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AlonzoPartriz wrote: ↑Wed Jul 12, 2017 1:50 pm

StroppyChops wrote: ↑Wed Jul 12, 2017 1:12 pm

PSD-Kiwi wrote: ↑Wed Jul 12, 2017 1:03 pm

timmydownawell wrote: ↑Wed Jul 12, 2017 12:11 pm
So Lucky Lucky charges $285 and therefore make a $115 profit on each and every 12 month extension? They had about 50 passports on the counter last time I went there. They must be making a fortune. Maybe I'll open a Visa business. I'll only charge $275.

The agents aren't making much profit, there are other people that take their cuts, in particular Immigration Dept officials.

This. Which is why almost everyone at the Immigration office will try to send you to an agent, because it appears transactions at the actual Immigration office are relatively clean.

Come to think of it, it's almost the same game at the Tax office - everything on paper is legit and appropriate, but if you want to get your initial paperwork processed in under six months you WILL pay substantial facilitation fees to someone outside the actual building. You CAN go legit - but you WILL wait.

Edit: Kiwi, didn't you get your EOS at $170?

Hang on a min Stroppy, i read PSD's post as saying the immi guys are making most of the money, not the agents.
I don't understand how that is. The visa is now $170 according to the official docs now, yes?
You can get it at that from the​ immigration. So it looks very much like the agents are whacking a very see krook amount on top.
And always have been. That's a normal​ double the amount​ often found in KOC for things.
I've been on about this for years now, glad others are picking up on it. Btw, the​ official visa fee used to be $145 p a.
Just like the gun sales that used to be made at the markets, and everything else in Cambodia, it's very very likely a family run affair. So in a way PSD is right, the immigration guys get their wives to set up agents and whack a humongous ammount on top.
I do hope they are getting half priced beers. Lol

I think others have answered this, but it would appear Immigration officials are running the racket between the squeaky clean Immigration office, and the (probably family member) agent. The agents have to work back through certain officials, and that's where the cut is being taken. This is done so efficiently that it's just accepted by the expat community that $280 is the going rate, when in fact it's not.

PSD-Kiwi wrote: ↑Wed Jul 12, 2017 2:27 pm Yes SC, I paid $170 for my 12 mth EB extension of stay at the immigration office near the airport, after a good friend of mine had recently done the same. I was not asked for any documents. The immigration officer at the reception tried charging me $280 iirc, but I ended up dealing with someone much higher ranking who I'd previously met with through the same friend.

Cheers mate - so you had to push back and take it higher to get the actual rate. We'll do the same for next year.

Mon du! I finally feeled justified by my expat brothers and sisters. (As if) The odd thing, is that it took a Christian and a soldier to do it.
I only hope those rolling eyes of the masses with finally start crossing in self reflection.

Cambodia is the only country I've phoned a number given to me buy officials at Pannasatra, and a guy has met me at my hotel and collected my passport, and three days later he has phoned back and told me he will deliver it in 10 minutes.

I personally would rather go to the immi office and use the $125 I saved to pay for my work permit and medical certificate.

Is anyone getting the correct idea about back duty on work permits now?

Who the hell says EOS? Why not just say visa or visa extension? Took me a while to figure out what you were on about. People have known for ages that $280 isn't the going rate, but Cambodia is Cambodia. Money makes things easier and faster. It is what it is. My employer pays for my visa so I haven't had to renew one myself for several years, but it's nice to see people are inching towards a more legitimate pricing structure. Still, the pricing doesn't seem to have budged much in several years now.

Every ministry (besides education) makes a shit load of backshish. Look at the cars outside the offices... That's why I laugh when people think CNRP will change anything. All these guys have been waiting on the sidelines for decades, you think they won't be wanting a piece of the pie when the time comes? Anyways, I digress. I hate the WP thing but things are changing quickly here.

