Air or Sea? Clearing Cargo at Phnom Penh Airport vs Sihanoukville Port

Cambodia has one deep-sea port, two international airports and a web of land border crossings with Thailand, Vietnam and Laos. Where your cargo enters changes the duty and VAT not at all — but it changes the timeline, the handling charges and the amount of documentation your broker has to chase.

This guide compares the routes that matter for commercial importers.

The main entry points

Air freight through Phnom Penh

Air is charged on chargeable weight — the greater of actual weight and volumetric weight at roughly 167 kg per cubic metre. Bulky light goods are punished, dense high-value goods rewarded.

Use air when:

• The goods are urgently needed for production or a launch
• The unit value is high enough that the freight is a small percentage of cost
• The volume is small — a few cartons, not a pallet stack
• You are replacing a defect under warranty and the clock is running
• You are testing a new supplier before committing to a container

Avoid air for anything heavy, bulky, low-value, or where the customer is not paying for speed.

Border clearance by land

Goods sourced in Thailand or Vietnam often clear at the land border and travel by truck. This is usually the cheapest and fastest route, provided the export declaration in the origin country matches the import declaration here — same quantities, same values, same descriptions. Mismatches across the border are the classic cause of two-day delays.

Land routes also bring their own documentation: a transit document from the origin customs authority, plus the truck's own papers. Ask your supplier's forwarder for a scanned copy of the export declaration before the truck reaches the border.

Choosing between them: a simple test

Documents that decide the timeline

Every entry point wants the same core file: commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading or air waybill, certificate of origin where a preferential rate is claimed, and the import licence or permit if the product needs one. Missing any of these converts a three-day clearance into a fortnight, and the storage bill lands on you.

Send the draft documents to your broker before the cargo arrives. A broker who has seen the file in advance can pre-lodge the declaration and clear on the day of arrival.

The practical rule

Match the route to the consequence of delay, not to the cheapest headline freight rate. For most established importers the pattern is: sea for regular stock, air for emergencies and samples, land for neighbours. Then keep one forwarder and one broker so the file stays in one place. If you are still choosing, read how to choose a freight forwarder next.