Cambodian Citizenship by Birth-rite: How I got my Khmer ID Card and Passport
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- čas přidán 15. 10. 2023
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So your parents are Khmer but you were born in a Thai refugee camp. Or maybe your parents immigrated and you were born in another country? You are eligible to be a Cambodian Citizen! I filmed the entire process of getting my Khmer Identification card and passport. In this video, I'll show you step-by-step how you can do the same as me.
Nouv Sokchea (Pov) - Khmer Identification Office in Phnom Penh
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Previous video got removed by CZcams for "inappropriate content" please SHARE this new version to help with the algorithm!
Why CZcams remove it brother? It performed very well
@@ThydaCookingTV because CZcams doesn't allow you to show document with birthday...at one part you can see my birth certificate.
@@saviyou hahah if anything it’s protecting you
@@tainanking dumb thing is that you couldn’t even really see anything…also you can use their editor to blur out things like that but once they flagged the video you can’t edit it! I appealed it and said I could blur out that part as well but their decision was final. Sucks because the video was doing really well.
@@saviyou live in cambo for a year. I'm sure your channel would get pretty big. You have good info and interesting stuff. But usually when guys get past 100k or something subs, the content gets all gentrified
Thanks so much for documenting and sharing your journey on becoming a resident in Cambodia. This is extremely helpful!
Your information is help me a lot because now planning to apply Khmer citizenship for my kids. Thank you 🙏
Bong, you’re awesome. I love your Khmer generosity (information sharing). It’s odd how Khmer brothers/sisters seem to yearn to return to our beloved mother land. I was in Battambang last month and wish I had this information. This is valuable! Congrats on the Khmer passport!
My pleasure! I have some more videos coming about stuff like this so stay tuned ;)
Thank you for making this video! It is so helpful and informative for those of us - similar to your situation.
This is so helpful! Thank you for sharing your experience.
Great information and congratulations! Thank you 👍
Somehow your video popped up while I watching some Khmer vlogs and I am happy that you gave me this very useful information. I am from the Philadelphia area and was there in Cambodia recently in June 2023 with my family and siblings family for about 4 weeks and now I wish I knew how to get a Cambodian Citizenship. I will be there in the beginning of November 2023 for about 2 weeks again and would love to get my citizenship done but I will not have enough time. You have a new follower and I will definitely be sharing this video. Thank you!
Hey friend, curious if you went back to srok Khmer this month and if you inquired about getting your Khmer ID?
@@saviyou I am still here but I just got back from a short trip to Bali. I didn’t know how long the process would take because I will be leaving on the 24th. How are your adventures going so far? I did find out that I can be part of my cousin’s family book in Battambang too but because my time is limited now, it might have to wait until I come back in a few years.
Thanks for the information and Congrat on your dual citizenship
Proud for you bro
Good job and congrats!!! I know a lot of people who were born during the great escape from the Khmer Rouge - heck, my wife's brothers and sister were born all over the place, some in Thailand and some in the Philippines while making their way to the U.S.
I think they took this into consideration...the fact that the war forced hundreds of thousands khmer citizens to flee. It's a smart move to allow citizenship by birth-rite because alot of us have who immigrated to more developed countries are doing well now and have plans to invest or retire in Cambodia where cost of liviing is so much less than in western countries.
Thank you for sharing this information, very useful.
Congratulations on your new citizenship in your new country of Cambodia 🇰🇭. I wish I could do that too, but unfortunately
Thank you for sharing!
Thanks for the info bro. My wife is Khmer and a US citizen. She is in the same situation because she was born in the Khao I dang refugee camp in Thailand. Her U.S. passport also says Thailand. Cambodia should make the process easier for those who were born in refugee camps
I was born in Thailand too but in my opinion there is no point of getting Cambodian citizenship. I rather make the effort to get my Thai citizenship which I heard it's possible now under the new Law they implemented in 2008.
Cool, I can get my Khmer I’d and passport, thanks for the info.
Thank you for doing all the hard work? I was born in Thai camp too but have no birth certificate so every hard and still can’t get one due to the war
Are you a citizen of US now? If so, you can send a request to USCIS Freedom of Information Act to send you your immigration papers. On the paperwork it'll state you are a Cambodian citizen born in Thai camp. Should also state your parent's names and where they were born. I plan to do an update video once I get more feedback from other people that went through this.