Bitte_Kein_Lexus wrote: ↑Thu Jul 13, 2017 10:12 am Who the hell says EOS? Why not just say visa or visa extension? Took me a while to figure out what you were on about. People have known for ages that $280 isn't the going rate, but Cambodia is Cambodia. Money makes things easier and faster. It is what it is. My employer pays for my visa so I haven't had to renew one myself for several years, but it's nice to see people are inching towards a more legitimate pricing structure. Still, the pricing doesn't seem to have budged much in several years now.

Every ministry (besides education) makes a shit load of backshish. Look at the cars outside the offices... That's why I laugh when people think CNRP will change anything. All these guys have been waiting on the sidelines for decades, you think they won't be wanting a piece of the pie when the time comes? Anyways, I digress. I hate the WP thing but things are changing quickly here.

Some people have known about it, but many of those who do, will argue till they're blue in the face thst it isn't so. Go figure. Cambodian expats are a special bunch.

EOS is accurate information. That's what it's called now. I expect PSD used the correct name as he's sick of trolls on tof picking up on the slightest thing to criticise to try and derail the thread.


I gave you thumbs up because of the bit in bold. But don't forget that without change nothing will happen. I'm sure there are a lot of dodgey business men about that are hoping that is the case. Also a lot of MFI investors. But although the first manifistation of change will be a CNRP one - along the lines of the Cambodian status quo on such things, things will develop to a better future for more through the subsequent changes of goverments. Orderly change every four or five years will break the family stronghold of a certain sector enough to allow more development through a wider spread of hands, and through this a wider spread of wealth amongst the population.

PSD or Stroppy? Either way a visa is a visa... Whatever, it's new to me so people can call it whatever they want. I do agree that regular changes will help stamp out corruption. However, one must be careful to not end up with an unstable government à la Italy/Israel which changes every time the wind changes direction. I don't believe that's really possible given the constitution here, but stability in a growing economy is of primordial importance. Weirdly enough, HE often argues the same...

Bitte_Kein_Lexus wrote: ↑Thu Jul 13, 2017 10:44 am PSD or Stroppy? Either way a visa is a visa... Whatever, it's new to me so people can call it whatever they want. I do agree that regular changes will help stamp out corruption. However, one must be careful to not end up with an unstable government à la Italy/Israel which changes every time the wind changes direction. I don't believe that's really possible given the constitution here, but stability in a growing economy is of primordial importance. Weirdly enough, HE often argues the same...

Of course economic stablity is of primary importance. Duh. It goes at top of the list when trying to raise a family or run a busness. And two things Cambodians' are finding it harder and harder to do.

But what is the economy growing on? And where is the wealth accumulating? Also where are the country's natural resources going? Those are of primary importance. Just as they were before the French and Russian revolutions.

AlonzoPartriz wrote: ↑Thu Jul 13, 2017 9:48 am Mon du! I finally feeled justified by my expat brothers and sisters. (As if) The odd thing, is that it took a Christian and a soldier to do it.
I only hope those rolling eyes of the masses with finally start crossing in self reflection.

Cambodia is the only country I've phoned a number given to me buy officials at Pannasatra, and a guy has met me at my hotel and collected my passport, and three days later he has phoned back and told me he will deliver it in 10 minutes.

I personally would rather go to the immi office and use the $125 I saved to pay for my work permit and medical certificate.

Is anyone getting the correct idea about back duty on work permits now?

This is a good point! If I was to take my passport and work permit and $170, would I possibly walk out with my new visa extension?

The calls for making a stand and deriding those who pay the 280 USD are a bit misplaced. Careful shows that those who made a stand and succeeded did so on the intervention of a higher-up official. Without such recourse the refusal of the official originally in charge would have carried the way.
In addition, special circumstances like being married and not needing a WP applied.
Also, the one organized attempt too break the monopoly by the Italian [?] guy ended rather soon. So 180 USD was a short time solution at best.

In sum, paying the 280 USD might be good policy for most. To be sure, I dont want to be right on this one but for all I can tell I dont see a practical way for myself that brings with it a reasonable chance of success. At best a wasted trip out to the airport, at worst trouble.