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Immigrant Alien Resident Card - Employed or Professional Activity

CambodiaStay, Settle or Change Status

Explore the five recorded questions, answers and sources for this pathway.

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Explore pathways in Cambodia Read the five questions ↓

What exact status does accumulated residence lead to?

The status is that of an immigrant alien holding a Resident-Card. Article 14 requires every immigrant alien to present themselves at the Alien Office of the Municipal or Provincial Police Commissariat where they intend to stay, within 48 hours of arrival, to complete the application for the Resident-Card; a receipt is issued once the application is received.

See recorded sources
Limits of the record
  • Text taken from OCR of a scanned document: an OCR pass can alter a digit or a letter, so any figure quoted here has not been machine-verified against the printed original.
  • This is the English version, which the document itself labels '(UNOFFICIAL TRANSLATION)'. The authentic text is the Khmer original.
  • Checked the Khmer original: Article 14 is present with the same substance, including the 48-hour deadline, the Alien Office of the provincial or municipal Police Commissariat of the intended place of stay, and the receipt issued on application.
  • The Law does not treat this as an accumulated-residence route: no qualifying period of prior residence leads to the Resident-Card. It is a registration duty that follows from being classified an immigrant alien on arrival under Article 10.
  • Recognition as an immigrant alien is itself decided by Proclamation (Prakas) of the Ministry of Interior under Article 12, which is a different article outside this citation.
  • Recorded source · library.ncdd.gov.kh
    ARTICLE 14 --:--. All immigrant aliens shall have to present themselves at the Alien Office of the Municipal or Provincial Police Commissariats at’ the place where they are willing to- stay, within 48 hours after their arrivals, to complete applications for the Resident-cards. Receipts shall be given to concerned persons after receiving such above applications.

What qualifying residence period is required and when does the period begin?

No qualifying residence period is required. Article 10 defines immigrant aliens by the purpose of their lawful arrival - aliens legally reaching Cambodia in order to perform their professions or to conduct activities relating to industry, commerce, agriculture or services - and not by time already spent in the country.

See recorded sources
Limits of the record
  • Text taken from OCR of a scanned document: an OCR pass can alter a digit or a letter, so any figure quoted here has not been machine-verified against the printed original.
  • This is the English version, which the document itself labels '(UNOFFICIAL TRANSLATION)'. The authentic text is the Khmer original.
  • Checked the Khmer original: Article 10 point 1 is present but is WIDER than the English translation. The Khmer reads 'in order to stay for a long period, or to practise a profession, or to carry out activities relating to industry, commerce, services, agriculture'. The English version omits the long-stay limb entirely. Where the two diverge the Khmer is authentic.
  • The Law sets no waiting period anywhere. The two-year figure in Article 21 is the validity of the Resident-Card and its renewal cycle, not a qualifying period of residence; that figure also comes from the OCR'd scan.
  • Article 10 does not define what counts as 'performing a profession' or which activities in industry, commerce, agriculture or services qualify.
  • Recorded source · library.ncdd.gov.kh
    1. Aliens who are legally reaching the | Kingdom of Cambodia in order to perform their professions or conduct activities relating to the industry, commerce, agriculture or services.

Which types of residence count fully, partially or not at all where the official rules specify this?

The checked official sources did not provide enough route-specific evidence to confirm which types of residence count towards the qualifying period.

See recorded sources
Limits of the record
  • This detail is not established in the evidence recorded here. Confirm the applicable requirement with the responsible authority.

What absence/continuity rules affect accumulation of the qualifying residence period?

Absences are controlled by permission rather than by a day-count. An immigrant alien intending to leave Cambodia for a period must request permission to leave and to return from the Ministry of Interior; in principle the stay abroad must not exceed three months, but it may be extended up to 6 months where there are reasonable grounds. A return beyond the permitted delay means applying afresh for an entry visa, and the person is treated as a newly arrived immigrant alien.

