Is it possible for a retiree to open a bank account in Cambodia? That is, someone who is not employed and does not have a business?

Yes, you can open a bank account as an Expat in Cambodia. If you have a retirement visa that is valid min. 3 month i think you are basically all set. A one year retirement visa is what i would prefer under the current circumstances. ABA Bank would be my first choice.

Forgot to mention: ABA Mobile Banking only on your Smart Phone (App on Appstore), they discontinued Internet Banking from your PC. For that you need to bring your phone to the nearest ABA Bank and have your Phone Nr. (the one in your Smart Phone) registered. After that it's a piece of cake and you can Top up your mobile phone, transfer money and more important check your balance, transferst at any time you want. Great tool !

emm wrote: ↑Sat Jan 16, 2021 1:46 pm Yes, you can open a bank account as an Expat in Cambodia. If you have a retirement visa that is valid min. 3 month i think you are basically all set. A one year retirement visa is what i would prefer under the current circumstances. ABA Bank would be my first choice.

Needed:

Passport with visa with >=3 month validity
Residency letter from your Sangkat
Money to depostit
Luck

@clutchcargo I think they're still in the process:


GDI moving foreigner data to app

Voun Dara | Publication date 24 November 2020 | 22:22 ICT

General Department of Immigration (GDI) director-general Kirth Chantharith. GDI

The General Department of Immigration (GDI) is compiling data on the estimated more than 90,000 foreign permanent residents in Phnom Penh and other provinces for a newly launched app.

GDI’s Department of International Immigration director Dim Ra told The Post on November 24 that the process had been finished in 10 provinces, while figures from Phnom Penh and the remaining provinces are currently under review and verification, and slated to be completed before the end of this year.

“We’re compiling these statistics to verify the number of foreign immigrants who are living in Phnom Penh and various provinces. This list is for foreigners who permanently reside and declared their status,” he said.

GDI director-general Kirth Chantharith led a meeting on November 23 to check the foreign immigrant list and launched the Immigrant Management System (IMS). He advised officials to finish the list before the end of this year.

“The compulsory duty that GDI has to do regularly is to give permanent residence cards and check validity. It needs to be able to manage foreign immigrants seriously and effectively,” he said.

GDI spokesman Keo Vanthan said on November 24 that legal immigrants staying in Cambodia must have been acknowledged as foreign immigrants. After a declaration of acknowledgement, GDI will release cards for those foreigners.

“A foreign immigrant that doesn’t have a permanent residence card means that they are staying in Cambodia illegally. Our strategic plan of action is to pull out all the stops and hand out the cards to all those who have been declared,” he said.

Vanthan said foreign immigrants who have invalid cards have to renew. The validity of the card is two years. More than 140,000 non-immigrant foreigners are living in Cambodia and the Chinese make up the largest group, according to data from the Foreigner Presence in Cambodia System (FPCS).

Soeng Sen Karuna, a spokesman for local rights group Adhoc said people in the past criticised the flow of illegal immigrants into Cambodia.

“Cambodia should practice proper immigration management to avoid criticism,” he said.

Hahaha what if you're a grey nomad and don't have a permanent residence, this is also a problem in Australia as your supposed to update your address on your driver's license when you change your address, many grey Nomads don't have a permanent address and there is no facility for people without a permanent address. It's in the to hard basket for government
Yes everyone just uses a relatives address but technically this is wrong and illigal
As for banks ABA is most convenient again I think you need valid Visa and residential letter, Canada Bank is good for parking money term deposits are pretty good.

clutchcargo wrote: ↑Sat Jan 16, 2021 6:02 pm I managed to open an account as a retiree at Acleda a year ago without the residency paper from the Sangkat by having a khmer driver's licence but I needed to go to their head office on Monivong and I was lucky to have a very helpful bank officer who called the manager to facilitate the driver's licence acceptance.

Read about it here: post400656.html#p400656

I also have an ABA account coz lots of people have it incl my landlord for rent payments and heaps of ATMs but I like Acleda coz swift transfers from my country have less fees and they have higher interest rates on their deposits than ABA last I checked.

One thing I wonder though..does the new FPCS scheme of registering foreigner's residence replace the need for the residency paper?

I opened an account without residency paper at ABA in Siem Reap - maybe they are more strict in Phnom Penh. Prasac insisted I had to have a lease so I made a fictitious one. They were not bothered.
FPCS may well replace the residency paper but since I have never had one I am not sure. When the Immigration Police questioned me they were only interested in FPCS.

FPCS and Sangkat Registration are two different processes.

To open an ABA account, you need to be at least 18 years old, bring your passport, and only ONE of the following to confirm your residency status;

- minimum 6 month Visa Extension of Stay;

- Proof​ of​ residence​ (house​ rental​ contract.​ certificate​ of residence from Sangkat,​ hotel​ lease/bill)​ including​ a​ minimum​ of​ 6​ months​ tenor​ in​ the​ contract;​ or

- Proof​ of​ employment​ (employment​ contract,​ certificate​ of​ employment)​ indicating​ a​ minimum​ of​ 6​ months​ employment​ or​ business​ license/certificate​ (if​ self-employed).

Thanks to all of you who posted replies to my enquiry - much appreciated.