Cambodia-Thailand: Common Visa in the Works

Cambodia and Thailand are collaborating on a unified visa plan to encourage tourism between the two nations—with ambitions to include wider ASEAN partners—streamlining travel across this dynamic region rich in culture and natural beauty.

Long overdue, Thailand is spearheading the initiative to extend its “single visa” plan, originally targeting four Southeast Asian nations: Cambodia🇰🇭, Vietnam🇻🇳, Laos🇱🇦, and Malaysia🇲🇾. Travelers could secure a single-entry visa or pass for one country, yet visit all five without additional paperwork.

The alignment of visa policies among these five ASEAN members (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) could strengthen the case for the European Union to consider visa waivers in the future.

A Mutual Benefit for Two Kingdoms

The joint “Two Kingdoms, One Destination” campaign, driven by Cambodia and Thailand, seeks to highlight the cultural and natural treasures of both nations while boosting their appeal as travel hubs. Thourn Sinan, head of the Cambodian chapter of Pacific Asia Travel Association, praised the Thai initiative, noting that streamlined visa processes and multi-country itineraries will deliver gains across Southeast Asia.

Currently both countries offer their own electronic visa schemes for most Western passport holders. Cambodia recently introduced a new open-arrival process and inaugurated the Angkor International Airport near the temple ruins to ease arrivals.

Thailand has also promoted other regional partners before; the 2020 drive included Bhutan.