Very valuable content...you've gained a new subscriber! Thank you for putting together this informative topic. I went through major hoops and bounds earlier this year (March 2023) in trying to obtain a birth certificate, ID, and the family book. We stayed in Cambodia for nearly 3 months to ensure that all the items would be done in one trip, despite having to pay the "expedited" and courtesy "coffee" fees. It is now done, but of course, if you are tagged as a foreigner all costs get multiplied many times tenfold, which we expected in advance. I didn't know you could get a Khmer passport (if you have dual Khmer/American citizenship). Knowing that this can be done in Phnom Penh, I'll make sure to get it done on our next trip back. Keep up the great content and if you are still in Cambodia, maybe we can connect again in the future! Best-
It took me longer than expected but in the end I guess 3 weeks isn’t too bad. 3 months seems excessive but I’m glad it all worked out for you in the end. Were you born in Thailand as well?
@@saviyou No, I was born in Cambodia...but my younger brother was born in Thailand. Yes, agree three months is excessive as our longest trip is typically between 4-6 weeks. Actually, we had bought a house in Siem Reap, which has a one-year warranty from the date of the key handover, so we wanted to move in and experience the different seasons (monsoon) to ensure that weather conditions along with any dwelling/structural, electrical, rain/floods/leaks, cracks issues get noted, which we would report and the Borey would repair. After a year, we would be out of luck! The hard title is another process with a long wait time. The 3 months were nice as we were able to celebrate Khmer Songkran while we played house and waited for the documents to be approved.
Hi Savi, I've been watching a few of your CZcams episodes and I appreciate you uploading them. I have been gone from Cambodia/Khmer-Krom for some time now, but I will eventually return to my birthplace. What are the advantages of becoming Cambodian citizens? My parents lost a lot of land and property when Pol Pot took over and included the lands and property in South Vietnam too. The process of obtaining Cambodian citizenship using your CZcams documents is not easy. There was a significant amount of money spent or fees charged. Are you familars about Dr Kem Ley story?
amazing video
finger cross, hopefully you can go through this waiting game. bong
I remembered from the last video you went to the Aeon Mall? If I'm not mistaken.
Man looks like what I went through just to marry my wife. Spent a lot of "Coffee" money. I am also trying to get my ID and Passport and find this video very informative.
Welcome to Cambodia.
I did mine in Kampong Cham earier this year. I had the same hassle with the police chief eg back and forth back and forth. They all do it. They make it a hassle so we get stressed and fed up and offer to pay them" coffee money". That's all it is. Money... But I think you should have gotten your own Residence book. You being on your Uncle family book will cause hassle down the track. The purpose of the the family book is also used for inheritance purposes. You will have problems down the track. but congrats on being Khmer Citizen!
I think later on when I build a house I will get my own residency book. Thanks for sharing your story!
The process is simple but each step requires you to buy coffee for each person. nothing is impossible with $$
You mean beer and karaoke 😅
Congrats. I just got my Cambodian ID and passport too. Mine was quick and easy because my American Passport said I was born in Cambodia. It is true no matter where you were born as long as one of your parents is Cambodian, you will get the Cambodian ID.
that's great! I'm curious if they require you to make a birth certificate if your passport says born in cambodia?
No birth certificate required.
Thanks Bong this was helpful. Ultimately i want to buy some land there to one day “bury” my dad there as he wishes. I wasn’t sure about how but this got me thinking about options.
Very noble reason. You could buy a plot at the temple near his birth village. I don't know all the details but my cousin showed me the plot she purchased for when she passes. She already has one of the shrines built that hold the remains.
@@saviyou yes thats exactly what he wants a shrine in his village/farm be near his parents and siblings burials. Thanks again bong!
Did you have to have the original birth certificate or can provide a copy? I’m currently in Battambang and both my parents born here but I’m US born
Bong thank you for your video. I was born in the US but I dream of connecting with Cambodia. I’d love to be a citizen one day and own property.
you did it.
SAVI good to see your video how to get CAMBODIA citizen came to HOUSTON TEXAS 1980 i plan to go back 2025 live the rest off my life where i came from i miss my water buffalo
Olá Bong,
Thanks for the video and clearing up any confusion on the dual citizenship process.
Can I still apply if my parents refuse to go back home?
They felt they were wrongfully kicked out of the nation due to being foreigners in the first place. My grandparents both came from India & China who married Khmer locals. They integrated into the culture, worked with the French, The King and new government up until 1980s. Their land, businesses and money were mostly taken away by "Communist" regime.
I wanted to explore the options, but I think its possible to process this from the US. 😂
So Savi are you going to live in Cambodia for a while. Reason I ask is I I am thinking of moving there soon too. Please give me some information like where to live what I need to buy a property there etc.
