Do I need to pay for a Cambodia visa in USD or Thai Baht when crossing from Koh Chang?

@Muzzy ********

If you find Phnom Penh boring you'll find Bangkok boring too. Both are similar. Both have a lot of great restaurants, bars and Mega malls. There are more malls in Bangkok as it's a bigger city and had more of a head start, given it's stronger economy and all but Phnom Penh is catching up fast.

You sound like a boring person. Cambodia is incredibly fun and if you like drinking or partying then Siem Reap's pub Street beats the pants off anything in Thailand, including Khao San road. Alcohol is cheaper and there are no silly trading hours restrictions. The party continues until 4am or so and you won't constantly see corrupt police at closing hours like in Thailand.

As for Cambodians ATMs, some dispense only 100 dollar bills, which is strange given its not a rich country and changing such bills outside of hotels, supermarkets, restaurants, malls and gas stations is difficult.

Other ATMs dispense 10s and 100s with only a few dispensing 10s, 50s and 100s.

This contrasts with the USA where I have not seen any ATMs dispensing anything larger than a 20.

@Nick ********

exactly. I've been going to Cambodia for pleasure or business for 20 years now and I second your experiences. Clearly he is trolling. Baht can be accepted up to between 20-50km from the Thai border. Beyond that, it's Riel/USD only (and Vietnamese Dong in border areas close to Vietnam).

@Steve ******

"lose a sale"? Lose a sale to an ignorant, cheapskate like you? I think they'd rather hold onto their goods and wait for someone who can pay them in an actual legally accepted currency. What's next, you gonna pay them in Bangladeshi Takas?

What merchants will do is tell you they can't accept Baht and point you to the nearest money changer.

@Nick ********

I think Steve is a troll. He's putting out advice like how he claims he accompanies his wife to Phnom Penh without a passport (which is illegal and no hotel will accept a foreign guest without one) and they "do trading" in Baht. That's the funniest story I've read on here in a long while.

Everyone knows that a border pass, if accepted, can only be used in the province entered.

@Steve ******

you can't use Baht in Siem Reap. They won't take it. They will happily exchange Baht for Riel or USD though.

@Steve ******

only in the western part of the country.

20k from the border on the Thai side or Cambodian side?

@Steve ******

You CAN use Baht in western Cambodia. For instance in border towns like Poipet and even as far east as Sisophon or Koh Kong. However, once you get to Siem Reap or Phnom Penh, hardly anyone will want them.

@Steve ******

no it's not... I live here and the vast majority of shops will only accept US dollars and riels.

Oh indeed. Just that it should be considered as a last resort. Try to obtain USD if at all possible to pay the visa before arriving. I can understand that for someone residing in remote Isarn, a 100km detour to a larger town that has a bank or money changer that can sell USD might not be worth it as the fuel costs might exceed the extra amount the officers at immigration pocket when paying in Baht. However, for anyone coming from a larger town or if there's a bank along the way it is worth stopping off to get USD.

@Scot ******

a fair bit more. It's still best to bring USD for the visa but generally no difference if you pay for goods and services in Baht compared to USD in Poipet. However, for the taxi to Phnom Penh or Siem Reap, they'll rip you off if you try to pay in Baht. Much better to agree on a USD price.

@Steve ******

yes if you pay for the VOA in Baht you'll end up paying much more than in USD.

@Lisa *******************

I tried getting Riel out it didn't let me...foreign card holders can only get USD.

@Lisa *******************

ONLY USD are dispensed in Cambodia if you're a foreign card holder. Riel is an option for local bank accounts.

@Lisa *******************

Thai Baht is widely accepted in Cambodia and can be used to purchase the VOA.