Logo of Phnom Penh Post newspaper Phnom Penh Post - Passports to be valid longer

Passports to be valid longer

Applicants gather outside the often-busy passport office in Phnom Penh
Applicants gather outside the often-busy passport office in Phnom Penh. The government has announced it will introduce passports that are valid for 10 years and relocate its office to Meanchey district. Heng Chivoan

Passports to be valid longer

Passports issued to Cambodians will soon be valid for 10 years instead of three, officials at the Ministry of Interior said yesterday.

General Mao Chandara, head of the ministry’s General Directorate of Identification, said that by July, the department will begin to issue long-awaited 10-year passports.

“We are in the process of [finalising the scheme], and it will be ready in the next month or two,” he said. “It will meet international standards.”

Currently, Cambodians can only apply for a three-year passport with the option of extending it for two years, twice.

The Ministry of Interior issues ordinary passports, but the Ministry of Foreign Affairs controls the issuance of official and diplomatic passports.

Ang Kim Eang, president of the Cambodian Association of Travel Agents, said this will encourage tourism in the region and save people time.

“When we integrated into the Asean community, people will need to have passports,” he said. “IDs will be used within the home countries and passports will still be used for overseas.”

The Asean Economic Community is an economic group due to be created in late 2015 to promote the free flow of goods, trade and labour.

But Kim Eng raised concerns over the price of the passports – the ministry has made no indication that the $135 fee will be lowered – and the time it takes the government to issue them. Cambodia issues the priciest passports in the region, he said.

The central passport office will also be moved from its current location on Mao Tse Toung Boulevard in Chamkarmon district to Noroth commune, Meanchey district, in an attempt to ease the flow of traffic in the city centre.

“The new location is a bigger space,” said passport official Lep Toulors. “People will still easily be able to find the new place.”

Last month, Cambodia opened passport offices along its border with Thailand to cut down on illegal migration. In December 2012, Thailand threatened to expel about 165,000 Cambodian workers lacking proper documents.

MOST VIEWED

  • Ream base allegations must end, urges official

    A senior government official urges an end to the allegations and suspicions surrounding the development of Cambodia’s Ream Naval Base, now that Prime Minister Hun Manet has addressed the issue on the floor of the 78th UN General Assembly (UNGA 78). Jean-Francois Tain, a geopolitical

  • Cambodia set to celebrate Koh Ker UNESCO listing

    To celebrate the inscription of the Koh Ker archaeological site on UNESCO’s World Heritage List, the Ministry of Cults and Religion has appealed to pagodas and places of worship to celebrate the achievement by ringing bells, shaking rattles and banging gongs on September 20. Venerable

  • CP denied registration documents by ministry

    The Ministry of Interior will not reissue registration documents to the Candlelight Party (CP). Following a September 21 meeting between ministry secretary of state Bun Honn and CP representatives, the ministry cited the fact that there is no relevant law which would authorise it to do

  • PM to open new Siem Reap int’l airport December 1

    Prime Minister Hun Manet and Chinese leaders would jointly participate in the official opening of the new Chinese-invested Siem Reap-Angkor International Airport on December 1. The airport symbolises a new page in the history of Cambodian aviation, which will be able to welcome long-distance flights to

  • Cambodian diaspora laud Manet’s UN Assembly visit

    Members of the Cambodian diaspora are rallying in support of Prime Minister Hun Manet’s forthcoming visit to the 78th UN General Assembly (UNGA 78) in the US’ New York City this week. Their move is an apparent response to a recent call by self-exiled former

  • Minimum wage set at $204, after Sep 28 vote

    The minimum wage for factory workers in the garment, footwear and travel goods industries for 2024 has been decided at $204 per month, with the government contributing $2. Following several negotiation sessions, the tripartite talks reached an agreement during a September 28 vote, with 46 of 51 votes supporting the $202 figure.