Guidance

Cambodia: Knowledge Base profile

Published 28 July 2025

Version 2.0

About: Cambodia

This document contains useful information about Cambodia which will assist His Majesty’s Passport Office staff process passport applications.

Contacts

If you have any questions about the document and your line manager or senior caseworker cannot help you or you think that the document has factual errors then email the Guidance team.

If you notice any formatting errors in this document (broken links, spelling mistakes and so on) or have any comments about the layout or navigability of the document then you can email the Guidance team.

Publication

Below is information on when this version of the document was published:

• version 2.0
• published for Home Office staff on 18 July 2025

Changes from last version of this document

This document has been updated with formatting changes.

Cambodia: names

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about names in Cambodia.

The family names or any other names of each or both parents can be used as surnames for the child.

Some variances in spelling may be a result of transliteration (where text has been converted from one alphabet to another which may result in spelling differences), for example Marc and Mark, Stefanee and Stephanie.

Name alignment

Where the name on the application for the British passport is different to that on the Cambodia passport, and is not a result of transliteration, HM Passport Office will ask the customer to align their Cambodia passport.

Cambodia: nationality

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about nationality in Cambodia.

Dual nationality is recognised in Cambodia.

Cambodia: legitimacy and parental responsibility

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about legitimacy and parental responsibility in Cambodia.

Legitimacy

Cambodia recognises a difference between legitimate and illegitimate births.

A child will be considered:

• legitimate if:
  • born to parents who have been married for 180 days or more
  • born to parents who have been married for less than 180 days and the mother’s husband:
    • knew of the pregnancy before the marriage, or:
    • accepts the child is his
  • born to parents who finalised their divorce 300 days or less before the birth
  • born to unmarried parents who recognise the child and later marry
• illegitimate if born to parents who never marry

Parental responsibility

Parental responsibility is shared equally between both parents in Cambodia.

Cambodia: adoption

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about adoption in Cambodia.

Adoption is legal in Cambodia.

Inter-country adoption has been suspended since 22 June 2004 for UK residents wanting to adopt children from Cambodia.

Cambodia: surrogacy

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about surrogacy in Cambodia.

Surrogacy is illegal in Cambodia.

Cambodia: documents

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about documents from Cambodia.

In Cambodia, documents will show the person’s surname first, followed by the middle forename, ending with the (first) forename.

For example, the name on the application for the British passport may be Freda Ethel Soap, which will be presented on the Cambodia passport as:

• surname: Soap
• given name: Ethel Freda

When a mistake is found on a certificate, it should be re-issued.

Non-Cambodia names on birth, marriage, or death certificate are often incorrect or written in the unconventional order. Although there are sections where names should be filled in Latin scripts, these are often left blank.

The original certificates (birth, marriage & death) are issued in paper format longer than the A4 (about 3cm longer but the same width as A4 format) with a thin green line of embossed logo in the middle of the page. The certified copy is the same format, but the embossed logo is in light grey.

Birth certificates

Birth certificates are issued by the vital record officer at the parents’ local commune office. There is no time limit to register a birth.

For births registered:

• within 30 days, a birth certificate will be issued
• after 30 days, a certified birth certificate will be issued

Customers can obtain certificates in the updated format (post July 2002) which are:

• printed on paper
• approximately 3cm longer than an A4 sheet of paper
• feature a green logo
• personal information is handwritten
• issued in the communes where the parents live

Marriage certificates

Marriages are only officially recognised once they have been registered with the local commune office. There is no time limit to register a marriage.

Marriages must be registered with the vital record officer at the commune office closest to the bride’s residential address.

A marriage certificate is issued by the local Commune or Quarter (Sangkat) with records stored centrally at the Vital Records Office.

Since 7 March 2011 any foreign man wanting to marry a Cambodia citizen in Cambodia must be under 50 years of age. This does not apply to marriages performed outside of Cambodia.

Death certificates

Death certificates are issued following all deaths in Cambodia although a relative must apply for it. There is no time limit to register a death.

All death certificates are issued by the local Commune or Quarter (Sangkat).

Identity documents

It is mandatory for Cambodia citizens to possess a Khmer identity card.

Citizens require a birth certificate and a residence book to allow them to apply for a card with the communal police.

Identity cards are not issued to:

• monks
• those with severe mental health conditions
• prisoners
• those unable to prove their Cambodia nationality