Working remote in Cambodia, legally

Ask us anything. Cambodia Expats Online has a huge community of long-term expats that can answer any question you may have about life in Cambodia. Have some questions you want to ask before you move to Cambodia? Ask them here. Our community can also answer any questions you have about how to find a job or what kind of work is available for expats in Cambodia, whether you're looking for info about Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, or anywhere else in the Kingdom. You're also welcome to ask about visa and work permit questions as well, as the immigration rules change often, especially since COVID-19. Don't be shy, ask CEO's community anything!
User avatar
philip.smith
Expatriate
Posts: 57
Joined: Mon Feb 12, 2018 6:25 am
Reputation: 32
New Zealand

Re: Working remote in Cambodia, legally

Post by philip.smith »

Thanks all for the answers. It's an interesting situation that I'll have to give some thought to. I'm not coming here to work, rather I'll be coming to be with my partner until we can leave Cambodia, but would like to still be making an income back home by working remote. I think if I can't do it legally (my employer won't support it if not) I guess my option is to do the EG visa to 'look for a job' and extend while not working remote at all. I don't want to risk future trips back to Cambodia as my partner's family are Cambodian, so not upsetting the Khmer govt. isn't something I want to do.
User avatar
soup
Expatriate
Posts: 446
Joined: Tue Jun 27, 2017 5:56 am
Reputation: 53
Andorra

Re: Working remote in Cambodia, legally

Post by soup »

philip.smith wrote: Tue Feb 13, 2018 4:00 am Thanks all for the answers. It's an interesting situation that I'll have to give some thought to. I'm not coming here to work, rather I'll be coming to be with my partner until we can leave Cambodia, but would like to still be making an income back home by working remote. I think if I can't do it legally (my employer won't support it if not) I guess my option is to do the EG visa to 'look for a job' and extend while not working remote at all. I don't want to risk future trips back to Cambodia as my partner's family are Cambodian, so not upsetting the Khmer govt. isn't something I want to do.
Do those of us that do work remotely a favor. Keep your fucking mouth shut.

The last thing any remote worker needs is a pedantic tourist coming in and making it more difficult by raising the question of taxes and legalities.

Many remote workers like to stay off the grid! :evil:
RogueAnt
Expatriate
Posts: 180
Joined: Tue May 27, 2014 10:45 pm
Reputation: 75
French Polynesia

Re: Working remote in Cambodia, legally

Post by RogueAnt »

You're not a digital nomad. You're a guy on holiday, visiting his girlfriend and catching up with some work. I presume you pay tax in your home country so there's no need to make this any harder than it needs to be.
User avatar
that genius
Expatriate
Posts: 4064
Joined: Wed Dec 06, 2017 7:53 am
Reputation: 960
Sweden

Re: Working remote in Cambodia, legally

Post by that genius »

Yep, friend of mine waited 10 months for his work permit to be processed...just in time to apply again.

There is no e-business arrangement at present, afaik.

However, a caveat: in 2010 I applied for a work permit and was told 'no have'/ cannot'.

A few years later I got hit for 8 years backdated penalties.

However, I still don't have a receipt from MoL for that payment, perhaps the price of tea was very high that year.
finbar
Expatriate
Posts: 328
Joined: Mon Jan 29, 2018 10:42 am
Reputation: 90
New Caledonia

Re: Working remote in Cambodia, legally

Post by finbar »

You're not a digital nomad. You're a guy on holiday, visiting his girlfriend and catching up with some work. I presume you pay tax in your home country so there's no need to make this any harder than it needs to be.
Agreed. Tell your employer you're going to visit family in the remote mountains, and they're late risers.
Do those of us that do work remotely a favor. Keep your fucking mouth shut.

