On 6 March 2023, the Royal Government of the Kingdom of Cambodia issued a Sub-Decree on the Requirements and Procedures for Business Combinations (the “Sub-Decree”), which will be enforced in six months. Its enactment is part of the government’s efforts to improve and strengthen the enforcement of the Competition Law. The aim of the Sub-Decree […]

Regional power trades are on the rise in South East Asia. Historically, Laos is a major exporter of mostly hydropower in the region, reaching nearly 2 billion US$ in 2022 to Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia. And the exported amount keeps growing. For example, Laos and Vietnam have signed another 3000 to 5000 MW of power […]

On 5 October 2021, the Royal Government of Cambodia issued the Law on Competition (“Competition Law”) with the aim to provide a more fair and harmonized business environment. Subsequently, on 17 February 2022, Sub-Decree 37 was issued to form the Cambodia Competition Committee (“CCC”) as the authority to enforce implementation of the Competition Law. Furthering […]

Overview Seeing rapid improvement in the real estate sector in Cambodia and with the creation of the new Real Estate and Pawnshop Business Regulator of Cambodia, the Non-Banking Financial Services Authority (“NBFSA”) issued Prakas No. 064 on Real Estate Service Businesses (“Prakas 064”) on 27 December 2022 to update and replace the current regulation Prakas […]

As per the Constitution of Cambodia, the Investment Law, and the Land Law, foreigners (including foreign-owned entity) are restricted to own land in Cambodia. The land ownership rights are reserved only for Cambodian individuals or entities. Thus, prior to the implementation of the 2019 Trust Law in Cambodia, as the structural options to use land […]

As noted in the IPCC Report “Climate Change 2022. Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability”, “overall adverse economic impacts attributable to climate change, including slow-onset and extreme weather events, have been increasingly identified.” The report further notes that there are multiple opportunities for targeted investments and finance to protect against exposure to climate hazards, particularly for those […]

Scope of registration  On 1 April 2022, the Ministry of Commerce (“MOC”) and the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications (“MPTC”) issued joint Notification No. 0873 requiring  all companies registered in Cambodia to use the national domain name level 2, type “.com.kh”. Specifically, the notification requires companies registered in Cambodia to: Register a national domain name […]

For the development of the 100MW national solar park in Kampong Chhnang Province, the Kingdom of Cambodia, the ELECTRICITE DU CAMBODGE (“EDC”) has hosted their first international competitive bidding on Build-Own-Operate (BOO) basis which development is divided into 2 different phases: Phase one the development of a 60MW solar power plant which has been completed […]

Three years on from the issuance of the Law on Trusts (dated 2 January 2019), the Non-Banking Financial Services Authority (“NBFSA”) issued Prakas No. 003 F.S.A.PrK on 26 January 2022 on Rules for the Management, Establishment, and Functioning of Trusts (“Prakas”) to set out the rules, conditions, and procedures on the establishment of trusts, their […]

Two new laws related to private investments were recently adopted in Cambodia. The Law on Investment dated 15 October 2021 (the “New Law on Investment”) and the Law on Public-Private Partnership dated 18 November 2021 (the “PPP Law”). Highlights of this note The New Law on Investment New Process of Registration: Online Application Incentives Investment […]

As part of a wider enhancement of digital public services, and to improve the business and investment environment, the Royal Government of Cambodia launched Phase 2 of its online business registration platform, known as the “Single Portal,” on 1 September 2021. The move comes a little over a year after Phase 1 of Single Portal […]

Ministry of Commerce of Cambodia issued a clarification on the use of abbreviated names by Cambodian’s legal entities. Starting a business in Cambodia by setting up a company requires registering the company through the Ministry of Commerce (“MOC”)’s online system. As a matter of practice, to assign a name to the company, as the first […]

On 20 July 2021, Cambodia’s state-owned electricity utility EDC has announced selected 12 prequalified bidders for the country’s National Solar Park Project, phase 2. Unfortunately, the identities of the selected bidders are not publicly announced. The pre-qualification is about the bidders’ experience and their financial strength. It does not include a review of their technical […]

Prakas No. 100 on Conditions and Procedures of Granting Permits to Companies Providing Digital Services for Road Transportation, dated 21 June 2021 (“Prakas 100”) were recently issued. Highlights of this note Process and required documentation Time frame Validity Renewal Ongoing obligations post registration

On 12 May 2021, the Ministry of Commerce (“MOC”) and the Ministry of Economy and Finance (“MEF”) issued joint Prakas No. 316 on Monetary Fines under the MOC’s Jurisdiction (“Joint Prakas 316”), introducing hefty fines for not registering corporate changes, the annual declaration of commercial enterprise (“ADCE”), financial statements, or trademark renewals, and for conducting […]

On 31 December 2020, the Cambodian Ministry of Labor and Vocational Training (“MLVT”) announced the launch of its automated online portal for labor-related services (www.mlvt.gov.kh) through Prakas No. 430/20 on Putting in Place Public Services related to Labor and Vocational Training Sectors via an Automated System (“Prakas 430”) and its subsequent notification dated 5 January […]

On the night of 14 April, the Cambodian Government ordered a number of restrictions in response to the recent rise in COVID-19 infections by means of Decision nr. 49 SR dated 14 April 2021 (“Decision 49“). The regulation was follow up by an amendment providing some additional details by Decision nr. 50 dated 17 April […]

In accordance with the recent Government directed business closures and stay-at-home orders, we would like to inform you as follows: VDB Loi in Phnom Penh will continue to operate, with the help of our cloud technology, through online processes and work-from-home.  Tax filings and government filings will continue insofar these are possible by distance/online. Tax […]

With the current drastic increase in the number of COVID-19 infections in Cambodia and to help prevent the spread of contagious diseases, the Royal Government of the Kingdom of Cambodia enacted the Law on Measures to Prevent COVID-19 and Other Fatal and Harmful Diseases on 11 March 2021 (the “COVID Law”) and Sub-Decree No. 37 […]

The richness of Cambodia’s soil makes rubber plantations a popular investment in the Kingdom of Cambodia. Seeing the potential growth in this sector, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fishery (“MAFF”) recently issued a new Prakas on the Application Procedure for Establishing and Operating Rubber and Rubberwood Processing Factories and Handicraft Enterprises (no. 040 BrK. […]