel on the second for the Cambodia leg, and let the primary sit at the Indian consulate without disrupting the Cambodia plans.

A DFAT second passport is NOT a substitute for replacing a lost or stolen primary passport. The second is a parallel document for legitimate dual-passport scenarios, not a backup to be activated when the primary goes missing. If your primary is lost or stolen, the correct path is reporting it lost and applying for a replacement primary through the standard DFAT renewal process, even if you happen to hold a second passport at the time. The Cambodia visa lost passport emergency guide walks through the lost-passport sequence in full.

Renewal cycles on the two documents do not move together. The primary is typically a 10-year document, the second a 1-year document. If your second expires while the primary remains current, you simply renew the second through the same DFAT process. If your primary expires while the second remains current, you renew the primary on the standard DFAT renewal path and apply for a fresh eVisa against whichever passport you intend to travel on next. The Cambodia eVisa passport renewal DFAT Australia guide covers the renewal mechanics.

Name spelling across the two documents must match exactly. DFAT issues both passports under the legal name on file, so the spelling is consistent by design — but anyone whose name includes a hyphen, apostrophe or a recently-changed surname should compare both bio pages character-by-character before applying for the eVisa. A mismatch between the eVisa and the presented passport's name field, even a one-character variance, can trigger the same secondary-review process as a mismatched passport number.

Putting it together before you apply

Pick the passport you will travel on for the Cambodia leg before you do anything else. Open that specific passport, write the number into a note on your phone, and apply for the Cambodia eVisa using that number. Submit the e-Arrival Card later in the 7-day pre-flight window using the same number. Carry that passport in your hand-luggage when you check in at the Australian airport, and present it again at Cambodian Immigration. The matched-pair rule does the rest. The Cambodia eVisa name mismatch fix guide covers the wider name-and-number consistency issues if you are concerned.

If you want the wider eligibility and pathway picture before you commit to the passport choice, the Do Australians Need a Visa for Cambodia explainer covers the eligibility, fee, and pathway picture in full. When you are ready to apply, the Australian application walkthrough takes you through the upload step-by-step.

Next steps and related reading for Australians: apply for your Cambodia eVisa when you are ready to lodge, bookmark our Cambodia visa hub for Australian citizens as the single canonical reference, skim the FAQ on Cambodia visa eligibility for quick answers, and use our glossary of Cambodia visa terms to decode any acronym in this guide.