Logo of Phnom Penh Post newspaper Phnom Penh Post - Foreigners working in Cambodia face permit fines

Foreigners working in Cambodia face permit fines

Officials check the documents of Chinese workers in November 2016 in Phnom Penh. Officials have warned delinquent foreign workers to obtain documentation. National Police
Officials check the documents of Chinese workers in November 2016 in Phnom Penh. Officials have warned delinquent foreign workers to obtain documentation. National Police

Foreigners working in Cambodia face permit fines

About 100,000 foreigners working without permits will be fined after Khmer New Year and potentially face jail time and deportation if they fail to get paperwork or pay their fines, the Ministry of Interior and Ministry of Labour announced yesterday.

Speaking to the press after a meeting with Immigration Department General Director Sok Phal, Labour Ministry official Seng Sakda said those who have previously been working in the Kingdom without a permit would have to pay 400,000 riel, or about $100, for each year they are found to be noncompliant. There would also be a fine for anyone who does not apply for a work permit by Khmer New Year in mid-April.

“We have not fined yet, and we give one month until Khmer New Year and we will review . . . Once they do not come and make the card and work permit . . . we will fine them based on the Labour Law,” Sakda said. This fine, he said, would range between $600 and $900.

Phal said foreigners who refused to pay the fine could face up to three months in prison and deportation, “or they will be deported directly without imprisonment”.

“Foreigners working and investing in Cambodia at enterprises and all casinos . . . We could see in 2017, they have not fulfilled the obligation [to apply for a work permit],” he said.

This announcement comes a few days after Kem Sarin, the head of administration at the Immigration Department, announced that about 57,000 workers – 30,000 of them Chinese – had received a work permit but that about 100,000 were still without. He added that many companies were uncooperative.

“They continue to employ and hide foreign workers illegally without reporting the number of workers,” he said, adding this caused a loss of about $23 million in government revenue.

According to an annual report from the Immigration Department, 1,389 foreigner workers were fined last year for not having a work permit.

MOST VIEWED

  • Wing Bank opens new branch in front of Orkide The Royal along Street 2004

    Wing Bank celebrates first anniversary as commercial bank with launch of brand-new branch. One year since officially launching with a commercial banking licence, Wing Bank on March 14 launched a new branch in front of Orkide The Royal along Street 2004. The launch was presided over by

  • Girl from Stung Meanchey dump now college grad living in Australia

    After finishing her foundational studies at Trinity College and earning a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Melbourne in 2022, Ron Sophy, a girl who once lived at the Stung Meanchey garbage dump and scavenged for things to sell, is now working at a private

  • Ministry orders all schools, public and private, to close for SEA Games

    From April 20 to May 18, all public and private educational institutions will be closed to maintain order and support Cambodia's hosting of the 32nd SEA Games and 12th ASEAN Para Games, said a directive from the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport. Cambodia will host the

  • Wat Phnom hornbills attract tourists, locals

    Thanks to the arrival of a friendly flock of great hornbills, Hour Rithy, a former aviculturist – or raiser of birds – in Kratie province turned Phnom Penh tuk tuk driver, has seen a partial return to his former profession. He has become something of a guide

  • Almost 9K tourists see equinox sunrise at Angkor Wat

    Nearly 9,000 visitors – including 2,226 international tourists – gathered at Angkor Wat on March 21 to view the spring equinox sunrise, according to a senior official of the Siem Reap provinical tourism department. Ngov Seng Kak, director of the department, said a total of 8,726 people visited Angkor Wat to

  • Angkor Beer strengthens national pride with golden new look and fresher taste

    Angkor Beer – the "Gold of Angkor" – has a new look, one that is more stylish and carries a premium appeal, as well as a fresher taste and smoother flavour, making it the perfect choice for any gathering. Angkor Beer recently launched its new design, one