Some things have to be seen to be believed. I think the process of getting and keeping a visa in Cambodia is this kind of thing. If you've been here, you know what I mean. When you arrive at the airport, there are no less than 12 immigration officers sitting at a long desk. After you hand them your $20 (or $25 if you want an extendable business visa), your passport is passed along the line, with each person performing one task. 1 person is the visa sticker, another is the visa stamper, another person initials the stamp, and so on. I think they might even have people between them to turn the pages. Job creation at its finest!
When asked why we wanted a business visa, we said we were interns. That word didn't compute, so we said we worked for an NGO, we just don't get paid. After a laugh, they waved us on. They apparently thought if we were dumb enough to work without getting paid, we must be harmless enough to give an extendable visa.
Fast forwarding to yesterday, our first visa is nearing expiration. We had to find out how to extend it. The accepted process for extending a visa is to take your passport to someone's cousin's uncle's buddy's brother who works at the Ministry of Foreign affairs. For about $20 bucks above the sticker price and a weeks wait, you get a visa for however long you want, no questions asked. We figured we'd save that for a last resort and try the legitimate method first.
The Department of Immigration is next to the airport, right by the Department of Meteorology ( A couple precarious looking radio antennas in a field). We were waved through by the nice guard watching Champions League Football and walked up to the visa extension office. True to form, there were three people behind the desk, so that they could hand you a form, staple your picture to it, and take your money. Hopefully, our passports will be there, complete with visas, when we go back this afternoon to pick them up.
I don't know if its a good thing or a bad thing that you can extend your visa in Cambodia indefinitely for $285 a year. I guess the security check is whether or not you can come up with the bucks. Oh, and the form costs a dollar to fill out, too.
Fast forwarding to yesterday, our first visa is nearing expiration. We had to find out how to extend it. The accepted process for extending a visa is to take your passport to someone's cousin's uncle's buddy's brother who works at the Ministry of Foreign affairs. For about $20 bucks above the sticker price and a weeks wait, you get a visa for however long you want, no questions asked. We figured we'd save that for a last resort and try the legitimate method first.
The Department of Immigration is next to the airport, right by the Department of Meteorology ( A couple precarious looking radio antennas in a field). We were waved through by the nice guard watching Champions League Football and walked up to the visa extension office. True to form, there were three people behind the desk, so that they could hand you a form, staple your picture to it, and take your money. Hopefully, our passports will be there, complete with visas, when we go back this afternoon to pick them up.
I don't know if its a good thing or a bad thing that you can extend your visa in Cambodia indefinitely for $285 a year. I guess the security check is whether or not you can come up with the bucks. Oh, and the form costs a dollar to fill out, too.
