Hi guys
What are some examples of freelance work when talking about the business visa?.
I say this because isn't volunteer work still work?.
For example, if I play sing songs with my guitar in bars, which I'm invited to as a gig, but not asking for pay, am I not working?.
If we look at it the other way, if the immigration police walked onto the gig and asked to see my business visa and I was on a tourist visa, wouldn't I be breaking the law?.
What if the payment was in free drinks while performing.
What if made a YouTube channel, focusing on Cambodia, but noone was watching them and so I got no ad revenue?. Isn't that your form of work, it's just you're not making anything because you're not successful?.
The point is, there's lots of people who want business visa, I see many people asking questions, but noone seems to really have given me a clear understanding of all the ones and outs of it.

I find the whole section about freelance work incredibly confusing.

If think this is an important question as I've read on this forum about immigration coming and knocking on people's doors asking to see their proof of work recently.

How are you going to prove to them that you work if you don't have an employer. An example, what if you had the 12 month EB visa but your volunteer work was for a few weeks 9 months ago and the bars packed up and gone out of business? And you havn't been freelancing for 9 months, but, your still looking for more opportunities to play live gigs?.

The point I'm trying to make is it's a very grey area.
Let alone, how do freelancers pay taxes?
How do you prove how much you did or didn't earn, especially if you are working voluntarily doing freelance?

Any helps appreciated,
Cheers.

Maybe someone foreign who played / acted in a local movie / videoclip could answer about that, for example ?

Isn't there a specific desk at the Immigration with answers about all those specific cases ?

Not too sure a journalist using a drone would get a business visa to do his job so easily, if announced like that to the immigration...Not too sure for an online-pornstar too...

I think it's all about what they can catch as a case, and what is considered offensive or nosy, as the main rough rules, but after that..if spotted - more about getting a pass in exchange of an uncertain amount of money... That's how i see it...

Hello Private Nuts

I am a very frequent visitor to Cambodia and I frequently have to obtain an Ordinary "E" Visa-on-Arrival because much of my time I am engaged in "Non-Touristic" activities and, therefore, I am not covered by a Tourist "T" Visa for what I do in Cambodia. None of what I do in Cambodia involves any remuneration in monetary form or in any other type of benefit and yet it is clearly non-touristic.

For the sake of just an extra US$5 and by applying for an Ordinary "E" Visa you are completely legal and will not be classified as a "Visor Violator".

And an Ordinary "E" Visa also lets you be a part-time tourist. But it does not work the other way round with a Tourist "T" visa if you engage in non-touristic activities as perceived by any person in authority.

OML

You're looking into this whole visa shit a little bit more than you need to be

The gestapo isn't going to come arrest you if you have self employed on your work permit, they won't even give two shits on how much you make

Don't stress yourself over this

Private Nuts wrote: ↑Wed Dec 07, 2022 12:22 am Hi guys
What are some examples of freelance work when talking about the business visa?.
I say this because isn't volunteer work still work?.

No, there are other visa classes for that.

Private Nuts wrote: ↑Wed Dec 07, 2022 12:22 am For example, if I play sing songs with my guitar in bars, which I'm invited to as a gig, but not asking for pay, am I not working?.
If we look at it the other way, if the immigration police walked onto the gig and asked to see my business visa and I was on a tourist visa, wouldn't I be breaking the law?.
What if the payment was in free drinks while performing.

Police in Cambodia isn't active at night, especially the immigration police. Don't worry about that.

Private Nuts wrote: ↑Wed Dec 07, 2022 12:22 am What if made a YouTube channel, focusing on Cambodia, but noone was watching them and so I got no ad revenue?. Isn't that your form of work, it's just you're not making anything because you're not successful?.
The point is, there's lots of people who want business visa, I see many people asking questions, but noone seems to really have given me a clear understanding of all the ones and outs of it.

In Cambodia there's a large difference between the letter of the law, and the way it's handled as per the same law. According to the law you could never get a B-extension on your initial visa based on this story. However, if you cough up enough money an agent will get you the paperwork somehow, and with that paperwork you will get the visa extension. That's the current situation.

Private Nuts wrote: ↑Wed Dec 07, 2022 12:22 am I find the whole section about freelance work incredibly confusing.

If think this is an important question as I've read on this forum about immigration coming and knocking on people's doors asking to see their proof of work recently.

I don't think you've read that. Occasionally the immigration police might come over for a visit to see if you have a legal visa. if you don't want them to do that pay them a yearly visit and hand them a copy of your new visa.
People from the ministry of labor sometimes visit companies to see if their employees have a work permit. Different story.

Private Nuts wrote: ↑Wed Dec 07, 2022 12:22 am How are you going to prove to them that you work if you don't have an employer. An example, what if you had the 12 month EB visa but your volunteer work was for a few weeks 9 months ago and the bars packed up and gone out of business? And you havn't been freelancing for 9 months, but, your still looking for more opportunities to play live gigs?.\

You would be the only one losing sleep over it. Nobody else cares.

Private Nuts wrote: ↑Wed Dec 07, 2022 12:22 am The point I'm trying to make is it's a very grey area.

Welcome to Cambodia.

Private Nuts wrote: ↑Wed Dec 07, 2022 12:22 am Let alone, how do freelancers pay taxes?
How do you prove how much you did or didn't earn, especially if you are working voluntarily doing freelance?

Don't worry. There's no legal framework in Cambodia for that.

John Bingham wrote: ↑Wed Dec 07, 2022 11:20 am

phuketrichard wrote: ↑Wed Dec 07, 2022 11:01 am
Recently 2 people i know got caught "working" in kep on Ordinary visas/extensions with no wp, both were fined $40>
one was teaching in a pre school, other was making herbal teas and selling them

Only $40?

Pays not to have one....

One thing that foreigners find very difficult to get used to in Cambodia, myself included sometimes, is the notion of laws being in black and white.

In the west, we are conditioned from birth to respect the law, to know what is legal and what is illegal, the likelihood of getting caught for certain crimes and what sort of punishment we can expect if caught. Of course there are aspects of the law which are very complicated and need lawyers to interpret, but in general, most people know if what they are doing is legal or not. There is a very clear distinction.

In countries such as Cambodia, that very clear notion of what is legal and what isn't doesn't seems to exist in quite the same way. Even to the extent that you can ask a local "Is [insert questionable act here] legal in Cambodia?" and they will often look at you for several seconds just trying to comprehend the question, let alone give you an answer. The idea of things being a binary legal or illegal, black or white, up or down, left or right seems like a strange concept to many Khmers. In a way, everything is legal if you have the money for it. Or, on the other hand, everything can be illegal if you're unfortunate to have enemies in the wrong places.

It's not that Cambodia is some sort of lawless wild west, of course it has laws, but it's the approach to enforcing them that is so different to what we're used to in the west. There are many reasons for that, most of which are abundantly clear to anyone who has lived here for a reasonable amount of time, but it's fair to say that you could have your paperwork 100% correct and up to date, yet come across an official who, for some reason has it in for you, or is looking to make an extra buck, who will find the tiniest crack in your armour to exploit you. On the other hand, you could find that you have a visa, but it's the wrong one, yet find yourself with a very understanding official who will simply give you a small fine and point you in the right direction to get yourself the correct paperwork.

There may be laws for every scenario, but there is often no accountability for enforcing those laws, which means the interpretation of those laws are often left up to the individual you're dealing with.

My advice is do your best to do the right thing, but always know that you'll never have every i dotted or t crossed.

Cambodia just doesn't work like that.