I don’t plan to move anytime soon but maybe I will have a winter home here that I can rent out on Airbnb when I’m not using. If you plan to move here I would look at the website khmer24.com you can find plenty of apartments, house, land for rent or sale. Where you should live that depend on if you want to be in the city or countryside or maybe a mix of both. I plan to do a video where I talk about these subjects.
I’m a former Khmer navy living in USA over 48 years
Sweet bro!!!
Once a Russian cat told me he can get foreigners (as in Westerners) Cambodian citizenship but it was thousands of dollars at usually attached to a Real Estate Investment.
All over South East Asia u can’t buy land if u r not a foreigner.
I lost your channel for a while, are u bringing your wife and 3 daughters to Cambodia too?
That’s actually pretty accurate. You can get citizenship by investment. I’d like to bring the girls someday but they can only come in the summer when it’s too hot to do anything except go to the mall
@@saviyou hey as I said I lost u for a while. Are u still married or not anymore?
I don’t know if u remember me but I asked you if you are notorious in the Cambodian American community for getting married with a white lady and u said: yes they call me “Pimp Daddy Sav”
Thanks for sharing your experience!
Could I ask what was the $140 you gave to the lady Pov for? Was it the Tea money for her service or that was the fees for the paperwork?
$120 for Khmer ID paperwork expedited +$20 tip.
That’s reasonable. I’m considering doing what you did for a Khmer passport for traveling purposes. I agreed with you that Khmer passport will allow us to travel to neighboring countries much easier. Great info and video, thanks!
Question how do you sent stuff to family members in Cambodia that in the village country side . ? Because there’s no address . Am trying to send medicine and stuff to my family in takeo village
This is a really good question, I know you can use the transport companies to send packages and a few times I was in a van that was dropping off packages along the way. I'm not sure about the details but your family in Takeo should know.
I have a question, i was born in the us i am a us citizen but my dad got deported to go back to cambodia . My dad is from cambodia and he is a cambodia citizen. would i be able to apply for cambodian citizenship here in America ?
soon i will be in Cambodia and try to apply but I'm not sure because from province to province difference
Hi Savi, I’m in Anaheim, California. Is it possible to get a birthday certificate without going to Cambodia? Can all this be done without being in Cambodia? We reduce our age when arrived in USA, so it would be nice to get a birthday certificate. Thank you, appreciate it.
Its possible but you need someone at the local office where you were born. I did it for my parents while I was there.
I'm actually in the same shoe as you. I am born in thailand and now a citizen of the United stated. I do have an aunt and cousin in Batambang. What's should I do? My mom is born in Cambodia and usa citizen now. But all documents is lost during the Khmer Rouge
Depends how good is your Khmer? I would have my birth certificate and residency book made where your relatives live. Seems like less chance to get over charged. And then go to the main Khmer ID office in PP to apply for your ID.
Hi savi i am going to cambodia and i was born in battambang but i was told i have to do the paperwork in battambang then go go phnom penh afterwards?
Can i not just do the whole thing in phnom penh? Can i get the contact person you deal with in phnom penh
Contact info in description of the video. She said she can handle birth certificate in PP. I would suggest messaging her on telegram.
Ok that video how long you stay there to get khmer cus resonly I stay there for 10 month and it all if this if that the video you show I stay at down the hotel
Hi Savi,
Thank you very much for this super helpful video.
I am also looking into the process of applying for Cambodian citizenship. And your video is one of the only (if not the only) useful source of information.
My parent were also born in Cambodia and fled due to the war. With no Cambodian papers or birth certificates.
I was born in Europe and have a European passport.
Your video really helped me to understand what I should be expecting.
Luckily, my parents will be able to go to Cambodia with me. Hopefully this makes it a bit smoother. I will definitively contact Pov. Despite not being able to speak Khmer. I will try Google Translate when messaging her.
Do you know if they accept any foreign documents (other than passports) that show my parents' place of birth? (I also have a family book that is written in German that shows my parents being born in Cambodia)
Thanks again. Great video. And congratulations!
I would bring your birth certificate and passport and your parents should bring passport. If their passport says Cambodia as the birthplace, You should not have a problem getting your Khmer ID if they go with you.
@@saviyou
Unfortunately, their passports do not state Cambodia as their birthplace. But they do have an expired Cambodian ID.
When I go through this process, I will write an update. Hopefully it will help others, too.
@@mikel8532 any document that shows they were born in Cambodia will help.
