Do not plan a drive into Cambodia at the moment. Following armed clashes along the frontier in 2025, the land border has been closed and, at the time of writing in mid-2026, remains suspended. The UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office states that land borders and crossings between Thailand and Cambodia remain suspended, and both the UK and Australia advise against travel in a strip of territory along the border itself. Limited permissions have been granted in individual cases; that is not the same as a reopening, and the Royal Thai Navy has publicly corrected social-media claims to the contrary.
Even when the border is open — and it has been open for most of the last two decades — driving your own vehicle across it has never been the straightforward proposition that the Lao crossings are. Cambodia is restrictive about foreign private vehicles, the paperwork is heavier, and a Thai hire car has never been allowed to go.
- StatusLand crossings suspended; check before relying on anything here
- UK adviceAgainst all but essential travel within 20 km of the land border
- Australian adviceDo not travel within 10 km of the land border in seven named provinces
- Hire carsProhibited, open border or not
What the advisories say
The FCDO advises against all but essential travel to within 20 kilometres of the land border with Cambodia, citing the armed conflict and the presence of landmines, and notes that the border temples — Khao Phra Wihan (Preah Vihear), Ta Kwai (Ta Krabey) and Ta Muen Thom — are closed.
Smartraveller goes further in one respect and is more geographically specific: do not travel to areas within 10 kilometres of the Thailand–Cambodia land border in the provinces of Sa Kaeo, Buriram, Si Sa Ket, Surin, Ubon Ratchathani, Chanthaburi and mainland Trat, because of armed clashes and landmines.
The landmine warning is not historical. Both governments cite mines as a current hazard along this border, and there have been recent casualties. That has a specific implication for drivers: stay on sealed, signed public roads in the border provinces, and do not pull off onto verges, tracks or field edges to turn round, park or photograph.
The crossings, and where they are
Six road crossings normally connect the two countries. Knowing where they are is useful even now, because they explain which parts of the border a road trip might otherwise wander towards.
| Thai side | Province | Cambodian side | Normally serves |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aranyaprathet | Sa Kaeo | Poipet | The main route to Siem Reap |
| Hat Lek | Trat | Cham Yeam | Koh Kong and the coast |
| Chong Chom | Surin | O Smach | Northern Cambodia |
| Chong Sa-Ngam | Si Sa Ket | Choam | Anlong Veng |
| Ban Pakard | Chanthaburi | Psar Pruhm | Pailin and Battambang |
| Ban Laem | Chanthaburi | Daung | Pailin |
Why it was always difficult with a vehicle
Thailand and Laos share a land transport agreement that lets Thai-registered vehicles cross with relatively light paperwork. The arrangement with Cambodia has never worked that smoothly. Drivers taking a private vehicle over historically needed the registration book, notarised owner's authorisation if the vehicle was not in their name, Thai customs temporary export papers, a Cambodian temporary import permit, separate Cambodian insurance, and — depending on the crossing and the year — supporting documentation obtained in advance rather than at the counter.
Motorbikes were more difficult again, and there were long periods in which foreign-registered motorcycles were refused outright at some crossings. Anyone who tells you it is a simple drive to Siem Reap is remembering a different decade.
Cambodia also drives on the right, so the same carriageway swap that catches people out on the Lao bridges applies here, at a border post rather than in the middle of a river.
Rental vehicles
The answer here is the same as everywhere else on Thailand's land borders and it is not negotiable: mainstream Thai rental agreements forbid taking the vehicle out of the country, the company will not release the registration book, and without the book no customs officer will process the crossing. The full explanation, and the narrow set of specialist operators who do arrange cross-border hire, is in can you take a rental vehicle out of Thailand? and across our renting section.
Attempting it anyway does not just fail at the border. It voids your cover from the moment you set out with the intention, which matters if something happens on the Thai side of the frontier.
What this means for a Thai road trip
Very little, if you plan it sensibly. The great Khmer sites inside Thailand — Phanom Rung, Muang Tam, Phimai, Sdok Kok Thom — are all well back from the border and unaffected. What is closed is the small group of temples that sit physically astride the frontier, and what is inadvisable is the strip of country immediately along it.
In practical terms, if you are driving the Isaan loop through Buriram, Surin and Si Sa Ket, keep to the main east–west highways rather than the minor roads that run down to the escarpment. If you are on the eastern seaboard heading for Koh Chang, the drive down Highway 3 through Chanthaburi and Trat is normal and unaffected — it is the spur roads to Hat Lek and the Chanthaburi crossings that run into the advisory zone. Our regional guides to driving in Isaan and the south assume you are doing exactly that.
Expect more military checkpoints than usual in the border provinces, and expect them to be interested in where you are going. Treat them as you would any other stop — see police checkpoints in Thailand — and have a plausible, truthful answer about your route.
How to check the current position
This is a situation that has changed repeatedly and could change again in either direction. Three sources are worth more than any travel forum: your own government's travel advice page, which carries a revision date and a summary of what changed; the Thai and Cambodian embassies in your country; and mainstream Thai and Cambodian news outlets, which report openings and closures faster than the advisories are updated. Announcements circulating on social media have repeatedly turned out to be wrong.
If you are relying on a crossing for onward travel, do not book anything non-refundable on the far side. Check again on the day.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Thailand–Cambodia border open?
Not for normal travel at the time of writing. The FCDO's position is that land borders and crossings between the two countries remain suspended. Individual permissions granted in particular cases do not amount to a reopening.
Can I drive from Bangkok to Siem Reap?
Not while the border is closed, and not in a hire car at any time. Even when Poipet is operating normally, a private vehicle crossing requires the registration book, customs papers on both sides and Cambodian insurance.
Is it safe to drive in Sa Kaeo, Surin or Si Sa Ket?
The provinces as a whole are not the subject of the advisories; the strip of land along the border is. Australia names a 10-kilometre zone and the UK a 20-kilometre one. Stay on the main highways and away from the frontier itself.
Are the Khmer border temples open?
Khao Phra Wihan, Ta Kwai and Ta Muen Thom are closed. The major Khmer sites inside Thailand, including Phanom Rung and Phimai, are open and are nowhere near the border.
What about crossing on a motorbike?
The same closure applies, and even in normal times foreign-registered motorcycles have been refused at some Cambodian crossings. A rented Thai bike is never an option.
Is the crossing to Koh Kong at Hat Lek affected?
Hat Lek is one of the six road crossings covered by the suspension, and mainland Trat falls within the Australian advisory zone near the border. Koh Chang itself, reached from Laem Ngop, is not affected.