The last thing any remote worker needs is a pedantic tourist coming in and making it more difficult by raising the question of taxes and legalities.
Keeping your mouth shut was all very well and good when you could get the visa.
Now you need a work permit, and therefore a Cambodian employer, to be able to stay at all.
There must be hundreds/thousands working remotely, freelancing, living off investments etc, is everyone just going to leave when their visa runs out, or start doing tourist visa runs, start a company?
-
Per ardua, ad stercus
pczz
Expatriate
Posts: 3204
Joined: Sun Mar 22, 2015 1:00 pm
Reputation: 807
Location: phnom penh
Great Britain

Re: Working remote in Cambodia, legally

Post by pczz »

finbar wrote: Tue Feb 13, 2018 7:47 am
You're not a digital nomad. You're a guy on holiday, visiting his girlfriend and catching up with some work. I presume you pay tax in your home country so there's no need to make this any harder than it needs to be.
Agreed. Tell your employer you're going to visit family in the remote mountains, and they're late risers.
Do those of us that do work remotely a favor. Keep your fucking mouth shut.

The last thing any remote worker needs is a pedantic tourist coming in and making it more difficult by raising the question of taxes and legalities.
Keeping your mouth shut was all very well and good when you could get the visa.
Now you need a work permit, and therefore a Cambodian employer, to be able to stay at all.
There must be hundreds/thousands working remotely, freelancing, living off investments etc, is everyone just going to leave when their visa runs out, or start doing tourist visa runs, start a company?
You do not have to start a company. There 3 levels of business entity under the new tax regime. Small, medium and large. if your turnover is under $5000 a month you come under small and can set up much cheaper as a sole trader locally without all the expense and paperwork of becoming a limited company. Equivalent of being a sole trader. If you are over 55 and have independent investments you can get a retirement visa, but it does not allow you to work. I was told if you are under 55 and retired on medical grounds you can still get a retirement visa in Thailand, not sure about here. So many could be legal but don't know how to or don't want to because they do not want to pay tax here or cannot be arsed with the monthly tax routine. The ones who are a bit stuck are the ones who come here every year just for the winter and do not work. Somewhere in this thread it says they can still get a six month looking for work visa without a work permit
User avatar
phuketrichard
Expatriate
Posts: 16793
Joined: Wed May 14, 2014 5:17 pm
Reputation: 5735
Location: Atlantis
Aruba

Re: Working remote in Cambodia, legally

Post by phuketrichard »

retirement extension in Thailand is 50 years old;

IF ur in Cambodia, just 1st year do ur Ordinary visa 30 days and a 6 month EG extension. By than things will have changed again.
If ur working remotely (as many do in thailand), just keep it to yourself... no one goes around checking if ur working on ur computer in ur room or sitting under an umbrella on the beach.
Whose to say ur working or not when u reply to an email, post something for sale on fb, sell a photo etc etc...

Even WORSE case scenario is do visa runs every 2 months, People have been doing that in Thailand for decades...
In a nation run by swine, all pigs are upward-mobile and the rest of us are fucked until we can put our acts together: not necessarily to win, but mainly to keep from losing completely. HST
Abc123
Expatriate
Posts: 516
Joined: Wed Nov 01, 2017 2:42 am
Reputation: 53
Australia

Re: Working remote in Cambodia, legally

Post by Abc123 »

pczz wrote: Tue Feb 13, 2018 8:13 am
finbar wrote: Tue Feb 13, 2018 7:47 am
You're not a digital nomad. You're a guy on holiday, visiting his girlfriend and catching up with some work. I presume you pay tax in your home country so there's no need to make this any harder than it needs to be.
Agreed. Tell your employer you're going to visit family in the remote mountains, and they're late risers.
Do those of us that do work remotely a favor. Keep your fucking mouth shut.

