Cambodia’s Ministry of Tourism has confirmed that from 15 June to 15 October 2026 Chinese citizens holding ordinary passports—including residents of Hong Kong and Macao—will be able to enter Cambodia without a visa and stay for up to 14 days per trip. Multiple entries are permitted during the pilot period and no government fee will be charged.
The initiative is designed to revitalise arrivals from China, traditionally Cambodia’s largest long-haul source market. Visitor numbers from the mainland collapsed during the pandemic and only recovered to 30 percent of 2019 levels in 2025 despite aggressive marketing. Officials hope the waiver will lift seat factors on the 90-plus weekly flights linking China with Phnom Penh, Siem Reap and Sihanoukville, restore pre-pandemic employment in the tourism supply chain and push total international arrivals beyond the government’s 5-million-visitor target for 2026.
For Chinese outbound travel managers the move removes a paperwork bottleneck at the height of the summer “green season” when resorts discount heavily. Companies running incentive trips can now confirm events in Cambodia in as little as two weeks—half the usual lead time—because passports no longer need to be collected for visa processing.
![Cambodia launches four-month visa-free trial for Chinese tourists]()
Airlines are expected to respond with promotional fares; China Eastern has already filed an additional daily Kunming–Phnom Penh rotation for the trial window.
Even with the waiver in place, corporate travel planners may still need authoritative guidance on ancillary requirements—such as proof-of-funds letters, business-purpose extensions or onward visas for multi-country itineraries. VisaHQ’s dedicated China hub (https://www.visahq.com/china/) tracks these regulations in real time and offers one-click processing for any additional travel documents your team might require, ensuring group trips run smoothly.
Cambodia will monitor the scheme via a new data dashboard that tracks biometric entry records, hotel occupancy and average tourist spend. If key indicators—particularly spending in second-tier destinations—hit predetermined thresholds, the Ministry has signalled it will propose a permanent unilateral visa-free policy for Chinese travellers from 2027.
For mobility professionals the headline message is clear: Chinese nationals can treat Cambodia much like Thailand or Singapore this summer, entering on presentation of a passport and return ticket. Employers should update their travel approval systems immediately to reflect the waiver and remind staff that the 14-day limit is strictly enforced at the point of departure from Cambodia.
The initiative is designed to revitalise arrivals from China, traditionally Cambodia’s largest long-haul source market. Visitor numbers from the mainland collapsed during the pandemic and only recovered to 30 percent of 2019 levels in 2025 despite aggressive marketing. Officials hope the waiver will lift seat factors on the 90-plus weekly flights linking China with Phnom Penh, Siem Reap and Sihanoukville, restore pre-pandemic employment in the tourism supply chain and push total international arrivals beyond the government’s 5-million-visitor target for 2026.
For Chinese outbound travel managers the move removes a paperwork bottleneck at the height of the summer “green season” when resorts discount heavily. Companies running incentive trips can now confirm events in Cambodia in as little as two weeks—half the usual lead time—because passports no longer need to be collected for visa processing.
Airlines are expected to respond with promotional fares; China Eastern has already filed an additional daily Kunming–Phnom Penh rotation for the trial window.
Even with the waiver in place, corporate travel planners may still need authoritative guidance on ancillary requirements—such as proof-of-funds letters, business-purpose extensions or onward visas for multi-country itineraries. VisaHQ’s dedicated China hub (https://www.visahq.com/china/) tracks these regulations in real time and offers one-click processing for any additional travel documents your team might require, ensuring group trips run smoothly.
Cambodia will monitor the scheme via a new data dashboard that tracks biometric entry records, hotel occupancy and average tourist spend. If key indicators—particularly spending in second-tier destinations—hit predetermined thresholds, the Ministry has signalled it will propose a permanent unilateral visa-free policy for Chinese travellers from 2027.
For mobility professionals the headline message is clear: Chinese nationals can treat Cambodia much like Thailand or Singapore this summer, entering on presentation of a passport and return ticket. Employers should update their travel approval systems immediately to reflect the waiver and remind staff that the 14-day limit is strictly enforced at the point of departure from Cambodia.
