An Indian tourist recently documented her ordeal after being denied boarding at a Southeast Asian airport after failing to show 400 USD in cash to officials of the operating airline. Taking to Instagram, the tourist, a girl from Andhra Pradesh’s Visakhapatnam who flew to Laos from Cambodia, said, “As an Indian, if you are planning to travel to South East Asia, you should know this. I was in Cambodia for one week, literally two weeks ago. I flew from Bangkok to Siem Reap–Angkor International Airport (Cambodia)…I had no trouble at all. I could pay for my visa on arrival by card and enter the country. But today, in Laos, in Luang Prabang International Airport, to fly back to Cambodia, they are demanding that I show 400 US dollars in cash (almost Rs 40,000)…otherwise, they are not letting me board the flight.”
DISCLAIMER: This article is based on information from the public domain and/or the experts we spoke to.
She advised carrying “some cash just to prove that you are a tourist and not some illegal person, which is humiliating”. She also mentioned that, despite showing “many proofs” such as a bank statement, her previous travel history, and that she “paid by card to enter Cambodia two weeks ago without any trouble…they didn’t allow me”. “They didn’t let me. The airlines are so strict with it. If I ask them to show proof of who is asking for this rule, all they show is a freaking Messenger group with some random people chatting about my information. If you are an Indian, you are going to face this especially in Laos, because when I entered from Cambodia to Laos by the border as well, they demanded that I buy a return flight ticket irrespective of…I could cross the border. They didn’t let me because they are scared that I would enter the country illegally and work.”
In a subsequent Instagram Story, the solo traveller shared that she had managed to return to Cambodia. “Thank you so much, everyone, who has been so supportive. I made it safe to Cambodia,” she said.
We tried to reach her individually, but she has not yet responded to our query.
Many of her followers also replied with similar incidents they faced. One wrote, “I agree! The same thing happened to me. I was flying from Bangkok to Cambodia & I was asked to show $800 in cash. Apparently, I was made to stand on the side, and the airline staff asked another Chinese tourist if they had cash! And they did not – they said it’s okay & let them go. But I was asked to show it.”
Annapurna reached Cambodia safely (Photo: Lalatrails/Instagram Stories)
A Chinese traveller also shared, “It is not for Indian people. I’m Chinese. I also was treated like that. The Cambodia staff asked me to show 500 dollars when I was going to fly from Cambodia to Thailand at the airport And immigration guy asked l me for my return ticket when I came to Cambodia. And also the staff at the airport asked me 300 dollars when I flew from Thailand to Cambodia.”
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Yet another supported the scrutiny. “People calling Laos Uncivilised, really? Having rules for immigration especially for citizens from an uncivilised country is not a crime. More and more countries will strat stricter entry rules for India – wait and watch- only because of this supremacist attitude of Indians! India is a third world, accept, and stop calling others uncivilised!”
Interestingly, according to the Indian Ministry of External Affairs’ website, Cambodia, which is listed under ‘countries which provide Visa on Arrival facility to Indian nationals’, states that tourist visa and business visa on-arrival for Indian nationals have a single entry/one month, extendable by one more month, subject to following documents: Confirmed hotel booking or accommodation details in Cambodia and Return flight Tickets. Cambodian Immigration Police may ask to show some cash in USD (minimum USD 500$ for each passenger). However, for Laos in the same list, the criterion is blank.
Cambodia under countries which provide Visa on Arrival facility to Indian nationals (Photo: MEA India)
So, to understand better, we asked an expert about what the rules state.
GS Bawa, Secretary General, Air Travellers Association, and former GM, Airports Authority of India, told indianexpress.com that while there is no official law requiring travellers to carry exactly $400 in cash, Cambodia immigration officers may ask to see proof of funds (cash, cards, or bank statements) to ensure you can support your stay, especially for tourists. “Some reports indicate that travellers, particularly of certain nationalities, might be asked to show proof of funds up to $500–$1000, though this is not a strict or universal rule,” said Bawa.
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Key considerations for carrying cash:
*Proof of funds: It is wise to carry some USD cash and have access to bank statements/credit cards to show you are a genuine tourist.
*Currency: Countries those are heavily dollarized economy; US Dollars (USD) are widely accepted, he said.
*Note condition: Not only cash, but you also need to ensure USD notes are crisp, clean, and not torn, as damaged bills are not accepted.
Laos on MEA’s countries which provide Visa on Arrival facility to Indian nationals (Photo: MEA India)
*Declaration rule: You must declare foreign currency amounts over $10,000. “Travelling abroad is a task that one needs to manage strategically. Visa, Immigration, and currency are important,” he said.
According to Bawa, countries have their own experiences from different communities and types of people, and in their own interest or even in the interest of travellers, they ask for such things.
He advised that the rules should be publicised in a strategic way to cause lesser inconvenience to genuine passengers. These rules should be known to the tourists in advance, and they should state what to do and not do when entering the country. Sometimes, a few countries are not good with digital transactions and demand cash to be shown,” he said.
DISCLAIMER: This article is based on information from the public domain and/or the experts we spoke to.
