Arriving in Cambodia Without an e-Arrival Card: The Paper-Form Fallback for Australians
If you stepped off the Sydney red-eye and realised you never filled the Cambodia e-Arrival Card, you will not be turned away — but you will be sent to a side desk to fill the 14 fields by hand. Here is exactly what the paper-form fallback looks like at KTI, SAI and KOS, why it adds 20–30 minutes, and how to avoid it next time.
What happens if an Australian arrives in Cambodia without an e-Arrival Card?
You will not be refused entry. Cambodian Immigration at KTI, SAI and KOS operates a paper-form fallback for travellers who missed the online submission — you fill the same 14 fields by hand on a clipboard at a side desk before the main queue, then an officer keys the data in manually. That manual entry is what costs you time: expect 20–30 minutes at KTI on a normal-volume morning, 10–20 at SAI, and rarely a real wait at KOS. There is no fee and no fine, but it is a slow, tiring detour after an overnight flight from Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane. The strong recommendation is to file the e-Arrival before leaving Australia, inside the 7-day pre-arrival window. Our verified e-Arrival is $5 USD (~$7.50 AUD) per person, delivered as a printable PDF by email, checked end-to-end before it reaches Immigration.
Основные выводы
- Arriving in Cambodia without the e-Arrival Card is not a refusal trigger — the paper-form fallback exists at KTI, SAI and KOS so you will still be processed and admitted.
- Expect a 20–30 minute hit at KTI Phnom Penh on a typical morning bank of flights, 10–20 minutes at SAI Siem Reap, and rarely a real queue at KOS Sihanoukville.
- You fill the same 14 fields by hand on a clipboard at a side desk before the main Immigration queue, then an officer enters the data manually — slower than the QR scan.
- There is no fine, no fee and no penalty on your eVisa — the cost is purely time at the wrong end of a 7–9 hour overnight flight from Australia.
- Strongly recommended: file the e-Arrival before departing Australia within the 7-day pre-arrival window. Our verified e-Arrival is $5 USD (~$7.50 AUD) per person, delivered as a printable PDF by email.
Why this matters at 6am in an arrivals hall
The Cambodia e-Arrival Card is not an optional polite-form. It is a mandatory 14-field declaration every air arrival has to lodge, and Immigration at KTI, SAI and KOS reads it as a QR scan at the kiosk. Australians flying overnight from Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane or Perth often run into the same problem somewhere over the Andaman Sea — the eVisa is sorted, the hotel is booked, and the e-Arrival has been forgotten entirely. The seatbelt sign comes on, and the realisation hits a little too late.
Here is the part nobody tells you in the in-flight magazine: you will still get through. Cambodian Immigration runs a paper-form fallback at all three international airports, and it has been in continuous operation since the e-Arrival rolled out. It is slower, it is at the wrong end of an overnight flight, and it adds 20–30 minutes you did not plan for — but it is not a refusal, not a fine and not a stamp on your record. This guide walks through exactly what the fallback looks like, how to navigate it efficiently if you find yourself in it, and why the much better answer is filing the e-Arrival before you board.
For the broader picture of why the timing of the e-Arrival matters in the first place, the day-by-day timing guide covers the 7-day window in detail. This piece is for the Aussies who already missed that window and need to know what is about to happen at the kiosk. The Cambodia visa for Australians hub covers cost, documents, and processing time in one canonical write-up.
How the paper-form fallback actually works on arrival
When you disembark at KTI, SAI or KOS, the walk from the air-bridge leads you to the immigration kiosks. The kiosks scan the QR code from your e-Arrival, match it to your passport MRZ, and clear you through to the main Immigration counter. If you have no QR code, the kiosk staff will direct you to a separate side desk — usually positioned on the wall before the kiosks, marked with simple signage. That is where the paper form lives.
The form itself is a single A4 clipboard sheet asking for the same 14 fields the online version covers — passport details, flight number, arrival date, accommodation address, customs declaration, basic health questions. There are usually a handful of pens chained to the desk. You fill it standing up, hand it to the officer at the desk, and they enter the data into the Immigration computer manually while you wait. That manual keying is the part that takes time — it is the difference between a QR scan in three seconds and a typed entry over five to eight minutes per traveller.
The exact sequence at the side desk
- Disembark and follow the corridor signs to Immigration.
Часто задаваемые вопросы
Will Cambodian Immigration refuse me entry if I have not filled the e-Arrival Card?
No. The e-Arrival is mandatory, but the paper-form fallback at KTI, SAI and KOS exists specifically for travellers who missed the online submission. You will be directed to a side desk, you fill the same 14 fields by hand, an officer keys the data in, and you proceed through Immigration as normal. There is no refusal, no fine and no penalty applied to your eVisa.
How much extra time does the paper-form fallback add at Phnom Penh KTI?
Expect 20–30 minutes on a normal-volume morning. The hit is bigger if multiple long-haul flights land within an hour of each other — the Sydney red-eye, the Singapore connector and the Bangkok hop often stack in the same window, and the side desk processes one traveller at a time. KTI replaced PNH on 9 September 2025, so the desk is in the newer arrivals hall.
Is the paper-form fallback faster at Siem Reap SAI or Sihanoukville KOS?
Yes. SAI typically adds 10–20 minutes because the airport is smaller and fewer flights stack on arrival. KOS rarely has a real queue at all — often the paper-form processing happens at the main desk in a single step. KTI in Phnom Penh is the slowest because it handles the largest share of Aussie arrivals, including the Sydney and Melbourne red-eyes.
Do I have to pay a fee or fine for using the paper fallback?
No. There is no charge, no fine and no penalty on your eVisa for using the paper fallback. The only 'cost' is the time you spend at the side desk while the officer manually enters your data into the Immigration system. Aussies sometimes arrive at the desk expecting to pay something — the desk does not handle any payment.
Can my partner and I share a single paper form if we are travelling together?
No. The e-Arrival is per person, online or on paper. Each adult and each child needs their own clipboard, their own 14 fields and their own data entry by the officer. That is why family arrivals through the paper fallback often run longer than the headline 20–30 minutes — the desk processes one traveller at a time, so a family of four can take well over an hour.
What if I remember mid-flight that I forgot the e-Arrival — can I file in the air?
Sometimes. Several carriers serving Cambodia offer paid in-flight WiFi on the SIN–KTI or BKK–KTI leg. If the WiFi works, the portal is accessible inside the 7-day window and you can submit. The catch is that the confirmation email may arrive late and you might not have the QR code before disembarking. Treat in-flight filing as a back-up, not a plan — and if the email has not landed by the time you reach the kiosk, head to the paper-form desk rather than waiting on the email indefinitely.
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