Thailand//Cambodia Border Crossing

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Introduction:
As you may have guessed not all borders in South Asia are nice and easy. This can often be one of them. The only time i have done this crossing I did the Aranya Prethet to Poipet border which is the closest if you are going to or coming from Siem Reap. However if you are going towards Siep Reap you can easily come up against some issues. Common ones that I think wil cross people minds are below.

First of all if you are coming from Thailand, as we did, you will be dropped of by the bus in Aranya Prethet. From there you will need to get a tuk-tuk out of town to the border which is about 5km away. I cant remember how much we paid but I would say never pay anything more than about 200baht. The most common scam is that they will take you to a 'fake border' where you will have all the documents sorted out for you and put into you passport. This is not what you want as they will charge you an extra fee (roughly double of the price at the border). If this does happen to you which is shouldn't if you read all of this its still OK, they are all valid documents and will still be able to cross the border with it. Believe me you will know when you get to the actual border...

The next problem is the rabit waren of paths and alleys you have to take to get through to the other side. This can be navigated if you follow the instructions below.

Last is the price given by the guards for your visa. There is a sign that clearly states the price of your visa is $20 however the Cambodian guards often charge whatever they see fit. There is not a lot you can really do here apart from maybe alert them to the sign but apart from that you will just have to bite your lip and pay the small levy they will put on top. It will be no more than $5.

Date Visited:
7th March 2010

Border Instructions

1) From Aranya Prethet get a tuk-tuk to the border. The border itself is usually a hive of activity with hundreds if not thousands of people so if you are taken to a quiet office with staff asking to sort your visa out you are not there. Just politely say to your tuk-tuk driver you want to go to the proper border and you are not going to get your visa from here. If they say anything about not being able to get your visa at the border say that's fine but you want to see for yourself anyway. They will take you if you are appear informed and are polite.

2) Once at the border, by following people you must get yourself to the Thailand exit area. Here you need to get your exit stamp and move through the building to exit at the back.

3) From here you need to take the passage in front of you where you will encounter some more outhouse type buildings where you will get you will have to complete your medical from and usually pay a dollar for you troubles. There is not way round it you just have to bite your lip.

4) As you exit here some Cambodian border guards/soldiers will ask you if you already have a visa. If you haven't previously obtained your visa (WHICH YOU SHOULDNT HAVE), you should obtain you visa from them. It usually involves filling out a short form and paying the amount of money they ask of you. They will then place a paper visa into your passport and hand it back, letting you to continue. THEY WILL NOT PUT YOUR ENTRY STAMP IN YOUR PASSPORT.

5) From here it gets a little messy. You will pass under the official arch which is supposed to be the line where Cambodia becomes Thailand and then continue walking down a road, giving the impression you are done. However just as you get passed the large casino there are some smaller huts on your right which is the actual Cambodian immigration. Here you will get your stamp into Cambodia. Upon exiting the huts, carry on towards the gate into a waiting area. This is where the free shuttle bus to the main bus station leaves from.

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