Do You Need the e-Arrival Card at a Cambodia Land Border? Answer for US Travelers
The Cambodia e-Arrival Card was built for air arrivals. At a land border the arrival declaration is handled at the crossing itself, so the rules play out differently. Here is exactly what an American files crossing overland from Vietnam versus flying in — and why this only ever comes up on the Vietnam side.
Do you need the Cambodia e-Arrival Card at a land border as a US traveler?
The Cambodia e-Arrival Card was built for air arrivals, and that is where it is unambiguously required: every American flying into Cambodia files it within the 7 days before landing. At a land border the arrival declaration is handled at the crossing desk itself, so the digital card does not behave the way it does at an airport — you complete the arrival paperwork on the spot when you walk across. What does carry across both routes is your eVisa: you need an approved Cambodia eVisa whether you fly in or cross overland from Vietnam at Bavet. For US travelers this question only ever arises on the Vietnam side, because all seven Thailand-Cambodia land borders have been closed since June 2025. If you are flying in, the e-Arrival Card is mandatory and you file it before you go.
主なポイント
- The Cambodia e-Arrival Card is built around air arrivals. Every American flying into Techo International (KTI), Siem Reap-Angkor (SAI), or Sihanouk (KOS) files it within the 7 days before landing.
- At a land border the arrival declaration is handled at the crossing itself, so the digital air process does not map one-to-one onto an overland entry from Vietnam.
- Your eVisa is the part that carries across both routes — you need an approved Cambodia eVisa whether you arrive by air or cross overland at Bavet.
- This only ever comes up on the Vietnam side for US travelers, because all seven Thailand-Cambodia land borders have been closed since June 2025.
- If you are flying in — which is how almost every American reaches Cambodia — file a verified e-Arrival Card for $5 USD, checked end-to-end before it reaches Cambodian Immigration.
The short version, and why Americans ask this at all
If you are flying into Cambodia, the e-Arrival Card is mandatory and you file it digitally within the 7 days before you land — no ambiguity. The question only gets interesting if you are crossing overland, and for US travelers that means one realistic scenario: walking across from Vietnam at the Bavet–Moc Bai crossing. At a land border the arrival declaration is handled at the crossing itself, so you should not assume the air process copies straight over.
The reason this comes up in 2026 at all is that the e-Arrival system rolled out as a digital pre-arrival form aimed at airports, where everyone passes through a clean kiosk-and-counter setup. Land crossings are a different physical reality — a road, a desk, an officer, and a stack of paper forms that has worked the same way for years. The digital card was designed for the airport flow first, and overland entries still lean on the arrival paperwork completed at the border post.
This guide answers the land-border question plainly, then walks through what actually happens at Bavet, what carries across both routes, and why almost every American ends up flying anyway. One thing to settle up front: your visa is separate from any arrival form. You still need an approved Cambodia visa for US citizens regardless of whether you arrive by air or by road — the e-Arrival question is only ever about the arrival declaration, never about the visa itself.
Air arrival vs land crossing — where the e-Arrival Card fits
The cleanest way to hold this in your head is to separate the two jobs an arrival involves. There is the visa — your permission to enter the country — and there is the arrival declaration — who you are, the trip you are on, where you are staying, and what you are bringing in. The visa is identical no matter how you arrive. The arrival declaration is where air and land diverge.
Fly in, and the arrival declaration is the digital e-Arrival Card: 14 fields across three sections, filed online within the 7 days before you land, presented as a confirmation at the immigration counter. Cross at a land border, and that same declaration is collected at the crossing — you fill out the arrival paperwork at the desk as you pass through, the way overland travelers have done for years. The information requested overlaps heavily; the channel is what changes.
So the headline answer is: flying in, you file the e-Arrival Card yourself before you go; crossing overland, you handle the arrival declaration at the border desk when you get there. The visa stays constant across both. If you want the air-versus-land contrast spelled out field by field, our breakdown of the Cambodia e-Arrival Card at land borders vs air for Americans
よくある質問
Do US citizens need the Cambodia e-Arrival Card at a land border?
The e-Arrival Card is built for air arrivals, where it is required and filed online within 7 days before you land. At a land border the arrival declaration is collected at the crossing desk itself, so you complete the arrival paperwork on the spot rather than scanning a digital card. What you do need at both air and land entry is an approved Cambodia eVisa. For US travelers this only comes up at Bavet on the Vietnam side, since all seven Thailand-Cambodia land borders have been closed since June 2025.
What do I fill out crossing into Cambodia at Bavet?
You present your passport and your approved eVisa at the Cambodian arrival post and complete the arrival paperwork the officer gives you at the desk. There is no airport-style kiosk at a road border, so you handle the declaration in person rather than with a QR code prepared at home. Have your eVisa approved and printed before you leave Vietnam, because that is the one document the border will not generate for you.
Can I still cross from Thailand into Cambodia by land?
No. All seven Thailand-Cambodia land borders have been closed since June 2025, and they remain shut through early 2026. If your plan was to enter Cambodia overland from Thailand, that route no longer exists and you will need to fly. The only realistic overland entry for US travelers in 2026 is from Vietnam at the Bavet crossing.
Do I still need a Cambodia eVisa if I cross by land?
Yes. Your eVisa is required whether you fly in or cross overland — it is the constant across both routes. Apply ahead, get it approved in 3 business days, and print it before you travel. The arrival declaration (the digital e-Arrival Card for flights, or the paperwork at the desk for land) is a separate step that sits on top of the visa, never in place of it.
Is there a fee for the arrival declaration at a land border?
Legitimate Cambodian entry by land is your eVisa plus the arrival paperwork completed at the desk — nothing extra changes hands. Bavet has a reputation for unofficial cash demands such as a "stamping fee" or "processing fee," and those are shakedowns, not real charges. Stay polite, ask for a receipt, and the request usually disappears. There is no digital-card fee waiting at a road border.
Should I fly or cross overland into Cambodia?
Most US travelers fly, and for good reason. A flight from Ho Chi Minh City to Phnom Penh is under an hour against roughly seven hours by bus plus a border-post wait, and flying lets you file the e-Arrival Card calmly from home within the 7-day window. The overland route from Vietnam is doable if you want the adventure, but the air route is the smoother default in 2026.
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