Cham Yeam not recommended for Upon Arrival Visa

• If you want to come to Cambodia expecting to take your visa Upon Arrival, avoid the Cham Yeam International Border: they will overcharge you more than 100 USD visa.
• If you complain, they will close the window, meaning pay or go back. 
• If you don’t have a previous visa, prefer the Poipet border from Thailand. 
• If you are a victim of corrupt authorities in Cambodia, don’t speak in English. Use a third language or do as you don’t understand English, it will help you – although it is valid for citizens of Non-English-Speaking countries… it would be unbelievable a Briton saying they can’t speak English 🙂 Still the option to say “I don’t understand your English.” 

If you don’t have a previous Cambodian visa (such one taken in an embassy, consulate or e-visa), avoid to enter the country through the Cham Yeam International Border. The authorities there will overcharge you. Citizens from 9 countries of the planet need to take a visa in a Cambodian consulate before traveling. They are not allowed to take e-visa. Those countries are Afghanistan, Algeria, Arab Saudi, Bangladesh, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Sudan and Nigeria, this last one was recently included. The rest of the world can come to Cambodia just with a valid passport, two photographs and 30 USD dollars. You can make your visa just Upon Arrival and it is really efficient. But it is not the same in Cham Yeam, the crossing from the Thai province of Trat to the Cambodian province of Koh Kong. If you don’t have a previous visa, the authorities will overcharge you with fees until 100 USD for a visa! The worst is that if you complain, they close the window and you are finished. It is like “pay or go back.” In order to avoid this situation, if you intend to enter Cambodia by land expecting to make your visa upon arrival from Thailand prefer the Poipet International Border.

The routes between Cambodia and Thailand using the Cham Yeam International Gate. It is very practical if you go from Bangkok to Sihanoukville, however, use it only if you have a previous visa already. Taking an Upon Arrival visa this point makes you victim of overcharge, especially during the high season.

One strategy that has worked with me before when one meets a corrupt authority in the Cambodian streets is to express that we don’t speak English. Speak in Spanish, French or Arab and they will lost patience and let you go. However, this would not apply for citizens from English-speaking countries. It would be funny to hear an Australian, Irish, English or American saying they can’t speak English. Still the possibility to say “I don’t understand your English”.