Short Trip or Long Stay? Picking Your Cambodia Visa as an American
How long you are staying decides which Cambodia eVisa to file. A week of temples and beaches points one way; a multi-month season points another — and the answer hinges on one feature: which visa you can extend once you land. Here is the call, made simple for US citizens in 2026.
Which Cambodia visa should US citizens pick for a short trip vs a long stay?
If your Cambodia trip fits inside 30 days, pick the Tourist eVisa (Type-T) — it is $80 USD all-in, covers a 30-day single-entry stay, and is approved in 3 business days. If your stay may run longer than 30 days, pick the Business eVisa (Type-E) at $90 USD all-in, because it is the only Cambodia eVisa you can extend from inside the country, for 1, 3, 6, or 12 months. Both visas start with the same 30-day arrival window and are valid for 3 months from issue; the difference that matters for long stays is extendability, not the day-one allowance. The old tourist auto-extension ended in November 2025, so a short-trip Tourist eVisa can no longer be stretched once you are in Cambodia — which is exactly why anyone planning a longer season should file the Business eVisa from the start.
Belangrijkste conclusies
- Both standard Cambodia eVisas give US citizens the same 30-day single-entry stay — so a short trip and a long stay start from the identical 30-day arrival window.
- For a trip that fits inside 30 days, the Tourist eVisa (Type-T) is the right tool: $80 USD all-in, approved in 3 business days, delivered as a printable PDF by email.
- For a stay that may run past 30 days, the Business eVisa (Type-E) is the only Cambodia eVisa you can extend from inside the country — for 1, 3, 6, or 12 months.
- The Tourist eVisa is a hard 30-day ceiling: the tourist auto-extension ended in November 2025, so there is no longer an in-country way to stretch a Type-T.
- Every air arrival also files a separate e-Arrival Card: $5 USD verified through us, 14 fields, submitted within 7 days before you land.
Trip length is the real question — but not the way you think
Most Americans sizing up a Cambodia trip assume there is a "short-trip visa" and a "long-stay visa," and that the form will hand you a longer allowance if you ask for one. It does not work that way. Both of Cambodia's standard eVisas give a US citizen the exact same 30-day single-entry stay on arrival. A two-week temple-and-beach holiday and a four-month writing-from-Kampot season both begin with the identical 30 days in the passport. So trip length is the right question to be asking — it just does not change your day-one allowance.
What trip length actually decides is whether you will need to extend, and only one of the two eVisas can be extended once you are inside the country. That single feature is the whole decision. A short trip never touches it, so you take the cheaper Tourist eVisa and never think about it again. A long stay leans on it entirely, so you pay $10 more for the Business eVisa and keep the option to add months without flying out and back. Reframe the question from "how long is the visa?" to "will I need to extend?" and the answer falls out cleanly.
This guide maps trip length to the right eVisa for US citizens — the short-trip case, the long-stay case, the gray zone of stays that sit right around 30 days, and the November 2025 rule change that makes the long-stay decision matter more than it used to. When you are ready, you can apply online in about ten minutes. For the complete picture of every entry rule, fee, and document, our Cambodia visa guide for United States citizens is the canonical reference.
Both visas start at 30 days — only one has a ceiling you can raise
Here is the part that surprises most American travelers planning by calendar. There is no 60-day eVisa, no 90-day tourist option, no "extended stay" checkbox on the form. Every US citizen who files a standard Cambodia eVisa — Tourist or Business — receives a 30-day single-entry stay, counted from the day of entry. The validity window is also the same for both: 3 months from the date of issue, which is the deadline to enter Cambodia, not a measure of how long you can stay. Three months of validity does not mean three months in-country; it means you have a 3-month window to use a single 30-day stay.
The divergence happens after day 30, not before it. The Tourist eVisa (Type-T) is a fixed 30-day permit: you arrive, you stay up to 30 days, you leave. There is no in-country path to add time. The Business eVisa (Type-E) covers the same 30-day arrival, but it is the only Cambodia eVisa you can extend from inside the country — for 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, or a full 12 months. That is the difference your trip length should turn on. A short trip never reaches the ceiling, so both visas behave identically for you. A long stay runs straight into it, and only the Business eVisa lets you raise it.
Veelgestelde vragen
Which Cambodia visa is best for a short trip as a US citizen?
For any trip that fits inside 30 days, the Tourist eVisa (Type-T) is the right choice. It is $80 USD all-in, covers a 30-day single-entry stay, is approved in 3 business days, and arrives as a printable PDF by email. A week of temples and beaches, a two-week loop, or a long weekend tacked onto a wider trip all sit comfortably on the Tourist eVisa, and you save $10 over the Business eVisa because you will never need the in-country extension feature.
Which Cambodia visa should I get for a long stay?
For a stay that may run longer than 30 days, choose the Business eVisa (Type-E) at $90 USD all-in. It is the only Cambodia eVisa you can extend from inside the country — for 1, 3, 6, or 12 months — without leaving and re-entering. Remote workers, retirees testing a season, and anyone with an open return date should file the Type-E from the start, because the cheaper Tourist eVisa cannot be extended in 2026.
How long can a US citizen stay in Cambodia on an eVisa?
Both standard eVisas give a US citizen the same 30-day single-entry stay, counted from the day of entry. The eVisa is valid for 3 months from the date of issue, but that is the deadline to enter Cambodia — not how long you can stay. To stay beyond 30 days you need the Business eVisa (Type-E) and an in-country extension; the Tourist eVisa stops at 30 days with no way to add time.
Can I extend a Cambodia Tourist eVisa for a longer stay?
No. The Tourist eVisa (Type-T) cannot be extended inside Cambodia, and the old tourist auto-extension ended in November 2025. When your 30 days are up you must leave the country; to return you apply for a fresh eVisa. If your stay might run longer than 30 days, choose the Business eVisa instead — it is the only type you can extend in-country, for 1, 3, 6, or 12 months.
Is there a 60-day or 90-day Cambodia tourist visa for Americans?
No. There is no 60-day or 90-day standard eVisa option. Every US citizen who files a Cambodia eVisa — Tourist or Business — receives a 30-day single-entry stay on arrival. The way to stay longer is not a longer visa at the start; it is the Business eVisa (Type-E), which you can extend from inside the country for 1, 3, 6, or 12 months once you have arrived.
My trip is right around 30 days — which visa do I pick?
Pick the Business eVisa (Type-E). A stay sitting right around a month is the most common place Americans get caught: you file the cheaper Tourist eVisa expecting a clean 30 days, then a flight gets rebooked or plans run over and there is no in-country fix. The extra $10 buys the one thing the Tourist eVisa cannot do — add time without leaving Cambodia. When your dates are borderline, treat it as a long stay.
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