Cambodia Visa Arriving by Yacht for Australians: Sihanoukville Maritime Entry in 2026

Entry-port formalities at Sihanoukville — what the skipper actually does

When an Aussie yacht arrives at KOS, the entry-port workflow runs through three authorities in sequence: the harbour master (port logistics), the Cambodian Maritime Authority (vessel clearance), and Cambodian Immigration (crew clearance). The skipper is the point of contact for all three. For a private yacht with three or four Aussies aboard, the full clearance usually takes 2-4 hours on arrival day, with no overnight delay if the paperwork is in order.

Arrival-window notice (48-72 hours before reaching Cambodian waters)

The skipper sends an arrival-window notice to the harbour master at Sihanoukville 48-72 hours before the vessel reaches Cambodian waters. The notice covers the vessel name, flag, registration number, last port of departure, estimated time of arrival, and the full crew list with passport numbers, nationalities, and visa references. The Cambodian Maritime Authority uses this to pre-clear the vessel and queue the on-arrival inspection.

Harbour master and Maritime Authority clearance on arrival

On arrival at KOS, the skipper presents the vessel documentation pack to the harbour master and the Cambodian Maritime Authority: vessel registration, insurance certificate, last port clearance, crew list with passports, and a copy of every crew member's Cambodian visa PDF. The harbour master assigns a berth, the Maritime Authority issues entry clearance, and the vessel is logged into Cambodian port records. This is also when the maritime equivalent of the e-Arrival Card is completed for each crew member.

Immigration clearance for each crew member

Cambodian Immigration then processes each crew member individually — passport, visa PDF, and the maritime arrival-card paperwork. Stamped in, the 30-day single-entry clock starts from the entry date. From this point each crew member can move freely in Cambodia under the visa they hold. The Cambodia visa documents required for Australians guide covers the document pack that each crew member should be carrying.

The maritime equivalent of the e-Arrival Card — how it works without a flight number

The Cambodian e-Arrival Card was designed around air arrivals, with fields for flight number, seat number, and inbound airport. For maritime arrivals at KOS, the same 14-field information set is captured through the harbour master and the Cambodian Maritime Authority, with the flight fields replaced by vessel name, vessel registration, and last port of departure. The data ends up in the same Cambodian Immigration system either way.

The practical workflow for Aussie crews is straightforward. Before the vessel sails for Cambodia, each crew member completes the e-Arrival Card through the verified channel using the vessel details rather than a flight number. The card costs $5 USD (~$7.50 AUD) verified through us, with the same 14 fields, the same 7-day arrival window before entry, and the same Checked end-to-end before it reaches Cambodian Immigration. On arrival, the skipper presents the printed maritime arrival pack — vessel paperwork plus each crew member's e-Arrival Card reference — to the harbour master, and Immigration processes each crew member against the data already in their system.

One important point: each Aussie crew member needs their own e-Arrival Card filing, not a single shared filing per vessel. Cambodia treats arrivals as individual events even when the entry mode is shared. The Cambodia e-Arrival Card 14-field walkthrough covers the data set in detail, and the e-Arrival mobile-versus-desktop guide is useful if crew are filling in the card from a phone aboard with limited connectivity.

Practical preparation — what every Aussie skipper and crew member should plan for

Two weeks of lead time is the standard planning window for a Cambodian maritime arrival. The visa side takes 3 business days, but the wider entry pack — vessel documentation, insurance refresh, last-port clearance from Thailand or Vietnam, the arrival-window notice to the harbour master — takes longer to coordinate. Plan from the back of the cruise: target arrival at KOS, 72 hours of arrival-window notice, last-port clearance dated within 7 days, every Aussie visa Approved at least a week before sailing.

For the skipper

The skipper carries the vessel-side documentation pack: registration certificate (original plus a digital copy), valid third-party insurance, last port clearance from the departing country, crew list with passport numbers and nationalities, and a fuel and provisions declaration if running on duty-free fuel. The skipper also files the arrival-window notice 48-72 hours before reaching Cambodian waters, with copies of every crew member's visa PDF attached. A local agent in Sihanoukville is optional but useful for skippers who have not entered Cambodia by sea before; budget $200-400 AUD for an agent-handled clearance.

For each Aussie crew member

Each crew member carries their personal visa pack: printed PDF Tourist or Business eVisa, passport with at least 6 months validity, the e-Arrival Card reference, and a brief identification photo. Crew members joining or leaving the vessel mid-cruise (rotating in or out at KOS) need additional paperwork — typically a signed crew-change letter from the skipper plus their own onward booking — and should plan their visa application around the actual KOS arrival date, not the original vessel departure date. The Cambodia visa cost-for-Australians guide covers the AUD conversion picture in more detail.

Insurance and contingency

Comprehensive travel insurance is non-negotiable for any Aussie sailing into Cambodia. Standard travel-insurance products often exclude private-yacht cruising or treat it as adventure travel with thin medevac limits; specialist policies from Pantaenius Australia, Topsail Insurance, or NIB Travel with sailing endorsements are the standard choice for Aussie crews. Budget $400-800 AUD per crew member for a 2-week sailing policy with proper medical evacuation cover. Smartraveller's Cambodia advisory page covers the broader DFAT picture and is the document any insurer will reference if anything goes wrong.

Pulling it together — visa for every Aussie aboard, paperwork ready, KOS clear

The Cambodia maritime arrival picture is more straightforward than the unfamiliarity suggests. Every Aussie aboard needs their own visa — Tourist eVisa at $80 USD (~$122 AUD) all-in for a sailing holiday, Business eVisa at $90 USD (~$137 AUD) all-in for paid charter or delivery work where meetings, paid work, sales calls, supplier visits, due-diligence, conferences, or sponsored events apply. Both are Approved in 3 business days and Delivered as a printable PDF by email, with Aussie-timezone support and Free resubmission if Immigration flags a correction. The skipper handles the vessel-side paperwork with the harbour master and the Cambodian Maritime Authority, each crew member files their own maritime e-Arrival Card, and KOS clearance usually takes 2-4 hours on arrival day. The Cambodia airports and KOS Sihanoukville guide and the Cambodia visa edge cases guide cover related scenarios in more detail.

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 e arrival for quick answers, and use our glossary of Cambodia visa terms to decode any acronym in this guide.