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Nearly 600 Foreigners Obtained Cambodian Citizenship from 2020-2021

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A report by the Cambodia China Times suggests nearly 600 foreigners have received their Cambodian citizenship between June 2020 and mid-2021. More than 500 are said to be Chinese. Of the total number of foreign nationals receiving their Cambodian citizenship, 83% were Chinese or Taiwanese reported the Cambodia China Times. Between 1999-2018, the Ministry of the Interior recorded a total of 1,935 foreigners receiving their Cambodian citizenship. You can read more in our article on how How To Obtain Cambodian Citizenship but there are four main pathways to securing Cambodian citizenship as a foreigner:
  1. Citizenship by naturalisation: Requiring to have lived in the country for at least seven years, plus additional criteria.
  2. By investment or donation: This requires a substantial financial contribution and officially can take between 3-6 months - there are a number of requirements.
  3. By marriage: If you marry a Khmer spouse, citizenship may be applied for after three years of living together, and on proof of official documents.
  4. By birth or descent: Those born to at least one Khmer parent are entitled to Cambodian citizenship.
The Chinese nationals are all believed to have received their citizenship through the investment route which required at least a 1.25 billion riel (USD $312,500) investment in Cambodia. 88 of the 505 Chinese nationals also changed their names after the naturalisation was processed. 83 foreigners from other countries also gained Cambodian citizenship including those from:
  • Philippines
  • India
  • Spain
  • Bangladesh
  • Japan
  • Indonesia
  • Vietnam
  • Australia
  • Germany
  • Canada
  • Myanmar
  • South Korea
  • The United States
  • Singapore
  • Iran
  • Malaysia
  • France
  • Thailand
  • United Kingdom