• Society

Interior Minister Urges to Reduce Passport Issuance Fee

• By Teng Yalirozy
• September 4, 2023 7:00 PM

PHNOM PENH – Interior Minister Sar Sokha urged on Sept. 4 to work on reducing passport issuance fees, as Cambodia is the ASEAN country with the highest commission to create a new passport.

The newly appointed minister said issuance fees stand at around $100 in the country, which seems to be more expensive than in Thailand, Myanmar, or Singapore. He instructed the relevant personnel to review the fee and reduce it accordingly.

“We all know that [the fee to issue] a passport is not under $100 while we also have another fee to reduce the processing time. Please work on it, set a fee that is suitable for the citizens and do not increase the fee from one mandate to [the other],” he said on Sept. 4 during a staff meeting at the Interior Ministry.

Following the 2018 national elections, passport issuance fees were set at $100 with a processing time comprised between 15 and 20 days. The processing time can be reduced to 7 to 15 days for an additional cost of $50, while a one-day processed passport costs $200.

Even though the document is then valid for 10 years, such a price is prohibitive for many Cambodians, who can’t travel abroad – including to ASEAN countries – without it.

Issuing a passport for children costs either $80 (15 working days processing time), $120 (issued in 7 days), or $160 (issued in one day). They are valid for 5 years.

A Thai passport costs around $45, while a Vietnamese one costs around $10​. Laos charges around $50 to issue a passport.

Ken Chanthon, a seller in Poipet province, had no choice but to issue a passport for his work in 2016. He said he paid $120 to get the document in about a week but had to do it through a broker who charged an extra $20 for the paperwork.

He added he did not know how and where he could make his passport, so he asked a broker for help.

“I think the fee is too high because now most people have financial issues,” he said. “I wonder why the passport fee in our country is high. I think it would be great if the fee were lower.”

Ministry of Interior’s General Department of Identification Spokesperson Say Meng Chheang and the Interior Ministry Spokesperson could not be reached for comment to provide additional details on Sar Sokha’s announcements.