Background
The General Department of Immigration (GDI) operates under the Ministry of Interior and is responsible for managing residency records, registration, and administrative recognition processes for foreign nationals and their dependents in Cambodia. The department issues prakas (ministerial regulations) to set forms and procedural steps for administrative actions affecting foreign residents and their families.
Prakas No. 12644 prescribes the form and the step-by-step administrative procedures for entering a newborn child of a foreign resident into a sponsor’s dependent list and for submitting recognition requests for children aged 18 or older whose names appear on a sponsor’s dependent list. The measure applies to foreign residents and their sponsors who seek official registration or recognition under immigration records maintained by the Ministry of Interior.
Scope of Application
Prakas No. 12644 applies to foreign nationals residing in Cambodia and to persons designated as their sponsors for immigration-dependent registration. The prakas covers both the procedural format for adding newborn dependents to a sponsor’s registry and the administrative pathway for recognition requests for dependents who have reached 18 years of age while listed under a sponsor.
Key Provisions or Decisions
On 1 July 2026 the GDI held a dissemination meeting at Wat Kilo 9 in Sangkat Chraing Chamraeng I, Russey Keo district, Phnom Penh, to communicate Prakas No. 12644. The session was conducted with authorization from Director General Sok Vathana and led by Brigadier General Suon Sochate, head of the Department for Foreigners and Refugees. Participants included senior staff from the Phnom Penh immigration management office, deputy district commissioners, heads of local immigration posts across Russey Keo, Sen Sok, Pou Senchey and Prek Pnov districts, leaders of the Khmer-Vietnamese association in Phnom Penh, and local foreign residents.
Implications for Investors, Businesses, or Compliance
Sponsors, foreign resident households, and employers that provide sponsorship for foreign employees should ensure that dependent registration follows the prescribed forms and submission steps set out in Prakas No. 12644. Local immigration offices will use the prakas to verify documentation and to update official residency and dependent records, making compliance with the specified procedures necessary for accurate administrative status and record-keeping.
Official Source
Original announcement published by the General Department of Immigration: GDI Facebook post (1 July 2026). Additional GDI channels: TikTok, Telegram, Facebook official page, and www.immigration.gov.kh.
