Crossing from Thailand to Cambodia overland used to be one of Southeast Asia’s rites of passage: a ฿48 train to the border, a chaotic walk through Poipet’s scam gauntlet, and a dusty ride to Angkor Wat. Right now, none of that is possible. This guide covers the current border status honestly, the flight workaround, the official e-visa that saves you money and hassle, and exactly how the overland routes work, including the scams, for when the crossings reopen.
Prices are in Thai baht with US dollars in parentheses at ฿33 = US$1 (July 2026), given as ranges because transport pricing shifts constantly. This situation is genuinely fluid, so verify everything against official sources before booking. If Cambodia was meant to be a visa run, read our Thailand tourist visa and exemption guide first, as flying changes the maths.
Thailand to Cambodia routes at a glance
| Route | Status (July 2026) | Normal cost | Normal time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flight, Bangkok to Siem Reap or Phnom Penh | Operating | Varies by season, compare current fares | ~1h 10m |
| Direct bus, Bangkok to Siem Reap (via Aranyaprathet-Poipet) | Suspended, border closed | ~฿1,150-1,650 (US$35-50) | 8-9 hours |
| DIY: train to Aranyaprathet + cross on foot + onward taxi/bus | Not possible, border closed | ~฿48 (US$1.45) train + onward costs | Full day |
| Southern: Trat/Koh Chang to Hat Lek-Cham Yeam, on to Sihanoukville | Not possible, border closed | Minivan + crossing + onward, varies | Full day |
| Cambodia tourist e-visa (any entry route) | Available at evisa.gov.kh | US$30 (~฿990) | ~3 business days processing |
Overland fares reflect pre-closure operator pricing and are indicative only; confirm with operators once crossings reopen. ฿33 = US$1 (July 2026).
Is the Thailand-Cambodia border open in July 2026?
No. Land crossings between Thailand and Cambodia, including the main Aranyaprathet-Poipet gate, have been closed since June 2025 and remain closed as of July 2026. A troop clash on the disputed frontier in May 2025 escalated into armed conflict, checkpoints shut on both sides, and repeated ceasefire and reopening efforts since have stalled.
The signals from Bangkok are blunt. “There has been no reopening of the checkpoints, and it is not yet time to reopen them,” Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said in April 2026, in remarks reported by The Nation. The same reporting quoted the Royal Thai Navy’s commander-in-chief saying he had ordered “absolutely no reopening” of checkpoints under his command, and noted that Thai security agencies considered a 2026 reopening unlikely. Cambodia’s government has publicly said it would reopen its side quickly if Thailand moves first, but as of this writing neither side has moved.
What this means for you: do not plan an overland Thailand-Cambodia trip right now. Check your embassy’s travel advisory and recent news immediately before travelling, because this could change in either direction with little notice.
How do you get from Thailand to Cambodia right now?
You fly. Flights between the two countries have continued operating throughout the border closure. Bangkok to Siem Reap or Phnom Penh takes roughly 1 hour 10 minutes, with several carriers running daily services from both Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang. Fares move a lot with season and booking window, so compare current prices directly rather than trusting any number in a guide.
If you are starting from central Bangkok, our Bangkok airport to city guide covers the trains, buses and taxi pricing for both airports in reverse, the same options apply heading out. Book a morning flight and you can be standing in front of Angkor Wat’s ticket office the same afternoon, which, silver lining, is faster than the old bus ever was.
One honest note for visa runners: with land borders shut, a Cambodia run means two flights instead of a ฿48 train, so compare it against other options in our Thailand tourist visa and exemption guide before committing.
How does the Cambodia e-visa work and what does it cost?
The official Cambodia tourist e-visa (Type T) costs US$30 (about ฿990) and is issued through the government portal at evisa.gov.kh. The price dropped from US$36 to US$30 on January 1, 2025, according to the official announcement covered by VisasNews. Processing takes about 3 business days, payment is by card or major e-wallets, and the fee is non-refundable even if you are rejected, so double-check your details before submitting.
Two warnings. First, use only evisa.gov.kh. Search results are full of commercial lookalike sites that sell the identical visa for US$50-100+ by stacking “service fees” on the official price. Second, when land borders operated, the e-visa was accepted at the major crossings including Poipet and Cham Yeam, but not at every minor checkpoint, so if you cross overland in future, confirm your intended crossing is on the official e-visa entry list before applying.
A visa on arrival also exists (US$30 for tourists, payable in US dollars cash) at airports and, historically, at land borders. At airports it is straightforward. At Poipet it is the scam magnet described below, which is exactly why the e-visa is worth the 3-day wait.
What is the Aranyaprathet-Poipet crossing normally like?
