How to a Get Cambodian Citizenship?

Cambodia has so much to offer that some of these might not have crossed your mind yet. While some Southeast Asian countries are so popular, you might think, why even get Cambodian citizenship? 

Getting Cambodian citizenship can be helpful, especially when you’re planning to buy a property in Cambodia. To be a citizen in Cambodia for venturing into the property market, here are the basic factors that you need to learn.

Ways to Get Cambodian Citizenship

Well, if you’re considering moving to Cambodia and enjoying all the perks of living here, that’s great. Moving and staying are two different things, so you need to be careful. If you move to Cambodia, you need to have citizenship. 

There are three different ways through which you can acquire Cambodian citizenship:

• By birth
• By investment
• By marriage

By Birth

If you are born to at least one Cambodian parent, you will automatically be entitled to receiving Cambodian citizenship. This does not have anything to do with where you are born. 

If your parents have been living legally in Cambodia and you were born here, you can still claim your Cambodian citizenship. However, in this case, the only criterion is that you will need to submit all your documents appropriately to ensure everything is clear. 

Cambodia is one of the few nations allowing its citizen’s dual citizenship.

By Investment

Many would agree that this is one of the craziest ways to acquire Cambodian citizenship. Although controversial, this way of acquiring citizenship is quite seamless and fast. If you’re investing around 1.25 billion riels in Cambodia, you will be entitled to citizenship by investment. 

Cambodian citizenship by investment is often claimed to be an honorary investment to honour the members investing in the country. If not the investment, you also have the option to make a donation of 1 billion riels to the country. With this, not only will you get the option to get your Cambodian passport, but you can easily bypass the 7-year residency requirement to get citizenship. 

While this may seem a little weird, it is important to note that Cambodian citizenship by investment isn’t “buying” the citizenship. Whether you’re investing or donating, you must know about the region. 

Is that all that you need to acquire citizenship? Well, not really. Even if you’re cracking into securing citizenship by investing, you must fulfil other criteria, such as:

• Any applicant below the age of 18 years will not be allowed to apply for citizenship via investment. 
• If you do not have a valid passport, you must move out of the line of securing citizenship. 
• Whether physical or mental, Cambodians give a lot of importance to health. So, if you want citizenship, you must have sound mental and physical health. 
• Your current visa must be valid to get into Cambodia easily. 

The investment amount may put a lot of pressure on your pocket. Isn’t it? Well, it is still a lot cheaper than many other European countries. Getting citizenship in Cambodian locations through investment wouldn’t burn as much of a hole in your pocket as you expect it to.

By Marriage and Naturalization

The question is, ‘can you get citizenship in Cambodia by marriage?’ It may seem like a weird concept or even surprising to many, but this is true. You can acquire or, let’s say, secure Cambodian citizenship just by marriage. Although marriage and naturalisation are slightly longer routes, they are still very effective. If you want to go this route, your marriage must last at least three years.

That’s not all. You must legally register your marriage to get citizenship without any problem. Many may think that conducting a religious ceremony to celebrate the marriage is enough; it’s not. Compared to marriage, naturalisation is a much longer route. 

But what is naturalisation? This is the 7-year residency rule. If you have followed all the legal processes of living in Cambodia for seven years, you will be eligible for citizenship. However, you must also be very fluent in your Khmer- whether it’s writing or speaking. Apart from that, you must also pass a test to be fluent in Cambodian history.

Read also Property Investment in Cambodia for Citizenship

Why Should I Get Cambodian Citizenship?

Getting Cambodian citizenship can benefit you, especially in terms of getting investments. You can easily start your business. Since Cambodia real estate is rapidly growing, many locals and foreigners are investing in various properties in Cambodia.

You can easily invest in the commercial properties and make the most out of it. As a citizen of Cambodia, you will be receiving various economic merits too. 

Let’s admit that having work permits and great visas looks too good on your portfolio. Don’t they?

The real estate sector is quite limited to Cambodian nationals. Even if you’re a foreigner investing huge amounts, you’d have to take the help of a nation for the approvals. So, why go through all that pain when you can get the investment and start with everything? 

Trust us; you will fall in love with this beautiful country, considering it has so much to offer.

Conclusion

Having additional citizenship, especially from Cambodia, is quite efficient. If you plan to settle in this country with pristine beaches and sky-touching towers, you need citizenship that will get you through. Once you settle here and want to invest in Cambodian real estate, you have IPS Cambodia (អាភីអេសខេមបូឌា) to guide you. 

With expertise and experience in the industry, we have all that you need to know to start investing in Cambodia real estate. For expert consultation, ទាក់ទងមកកាន់ IPS today!