Does bong bau charge for her services?
I have that problem where I'm Khmer but born in Thailand
You gave very detail and step-by-step process whic is very helpful. I am now a new subscriber. Can you send me your contact information in Phnom Penh? Im thinking of getting Khmer ID next time i visit Cambodia . How long would i need to get it done?
Look in description for the contact in PP. Only contact her when you are in Cambodia and ready to start the paperwork. I would say about a week, if you start on Monday you should have everything done by Friday but only if you pay for expedited processing.
@@saviyou Thank you.
Hello Savi. Does obtaining a Cambodia citizenship mean that you now have dual citizenship? U.S. and Cambodia. Just curious if that is allowed and how that works. Since you grew up and worked in the U.S. most of your working life, would obtaining a Cambodian citizenship affect getting social security benefits later in life? It will be many years from now but I am looking to retire abroad as an ex-pat and part of my retirement income is the U.S. social security system. I would not want to risk doing anything that may affect losing my social security in the future. Also, just curious about what your wife has to say about this endeavor to live and obtain land in Cambodia. She is an American Caucasian if I am not mistaken. Would she ever consider relocating to Srok Khmer with you? I would say that it would be ideal to retire in Cambodia on SSI. That would be an ex-pat's dream.
Yes I’m a dual citizen. It does not affect my status in the US whatsoever. Many people living in the US retire in Cambodia. They have infrastructure setup for foreigners already but if you got your Khmer citizenship it’s easy.
@@saviyou Hi Savi. Appreciate your prompt reply. I am going to Cambodia in April 2024 for Khmer New Years. Actually 40+ years later, it will be my very first time visiting the Motherland since I was born in the Philippines when my family immigrated there during the war. It is a story most of us first-gen Cambodian-Americans are all too familiar with regarding migrating during the war. If Dual Citizenship is possible, I am considering doing my Khmer Citizenship as well. Per your video, can the citizenship process be done in Phnom Penh without having to go to your parent's town or village? Fortunately for me, my father is already retired and lives in Cambodia and can help in the process. How long is the paperwork process until you receive your Cambodian ID and Passport? Typically what documents are needed and how much did it end up costing you in US Dollars? Your video mentions as long as your parents are Khmer, the process should be relatively easy. I may have a small hiccup which I legally changed my name so it is no longer a Khmer name. Do you think this would pose as an issue? Any advice is appreciated. Thanks again.
@@MeanderthalTravelEat You should be able to do everything in Phnom Penh and since your father can help, it should make the process easier. Regarding the name change, I would bring some documentation. They scrutinized me a bit because my mom's last name was changed from her maiden name (they asked if he married his sister!?) If you have any other supporting documentation like a birth certificate I would bring that also. It also wouldn't hurt to file an FOIA request for your immigration papers. I don't know if they accept it but it contains a lot of good information. The entire process will take atleast 1 full work week if you expedite everything. I would suggest allocating 2 weeks. It cost me $40 for my birth certificate and residency book, $140 for the Khmer ID, $300 for passport and then you'll need to tip the runner. Those prices are not set in stone because I've heard varying reports about how much they were asking. Good luck and feel free to email me with further questions.
@@saviyou Thanks Savi. All helpful information. Now I'm really considering getting my Khmer citizenship. The way I see it is there are only positives. I do not have my original birth certificate. More like I was born in a refugee camp in the Philippines (Manila but not really sure) and times were more chaotic back then so the document may have been lost. Years ago, I tried to search through my family archive of immigration paperwork but couldn't find any certificate. Do you think not having the birth certificate will impact the application?
@@MeanderthalTravelEat If you were born in the Philippines, chances are you may have a birth certificate. One of my sibling had the same issue. He needed a birth certificate or a letter of non-availability. My parents said they never got one. I contacted the Philippines consulate and they told me to request via the PSA. We were expecting to get a "Letter of Non-Availability" but it turns out my sibling had one.
www.psa.gov.ph/birth-certificate
Give it a try.
CCL fam ☕️
Thx for dropping in fam
If my parents doesn’t have or can’t find there documents and they ran from Cambodian to USA what do I do?
If they are citizen of the US they have either citizenship paper or green card stating they were born in Cambodia.
or money under the table
I'm a US citizen but my mom is a khmer rouge survival living in the usa. Can i get my citizenship in cambodia?
Yes, as long your parent can prove they were born in Cambodian
@@saviyou thank you🙏
My US passport says I was born in Cambodia. That's the only document that I have. I was actually born in the refuge camp. Is my passport good enough to get me citizenship? I have 4 more years in the military before I retire. My plan is to buy land in Cambodia and own a small business after retirement.