When open, Aranyaprathet-Poipet is the busiest Thailand-Cambodia crossing and the standard route between Bangkok and Siem Reap. You have two classic approaches from Bangkok:
The direct bus. Operators such as Giant Ibis and Transport Co. have historically run direct Bangkok-Siem Reap services for roughly ฿1,150-1,650 (US$35-50), taking 8-9 hours including the border, per pre-closure operator and booking-platform listings. You stay with the same company the whole way, they walk you through immigration, and the onward-transport hustle on the Cambodian side never touches you. For most travellers this was the sane choice.
The DIY train. An ordinary third-class train has long run from Bangkok to Aranyaprathet for ฿48 (US$1.45), departing early morning and early afternoon and taking around 6 hours on hard seats, per Thai railway fare listings. From Aranyaprathet station it is a short tuk-tuk ride to the border, you cross on foot, then take a shared taxi or bus from Poipet to Siem Reap, roughly 2-3 hours more. It is the backpacker classic: absurdly cheap, genuinely slow, and it drops you straight into the scam gauntlet with no chaperone.
Both options are suspended while the border is closed. Confirm schedules and prices with the operators directly once crossings reopen; assume everything here has changed in the meantime.
What scams should you expect at Poipet?
Poipet’s hustle is famous enough that travel guides have documented the same playbook for over a decade, and there is no reason to expect it to vanish when the border reopens. The greatest hits:
- Fake visa offices. Buildings and desks on the Thai approach, sometimes signed “Visa Office” or “Cambodia Consulate”, that intercept you before the real border and sell visas at a heavy markup, or sell you paperwork you do not need. The real visa happens inside the official Cambodian immigration building, or better, on your phone weeks earlier.
- Baht-quoted overcharges. The visa on arrival is officially priced in US dollars (US$30 for tourists). Touts and even some counter staff have historically quoted it in baht at ฿1,200-1,500, pocketing the difference of several hundred baht. Politely insist on the official dollar price, or sidestep the whole conversation with an e-visa.
- “Helpers” and fixers. Friendly people who fill in your forms, walk you to windows, and then demand a fee for a process that is free and self-explanatory. A firm no thank you, repeated, works.
- Onward transport games. On the Cambodian side, expect inflated quotes to Siem Reap and a shuttle system designed to funnel you toward commission-paying operators. Agree on prices before getting in anything.
The pattern across all of these: an official e-visa purchased in advance removes the visa transaction, which is where most of the money is made. For the broader field manual on this stuff, our Thailand travel scams guide covers the same psychology applied nationwide.
What about the southern route via Koh Chang and Trat?
The southern route is the quieter, prettier alternative when borders operate: from Bangkok or Koh Chang, you travel to Trat province, continue about 90 km south to the Hat Lek border, cross into Cham Yeam in Cambodia’s Koh Kong province, and take a minivan onward to Sihanoukville (roughly 4-5 hours from the border) or Phnom Penh. Travellers finishing a Koh Chang beach stint and heading for Cambodia’s islands have used it for years, and it sees far less scam traffic than Poipet, though the crossing has its own reputation for small overcharges, so the same e-visa-in-advance rule applies.
As of July 2026, Hat Lek-Cham Yeam is subject to the same closure as every other Thailand-Cambodia land crossing. If you are on Koh Chang dreaming of Cambodian islands, the current reality is a trip back to Bangkok and a flight.
The honest caveats
The border status is the whole story right now. Every overland option in this guide is theory until the crossings reopen, and reopening depends on politics nobody can schedule. Prices will have moved by the time the border opens, operators that suspended services may return with new fares, schedules or not at all, so treat the pre-closure figures here as historical reference points, not quotes. Visa rules change too: confirm the current e-visa price and accepted entry points at evisa.gov.kh when you actually apply. And a standing rule for this crossing in any era: if a price at Poipet is quoted in baht for something Cambodia charges in dollars, someone is improvising.
Where to next
If Cambodia was your visa-run plan, run the numbers in our Thailand tourist visa and exemption guide before booking flights. Heading east anyway? The Bangkok to Koh Chang guide covers Thailand’s own slice of that coastline, and our Thailand travel scams guide is worth ten minutes before any border, open or not. Meanwhile, see what’s happening around the country in Thailand events.
Sources
- The Nation: Thai stance hardens as Cambodia border closure drags into 10th month (April 18, 2026), source of official statements on the closure.
- Cambodia eVisa official portal (evisa.gov.kh), the only official application site.
- VisasNews: Cambodia lowers electronic visa prices, the January 1, 2025 fee reduction to US$30.
- Giant Ibis Transport: Bangkok to Siem Reap route and booking-platform listings for pre-closure direct bus pricing.
- Thailand Trains: Bangkok to Aranyaprathet times and fares and Seat61: Train travel in Thailand for the ฿48 third-class fare.
- Wikivoyage: Poipet for long-documented border scam patterns.
- U.S. Embassy Thailand: Travel Advisory, Thailand-Cambodia border for the standing advisory on the border area.