The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) has upgraded its travel advice for Cambodia from the lowest green level to the yellow “Exercise a High Degree of Caution”. The change, published on 29 December 2025, follows weeks of sporadic artillery exchanges between Cambodian and Thai forces along disputed stretches of the northern border and renewed fighting around Battambang city. Land crossings in the affected provinces have now been sealed and mine-clearance teams report a sharp increase in unexploded-ordnance incidents.
For Australian leisure and business travellers the practical impact is immediate. DFAT is now formally advising against travel within 50 km of the Thai frontier and against non-essential travel to a further 30-km buffer zone that includes popular tourist hubs in Siem Reap Province. Australians already in Cambodia are urged to monitor local media, register their whereabouts with Smartraveller and make contingency plans in case airports or major roads close at short notice. Travel insurers have confirmed that claims arising in the “do not travel” red zones are unlikely to be honoured, underscoring the importance of route planning.
Before setting out, travellers should also make sure their paperwork is airtight. VisaHQ’s Australian portal (https://www.visahq.com/australia/) streamlines the process of securing Cambodian tourist or business visas, tracks application status in real time and offers alerts on sudden entry-requirement changes—an invaluable service when DFAT advisories can tighten with little warning.
![Australia raises Cambodia travel advisory amid border clashes and security risks]()
The advisory also highlights a broader deterioration in Cambodia’s internal security environment. Street crime and drink-spiking incidents have climbed in Phnom Penh, while counterfeit pharmaceuticals and a resurgence of H5N1 bird-flu cases pose additional health risks. DFAT warns that terrorist or politically motivated attacks remain possible—particularly around large gatherings such as the annual Angkor Wat half-marathon—and it reminds travellers that local authorities can detain and deport foreigners who participate in protests.
For companies with expatriate staff in Cambodia, the new guidance triggers duty-of-care obligations. Risk managers should review evacuation plans, ensure that workers avoid affected provinces, and verify that medical-evacuation cover extends to land-border closures. Firms moving goods through Cambodia’s ports or trucking corridors to Thailand may face delays of several days and higher insurance premiums.
Although the advisory stops short of banning travel altogether, it is the strongest warning issued for Cambodia since 2011 and reflects Australia’s increasingly cautious stance toward volatile regional flashpoints. DFAT says the advice will be kept under “constant review”, suggesting further escalation—or a rapid de-escalation—could see the level adjusted again early in the new year.
For Australian leisure and business travellers the practical impact is immediate. DFAT is now formally advising against travel within 50 km of the Thai frontier and against non-essential travel to a further 30-km buffer zone that includes popular tourist hubs in Siem Reap Province. Australians already in Cambodia are urged to monitor local media, register their whereabouts with Smartraveller and make contingency plans in case airports or major roads close at short notice. Travel insurers have confirmed that claims arising in the “do not travel” red zones are unlikely to be honoured, underscoring the importance of route planning.
Before setting out, travellers should also make sure their paperwork is airtight. VisaHQ’s Australian portal (https://www.visahq.com/australia/) streamlines the process of securing Cambodian tourist or business visas, tracks application status in real time and offers alerts on sudden entry-requirement changes—an invaluable service when DFAT advisories can tighten with little warning.
The advisory also highlights a broader deterioration in Cambodia’s internal security environment. Street crime and drink-spiking incidents have climbed in Phnom Penh, while counterfeit pharmaceuticals and a resurgence of H5N1 bird-flu cases pose additional health risks. DFAT warns that terrorist or politically motivated attacks remain possible—particularly around large gatherings such as the annual Angkor Wat half-marathon—and it reminds travellers that local authorities can detain and deport foreigners who participate in protests.
For companies with expatriate staff in Cambodia, the new guidance triggers duty-of-care obligations. Risk managers should review evacuation plans, ensure that workers avoid affected provinces, and verify that medical-evacuation cover extends to land-border closures. Firms moving goods through Cambodia’s ports or trucking corridors to Thailand may face delays of several days and higher insurance premiums.
Although the advisory stops short of banning travel altogether, it is the strongest warning issued for Cambodia since 2011 and reflects Australia’s increasingly cautious stance toward volatile regional flashpoints. DFAT says the advice will be kept under “constant review”, suggesting further escalation—or a rapid de-escalation—could see the level adjusted again early in the new year.
