Coming to Cambodia to See if i want to Stay and Retire

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rogerrabbit
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Re: Coming to Cambodia to See if i want to Stay and Retire

Post by rogerrabbit »

johnoconnor wrote: Sat May 27, 2023 6:10 am Hello Folks,,,
Coming from Canada.. I will have a budget of 1500 per month cdn. to live fulltime if i like it. Arriving within the next couple of months. Likely fly into Ho Chi Min city, buy a Airblade 125 cc ,or Dirtbike and ride it to Kampot Cambodia. By all the research i have done this area appeals to me. I golf i fish like the beach . Any advice on anything pertaining to what i intend would be great.
Thanks
JohnO
You can fish in Kampot but there is no real beach and certainly no golf courses in Kampot. Nearest golf course is in Phnom Penh and nearest beach in is in Kep.
Bluenose
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Re: Coming to Cambodia to See if i want to Stay and Retire

Post by Bluenose »

Do you have $20k you can access quickly if needed?
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johnoconnor
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Re: Coming to Cambodia to See if i want to Stay and Retire

Post by johnoconnor »

Thanks for the info
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DavidFieldman
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Re: Coming to Cambodia to See if i want to Stay and Retire

Post by DavidFieldman »

johnoconnor wrote: Sat May 27, 2023 6:10 am Hello Folks,,,
Coming from Canada.. I will have a budget of 1500 per month cdn. to live fulltime if i like it. Arriving within the next couple of months. Likely fly into Ho Chi Min city, buy a Airblade 125 cc ,or Dirtbike and ride it to Kampot Cambodia. By all the research i have done this area appeals to me. I golf i fish like the beach . Any advice on anything pertaining to what i intend would be great.
Thanks
JohnO
From a recently arrived Canadian who will live here for the foreseeable future.

1. Be prepared to stay in a guest home or a hotel for the first week or so to get your bearings - bookings.com will be a great assistant.
2. I expect you are arriving on a Tourist visa for 30-days
3. Be prepared to have your visa changed to an E visa before your 30-day tourist visa expires
4. You can get it arranged at many travel agencies in Phnom Penh
5. If you come with US cash, be sure none of the $100 bills has any marks, creases, or folds. The locals will tell you they can't exchange the money easily and will charge you 10 - 15%. So your US$100 will be worth $90 or even $85.
6. Look around before you decide where to live - many travel agents are here to show you a wide range of apartments, western-style or Khmer style
7. Be prepared to give a one-month deposit on signing the lease plus one month's rent
8. Leases can be a little as six months, but you'll pay a slightly higher monthly rent
9. The moment you sign a lease, take the lease document plus your passport and open a bank account, We use QR code payments here. ABA is a popular bank with branches everywhere.
10. Foreign restaurants abound, as do coffee shops
11. Google Maps will be your best friend.
12. Join Telegram - THE social media platform here.
13. Good luck

David
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johnoconnor
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Re: Coming to Cambodia to See if i want to Stay and Retire

Post by johnoconnor »

Thanks for the info
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phuketrichard
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Re: Coming to Cambodia to See if i want to Stay and Retire

Post by phuketrichard »

2. I expect you are arriving on a Tourist visa for 30-days
3. Be prepared to have your visa changed to an E visa before your 30-day tourist visa expires

NO YOU CANT CHANGE;
You need enter on a business/ordinary visa on arrival $35 if you want extend more than a month

than apply for the ER extension for 1 year if over 55
OR EG ( looking for work) if under
OR EB if you have a job
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
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Alex
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Re: Coming to Cambodia to See if i want to Stay and Retire

Post by Alex »

phuketrichard wrote: Fri Jun 02, 2023 5:40 pm 2. I expect you are arriving on a Tourist visa for 30-days
3. Be prepared to have your visa changed to an E visa before your 30-day tourist visa expires

NO YOU CANT CHANGE;
You need enter on a business/ordinary visa on arrival $35 if you want extend more than a month

than apply for the ER extension for 1 year if over 55
OR EG ( looking for work) if under
OR EB if you have a job
This. Getting a tourist visa first is really bad advice, especially now, as you have the option to apply for the "Type E" visa (aka business/ordinary visa) online just as easily as for the tourist visa.
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Kammekor
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Re: Coming to Cambodia to See if i want to Stay and Retire

Post by Kammekor »

DavidFieldman wrote: Fri Jun 02, 2023 3:51 pm
2. I expect you are arriving on a Tourist visa for 30-days
3. Be prepared to have your visa changed to an E visa before your 30-day tourist visa expires
Why a Canadian would enter on a tourist visa and go through the process of exchanging in it to an E-visa (ordinary visa) when one can obtain an E-visa on arrival is something I don't understand. Just get the E-visa on arrival and arrange your extension in the 30 days it's valid.

Your number 2 and 3 seem very bad advice to me.
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Alex
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Re: Coming to Cambodia to See if i want to Stay and Retire

Post by Alex »

#9

It's worth noting that you don't need a lease to open an ABA bank account. If you've already obtained your longterm (6 months or 12 months) extension of stay, having that in your passport will suffice.

They do ask for your address, but don't ask for any proof, so if you stay at a hotel or guesthouse first, just use that address.
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Lonestar
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Re: Coming to Cambodia to See if i want to Stay and Retire

Post by Lonestar »

It sounds like you might be a bit underfunded. You can certainly live a modest lifestyle in Kampot on your monthly income. But, traveling back to Canada for six months every year will require a larger budget. You should have enough to fund all of your living expenses plus a min. of 20,000 USD set aside to consider doing this. Also, keep in mind that inflation is impacting Cambodia like everywhere else. Based on your monthly budget, there is not much room for the unexpected....which is the only thing you can expect.

It would be a very good idea to rent a guest house room by the month when you arrive. You may find Kampot and its expats to be fantastic...or you might not. Give yourself flexibility. Also, you can buy a bicycle when you first arrive and easily navigate Kampot. Going slow is a very good way to transition to an expat lifestyle.

It is almost always sage advice to stay home a bit longer and save a bit more before making the move.

Best of luck.
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