Bhutan or Cambodia
Two countries side by side across the same rows as the full comparison. A dash means the value is missing: fields are not filled with guesses. about the data
| Bhutan | Cambodia | |
|---|---|---|
| Salary in IT | — | — |
| Citizenship | 20 years | — |
| Partner can work | no | — |
| Parents | no | — |
| Pets | difficult | — |
| Pet limit | no limit | no limit |
| Quarantine | 20 days | — |
| Residence permit fee | — | — |
| Rent, 2 bedrooms | $ 196 · estimate | $ 724 · estimate |
| Basket | $ 16,2 | $ 31,8 |
| Life expectancy | 73.26 | 70.82 |
| Homicides/100k | 2.47 | 1.82 |
| Natural hazards, 0–10 | 2.8 | 4.5 |
How the two sets of routes differ
Long-stay routes in this reference: Bhutan — 13, Cambodia — 12. Types present in both: work. Bhutan adds: study, family, investment and talent. Cambodia adds: repatriation.
Fees, thresholds and deadlines
Bhutan: the fee is 40 USD wherever it is published. Routes with a published decision deadline: 8; the shortest is 5 days. Cambodia: fees range from 15 to 100 USD. Routes with no fee: 1. Routes with a published decision deadline: 12; the shortest is 1 days.
Beyond the first permit
Citizenship: Bhutan after 20 years; the other country publishes no term.
Bhutan in brief
Bhutan is the most closed case for long-term relocation in this guide. Grounds for staying are limited to a narrow list: a tourist visa through a licensed tour operator with a mandatory daily Sustainable Development Fee (US$100 per day plus a one-off US$40 visa fee for most foreigners; a separate "entry permit"/visa-on-arrival arrangement with a reduced fee applies to citizens of India, Bangladesh and the Maldives), work permits tied rigidly to a specific employer and position (up to one year for skilled workers, up to three years for highly skilled workers), and student and business visas. There is no separate permanent resident status between a temporary permit and citizenship. Naturalisation is governed by the Bhutan Citizenship Act 1985: 15 years of residence for those with a Bhutanese parent or for civil servants, 20 years in all other cases, plus an exam in the Dzongkha language and knowledge of the country's culture; the government expressly retains the right to reject an application without giving reasons. Dual citizenship is not permitted — acquiring another citizenship automatically terminates Bhutanese citizenship. Marriage to a Bhutanese citizen gives the foreign spouse a residence status (Special Residence Permit or Immigration Card depending on the date of marriage) but does not speed up naturalisation. Land and real estate are reserved by the Land Act of Bhutan 2007 for citizens, the institution of the monarchy, the state and recognised Bhutanese organisations — foreigners, including spouses of Bhutanese citizens, are not on this list and may only rent housing. The country lies in a zone of high seismic hazard in the Himalayas.
Cambodia in brief
Cambodia combines one of the region's most accessible long-stay visa regimes with the absence, for most foreigners, of an ordinary route to permanent residence: a type E visa can be renewed within the country for up to a year at a time an unlimited number of times, but it remains a temporary status that does not turn into a residence permit and does not count toward citizenship. A formal permanent resident status is provided for in the 1994 immigration law, but the grounds and procedure for obtaining it are not publicly described in a verifiable form in practice. The cost of living and rent are among the lowest in Southeast Asia, and the US dollar circulates alongside the riel. Rule-of-law and control-of-corruption scores (World Bank, Worldwide Governance Indicators) are noticeably below the global average.
Other comparisons
Bhutan or… Taiwan · South Korea · Japan · Thailand · Kazakhstan · Lebanon · Uzbekistan · Malaysia
Cambodia or… Azerbaijan · Philippines · Bangladesh · Kuwait · Iraq · Mongolia · Oman · People's Republic of China
More on each: Bhutan · Cambodia. Build your own comparison — up to four countries
This material is for reference and is not legal, tax or immigration advice. Visa rules, tax thresholds and prices change. Before deciding anything, check the official sources and consult a licensed professional in the relevant country.