Yes that’s all you need. It should be easy for you.
@saviyou awesome. Thanks for the reply Bong. I just came across your channel and binged like 4 videos. Thanks for sharing your story. I'm looking forward to seeing your channel grow. You should do some street food videos!!!
There are many refugee camps that are inside Cambodia as well not just in Thailand.
what if my parents have been naturalized and I don't have any family in cambodia anymore?
If you have no family to help you then most likely you’ll need to bring your parents with.
Has every village got their own Chief ? .
I think it depends on how many people live there because I don’t think my dad village has a chief.
Thanks for a quick reply,
🤙🔥🔥🔥🔥❤️🇰🇭🇹🇭🇺🇲🙏🙏🙏
Can you start a family book?
Yes you can
@@saviyou how? At the ID place? Did the lady charge for her services?
@@helenakeannguyen yes she will charge also you can do in PP or at the commune office your family is from. You need to be able to speak khmer or have someone like a relative helping.
Wondering if i would have a problem since my passport says born in Cambodia 😂 i will see lol my dad use to be some kind of mayor in battambang to & i have family there to but never been there before
It will be easier for you if your passport says born in Cambodia
@@saviyou thank you so much for your reply, I will be flying in July 16th.
If you was born in Cambodia and your passport states that than it should be straight forward without any question.
Easy way is pay them more money to get passport lol
I heard Thailand changed the law allowing those born on Thai soil to be eligible for citizenship. I don't know what are the requirements and process for this
I'm not too fond of coffee money
Corrupt Police , they want money, if you pay , things go through. Sad but so.
i cant get it
Citizenship by ancestry doesn't need to go through the process of applying for birth certificate if the individual was not born in Cambodia. This doesn't make any sense as you were not born in Cambodia. It feels very unnatural. They should just issue automatic Cambodian citizenship to those individual who can prove he or she is Khmer by bloodline or ancestry.
I agree with you but I don't think they have a process in place for anything else so they just require a birth certificate from Cambodia (even if you're not born there). Maybe they will change this in the future when they have more refugee children coming to claim citizenship.
@@saviyouIf the individual was applying for citizenship and he was born on Cambodian soil but does not have Khmer blood than I can understand. He or she needs to provide their birth certificate in order to obtain Khmer citizenship. If the individual is applying for Khmer citizenship through "rights of blood" than there is no need to go through that loop hole. It's automatic khmer citizenship.
@@imperialkhmer6146 it seems logical to us because we deal with properly enforced laws but when you’re dealing with Khmer ppl logic sometimes goes out the window. We argued with them back and forth about the same thing you’re talking about.
@@saviyou I guess common sense is not so common after all.
I’m quite sure their passport isn’t too coveted and as corrupt of a country as it is, I’m sure some money can get it done even For a foreigner with no ties. An asean passport helps since quite a few of those countries need visas to go to for US citizens. My Taiwan passport doesn’t give any advantage on that end
Citizenship by investment, but you need to invest $500k+ maybe if you know some people on the inside you can do it for less.
@@saviyou that’s steep because I think even Canada is only 600k. Sounds like a bad deal and it’s just Cambodia ….
@@tainankingmajority of the Khmer people don't even want their own passport. I don't know why any one in their right or left mind would even think about spending that much to get citizenship in a corrupt country like Cambodia 😂😂
@@imperialkhmer6146 having a passport and being a citizen isn't the same. having the passport has many benefits as I said. I have an american and taiwanese passport. I still have to apply for a visa for quite a few ASEAN countries. So even with a crappy passport(no offense) such as cambodia, I could travel to all those countries without visas. But I'm surely not gonna pay 600k for a passport like that lol
@@tainanking I know it isn't the same but am just pointing out the hypocrisy of many local Khmer people who thinks they don't want to go live abroad if giving the opportunity. The majority of them 99% will definitely go live in the US if given that golden chance. They will show off their US citizenship and passport in their social media videos. Trust me lol
Are you telling the world that you just lied to the world dude, you must keep confidential matters to yourself don't be a fool.
Explain how I lied?
You should try to get Thai citizenship instead if you want to do business ,Thailand is better than Cambodia
Thailand just revised their nationality law of 2008 and now every person who was born on Thai soil are eligible for birth certification and Thai citizenship. I don't know how that process works because haven't seen any Khmer born in Thailand yet to be granted Thai citizenship.