The last thing any remote worker needs is a pedantic tourist coming in and making it more difficult by raising the question of taxes and legalities.
Keeping your mouth shut was all very well and good when you could get the visa.
Now you need a work permit, and therefore a Cambodian employer, to be able to stay at all.
There must be hundreds/thousands working remotely, freelancing, living off investments etc, is everyone just going to leave when their visa runs out, or start doing tourist visa runs, start a company?
You do not have to start a company. There 3 levels of business entity under the new tax regime. Small, medium and large. if your turnover is under $5000 a month you come under small and can set up much cheaper as a sole trader locally without all the expense and paperwork of becoming a limited company. Equivalent of being a sole trader. If you are over 55 and have independent investments you can get a retirement visa, but it does not allow you to work. I was told if you are under 55 and retired on medical grounds you can still get a retirement visa in Thailand, not sure about here. So many could be legal but don't know how to or don't want to because they do not want to pay tax here or cannot be arsed with the monthly tax routine. The ones who are a bit stuck are the ones who come here every year just for the winter and do not work. Somewhere in this thread it says they can still get a six month looking for work visa without a work permit
I think registering yourself as a sole trader kinda of means you're starting a company/ business.
It seems straight forward enough with two or three caveats.
1. Acceptance of your company
2. Back tax and all that implies for some. Look at the Cambodian Daily. Lol
3. Back work permits and medicals plus fines.
Those are enough to put many off.
One presumes that if a person were to fake an employment, even with a bona fide Khmer company, they would be in a system to be targeted for legality.
pczz
Expatriate
Posts: 3204
Joined: Sun Mar 22, 2015 1:00 pm
Reputation: 807
Location: phnom penh
Great Britain

Re: Working remote in Cambodia, legally

Post by pczz »

Abc123 wrote: Tue Feb 13, 2018 12:22 pm
pczz wrote: Tue Feb 13, 2018 8:13 am
finbar wrote: Tue Feb 13, 2018 7:47 am
You're not a digital nomad. You're a guy on holiday, visiting his girlfriend and catching up with some work. I presume you pay tax in your home country so there's no need to make this any harder than it needs to be.
Agreed. Tell your employer you're going to visit family in the remote mountains, and they're late risers.
Do those of us that do work remotely a favor. Keep your fucking mouth shut.

The last thing any remote worker needs is a pedantic tourist coming in and making it more difficult by raising the question of taxes and legalities.
Keeping your mouth shut was all very well and good when you could get the visa.
Now you need a work permit, and therefore a Cambodian employer, to be able to stay at all.
There must be hundreds/thousands working remotely, freelancing, living off investments etc, is everyone just going to leave when their visa runs out, or start doing tourist visa runs, start a company?
You do not have to start a company. There 3 levels of business entity under the new tax regime. Small, medium and large. if your turnover is under $5000 a month you come under small and can set up much cheaper as a sole trader locally without all the expense and paperwork of becoming a limited company. Equivalent of being a sole trader. If you are over 55 and have independent investments you can get a retirement visa, but it does not allow you to work. I was told if you are under 55 and retired on medical grounds you can still get a retirement visa in Thailand, not sure about here. So many could be legal but don't know how to or don't want to because they do not want to pay tax here or cannot be arsed with the monthly tax routine. The ones who are a bit stuck are the ones who come here every year just for the winter and do not work. Somewhere in this thread it says they can still get a six month looking for work visa without a work permit
I think registering yourself as a sole trader kinda of means you're starting a company/ business.
It seems straight forward enough with two or three caveats.
1. Acceptance of your company
2. Back tax and all that implies for some. Look at the Cambodian Daily. Lol
3. Back work permits and medicals plus fines.
Those are enough to put many off.
One presumes that if a person were to fake an employment, even with a bona fide Khmer company, they would be in a system to be targeted for legality.
Unless the changed the system it is very different from opening a company. Company registration require registering at the ministry of commerce, vat, tax , articles of incorporation etc. Cost was usually anything between $1600 and $2000 depending on how much help you need and where you got it. Registering as a sole trader or family business with a turnover of under $5000 a month require a trip to the one stop shop or Sanghkat and cost less than $200. Worlds apart, but it is all changing very quick so you need to check before you jump
User avatar
AndyKK
Expatriate
Posts: 6448
Joined: Tue Jun 13, 2017 7:32 am
Reputation: 2248
Great Britain

Re: Working remote in Cambodia, legally

Post by AndyKK »

This is what I don't get! If someone (immigrant) was to work illegal in our own countries, we all seem to get pissed. But why is it OK for us to do this in other countries? I know of many whom are working legal. Just takes a little effort.
Always "hope" but never "expect".
Post Reply Previous topicNext topic
  • Similar Topics
    Replies
    Views
    Last post

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: JJ62, newsgatherer, Ot Mean Loi, truffledog and 468 guests