How to get Cambodian Citizenship

Many people come to Cambodia for a visit and end up calling the country home, but how do you go full Khmer and obtain Cambodian citizenship? Khmer Nights went to get to the skinny on getting a Cambodian passport. 

Cambodian citizenship by birth/descent 

All people born to at least one Khmer are entitled to Cambodian citizenship, regardless of place of birth.

Regardless of the place of birth, those born to at least one Khmer parent are entitled to Cambodian citizenship. Meanwhile, those born in the Kingdom to foreign parents who were born and living legally in Cambodia also acquire Khmer citizenship at birth.

This entitles you to a Cambodian passport, with Cambodia being one of the few nations to allow dual citizenship. 

Cambodian Citizenship through marriage, or naturalisation 

Before we get onto the express route, the longer routes to citizenship are through either marriage, or naturalisation. To qualify for citizenship by marriage you need to have been married at least three years and more importantly the marriage needs to have been officially registered. If you have merely done a religious ceremony it does not count. 

Cambodian citizenship through naturalisation is very  much the long route, with you not only having to have lived legally in the country for 7 years, but also having to be able to speak and wrote in Khmer, as well as pass a test about Cambodian history. 

Cambodian citizenship by investment or donation

The most controversial of all routes, it might be shrouded in mystery, but it is by far the quickest route to citizenship within the Kingdom. Also referred to as honourary citizenship it requires an official investment of at least 1.25 billion riel ($312,500) in Cambodia, or a donation of 1 billion riel or more to the national budget. Both of these options allow you bypass the 7 year residency requirement and obtain that Cambodian passport. 

However, not just anyone can simply “buy Cambodian citizenship”, with there technically at least being a requirement to be of good character and have a knowledge of Khmer. 

The process usually takes 3-6 months, with the following official requirements;

• Applicant must be 18 years of age or older
• Applicant must have a current and valid passport
• Applicant must have a current valid visa for entry into Cambodia
• Applicant must be of sound mind
• Applicant must be in good health
• Applicant must have made a qualifying investment in Cambodia of at least 1.25 billion riel (USD $311,000)

And while $311,000 sounds like a lot of money it is considerably cheaper than many similar schemes in Europe which require investments into the millions of dollars and indeed one of the cheapest in the world, baring some states in the Caribbean. 

To read about how to open a bank account in Cambodia click here.

What are the befits of Cambodian citizenship?

Citizenship and its merits is a hard one to put a value on, perhaps you just love the country so much it is mostly about “fitting in”, or feeling Khmer. In case you are a cold blooded capitalist though there are also economic merits too. 

Of course being a citizens means that you don’t have to deal with pesky visas, or work permits, but probably the biggest value it gets you is the ability to buy and sell real estate in the country, a right strictly reserved to Cambodian nationals.

So, there you have it, becoming a Cambodian citizens is not all that hard, providing you can find love and learn the language fluently, have 7 years to spend, or better still have a whole heap of cash.

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