See recorded sources
Limits of the record
  • Text taken from OCR of a scanned document: an OCR pass can alter a digit or a letter, so any figure quoted here has not been machine-verified against the printed original.
  • This is the English version, which the document itself labels '(UNOFFICIAL TRANSLATION)'. The authentic text is the Khmer original.
  • Checked the Khmer original: Articles 23 and 24 are present with the same substance and the same figures - three months in principle, extendable up to six months on reasonable grounds, and a late return treated as a new immigrant alien requiring a fresh entry visa.
  • The three-month and six-month figures are read off an OCR'd scan; they were checked against the Khmer original and match, but neither text has been verified against a clean printed copy.
  • Article 23 leaves the fees for the exit and entry permits to a Sub-Decree that is not among the sources reviewed.
  • The Law does not say what happens to the Resident-Card itself during an authorised absence, nor whether an absence interrupts anything other than the immigrant-alien classification.
  • Recorded source · library.ncdd.gov.kh
    Article 23 : - Those immigrant aliens who intend to leave the Kingdom of Cambodia for some period of time, shall have to request for the permissions to leave and to return, from the Ministry of Interior. In principle, this period of stay in foreign countries shall not exceed three months. But this period may be extended up to 6 months upon there are reasonable grounds. The fees/taxes to be levied when delivering the exit and entry permits, shall be specified by a Sub-Decree. Article 24: - In case when the return is beyond the delay permitted, the concerned ‘person shall have to apply anew for an entry visa, and he/she ‘shall be Geened as a new immigrant alien who just come.

What other major conditions apply, how is the status obtained, and what renewal, document-validity, retention or loss rules matter?

Recognition as an immigrant alien is decided by a Proclamation (Prakas) of the Ministry of Interior. Within 48 hours of arrival, the immigrant alien must apply for the Resident-Card at the Alien Office of the Municipal or Provincial Police Commissariat where they intend to stay. Beyond the Article 8 entry conditions, Article 11 requires the person to show an aptitude benefiting Cambodia's economy, social affairs, technics and sciences or culture; to deposit a bond for the fare home or eventual repatriation (amount set by sub-decree) and have enough money to live on their own property; to prove physical aptitude for their profession with a medical certificate and hold a written labour contract; to hold letters of imputation from their country of origin; and to meet national-security conditions. The initial Resident-Card is valid for two years and extension is applied for every two years; a holder who fails to apply for a new card or extension is treated as staying illegally. The card may be removed if the holder fails to comply with the law, after which the person must leave within 7 days (extendable by the Minister of Interior to no more than 3 months). Ceasing to recognise a person as an immigrant alien is decided by a Prakas of the Ministry of Interior.

See recorded sources
  • Recorded source · library.ncdd.gov.kh
    ARTICLE 12 : - The recognition of any alien as an immigrant alien, shall be decided by a Proclamation (Prakas) of the ministry of Interior.
  • Recorded source · library.ncdd.gov.kh
    ARTICLE 14 : - All immigrant aliens shall have to present themselves at the Alien Office of the Municipal or Provincial Police Commissariats at the place where they are willing to stay, within 48 hours after their arrivals, to complete applications for the Resident-cards.
  • Recorded source · library.ncdd.gov.kh
    1. to show up an aptitude which benefits to the economy or social affairs or technic and sciences, or culture for the Kingdom of Cambodia.
  • Recorded source · library.ncdd.gov.kh
    2. to deposit an appropriate amount of money as a bond/guarantee necessary to pay for the fares when travelling back home, or when in case of any eventual repatriation, and besides they shall have to have enough money to assure that they can live by their own properties.
  • Recorded source · library.ncdd.gov.kh
    The amount of money to be deposited above, shall be specified by a sub-decree.
  • Recorded source · library.ncdd.gov.kh
    3. to have sufficient physical aptitudes for performing their own professions, which proved by medical certificates issued by doctors of the countries from which the persons have emigrated; and labour contracts in written.
  • Recorded source · library.ncdd.gov.kh
    4. to have letters of imputation granted by the competent authorities of the countries they are originated.
  • Recorded source · library.ncdd.gov.kh
    but still each of them shall also have to necessarily fulfil the conditions concerning the national security, as required by the Kingdom of Cambodia.
  • Recorded source · library.ncdd.gov.kh
    Article 21 : - The initial Resident-Card granted, shall be valid for a period of two years, and may be applied for extension once every two years.
  • Recorded source · library.ncdd.gov.kh
    If over this above period, the holders of the Resident-Cards who failed to apply for new resident- cards, or for the extension thereof, shall then be considered as staying in an illegal conditions.
  • Recorded source · library.ncdd.gov.kh
    This Resident-Card may be removed from any holder, when he/she fails to comply with the provisions of this law. In the case when upon the Resident-Card is removed from any immigrant alien, such alien shall have to leave the territory of the Kingdom of Cambodia within 7 days. But in real circumstances this time-limit may be changed by the Minister of Interior, upon the requests from the competent Municipal or Provincial Police Commissariat. But this period must not be extended over 3 months.
  • Recorded source · library.ncdd.gov.kh
    The ceasing to recognize any alien as immigrant alien, shall be decided by a Proclamation (Prakas) of the Ministry of Interior.

These are the answers currently recorded in the catalogue. A missing or partial answer is not an eligibility decision.

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