No. As of October 2026, every land crossing between Thailand and Cambodia is closed, and has been since 23 June 2025. To reach Siem Reap or Phnom Penh from Thailand, you have to fly.
For decades the overland trip from Bangkok to Angkor via Aranyaprathet and Poipet was one of Southeast Asia's classic routes, and many guides, bus companies and forum posts still describe it. None of those routes works today. The border was closed by the Thai army after a dispute with Cambodia, there was fighting along it later in 2025, and no reopening had been announced by early October 2026.
This page gives the status with dates and official sources, what the UK and US governments advise, and the practical alternatives. We check it against official advice and will change the status box below when the situation changes.
Thailand–Cambodia land border: status on 2 October 2026
- Land crossings
- All closed to travelers, including foreigners
- Closed since
- Monday 23 June 2025
- Provinces affected
- Surin, Buriram, Si Sa Ket, Sa Kaeo, Chanthaburi, Trat
- Latest official word
- UK FCDO, 28 September 2026: crossings "continue to be suspended"
- Reopening date
- None announced
- UK advice
- Against all but essential travel within 20 km of the border
- US advice
- Level 2, increased caution, near the border (Thailand overall Level 1)
- Alternative
- Fly Bangkok–Siem Reap (SAI) or Bangkok–Phnom Penh (KTI)
What happened: from closure to fighting
On Monday 23 June 2025, Thailand's army closed the border crossings with Cambodia in six provinces, from Surin in the north-east down to Trat on the coast, "with immediate effect to all but essential traffic", as Reuters reported. Exceptions covered students, medical treatment and the purchase of essential goods. The restriction applied to foreigners as well as Thais, which ended tourist crossings at Aranyaprathet–Poipet.
According to the UK government, fighting broke out along the border in July 2025, with rocket and artillery fire, and there were further clashes in early December 2025. Three temples on the frontier are shut: Ta Muen Thom (Tamone Thom), Ta Kwai (Ta Krabey) and Khao Phra Wihan, known in Cambodia as Preah Vihear. The FCDO also warns of unexploded landmines in the border area.
Is a reopening coming?
Not as far as any official source shows. On Monday 1 June 2026 the Thai government denied reports that the Aranyaprathet checkpoint had reopened for Cambodian students, and the Prime Minister said the borders would stay closed until Cambodia accepted conditions set by Thailand, as The Nation reported. The UK's Thailand advice, updated on 28 September 2026, still describes the crossings as suspended, and its Cambodia and Laos pages say the same.
Rumors of a reopening circulate regularly on social media. Treat a reopening as real only when the UK FCDO, the US State Department or the Thai government says so, and check on the day you plan to travel.
Which crossings this covers
All of them. The best known were:
- Aranyaprathet – Poipet (Sa Kaeo province), the main Bangkok–Siem Reap route.
- Hat Lek – Cham Yeam (Trat province), the coastal crossing once popular with travelers coming from Koh Chang.
- Ban Laem and Ban Pakkard (Chanthaburi province).
- Chong Chom (Surin province), the north-eastern route.
The State Railway still runs trains from Bangkok's Hua Lamphong station towards Aranyaprathet, according to the seat61 rail guide (October 2026), but they end on the Thai side. There is no onward crossing, so do not buy a train ticket expecting to walk into Poipet.
What the UK and US governments advise
The UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office advises against all but essential travel within 20 km of the Thailand–Cambodia land border, on both its Thailand and Cambodia pages. Both governments' advice for other regions is summarized on our page about what UK and US advice says about Thailand. Washington's advisory, updated 6 July 2026, keeps the country at Level 1 ("exercise normal precautions") but puts the area by the Cambodian frontier at Level 2 ("exercise increased caution"), citing a risk of armed conflict.
The 20 km zone touches parts of several tourist areas. In Isaan, the temples of the far south-east are close to it; our Isaan guide gives the distances for Phanom Rung and the other Khmer sites. On the east coast, the islands themselves lie offshore, while the mainland strip below Trat town runs along the frontier; our guide to the eastern islands covers them and how to reach them.
Going inside the 20 km zone can cancel your cover. Many travel insurers exclude areas where your government advises against all but essential travel. Read the policy wording before any trip near the border; the checklist in our travel insurance guide shows what to look for.
The alternative: fly to Siem Reap or Phnom Penh
Flying is the only practical way from Thailand to Cambodia in 2026. Two things have changed since many guides were written: both Cambodian cities have new airports with new codes.
| City | Airport | Code | Old code (no longer used) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Siem Reap (for Angkor) | Siem Reap–Angkor International | SAI | REP |
| Phnom Penh | Techo International | KTI | PNH |
Thai Airways' own site sells Bangkok (BKK) to Siem Reap (SAI) and Bangkok (BKK) to Phnom Penh (KTI). Other airlines also fly these routes, but we have not verified their schedules on their own sites, so compare on the airlines' websites and check which Bangkok airport, BKK or DMK, your flight uses. If you search with the old codes REP or PNH, you may get no results or old information.
For readers in Singapore or Kuala Lumpur, flying directly to Cambodia and on to Thailand afterwards (or the other way round) is often simpler than routing through Bangkok. The Thai end is covered in our guide to flying in from Singapore, Malaysia, China and Hong Kong.
Entry rules at both ends
Cambodia sets its own visa rules, which depend on your passport; check them with the Cambodian authorities or your government's travel advice for Cambodia before you book. Coming back to Thailand by air, the usual rules apply: most Western, Singaporean and Malaysian passports get 30 days visa-free (as of October 2026), as explained in our visa exemption guide, and you file a new TDAC arrival card before landing.
Cambodian citizens keep their bilateral 14-day visa exemption for Thailand, but with the land border shut, that now means arriving by air.
Border runs and Cambodia
Cambodia was once the default "visa run" from Bangkok and Pattaya. That option is gone. If you need to leave Thailand and come back for a new stamp, the Malaysian and Lao borders are the remaining choices, with limits; our guide to border runs that still work sets them out. A return flight to Siem Reap does reset a stamp, but it counts as a visa-exempt entry like any other.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Thailand–Cambodia border open in 2026?
No. All land crossings between Thailand and Cambodia have been closed since Monday 23 June 2025. The UK government's advice, updated on 28 September 2026, still lists them as suspended, and no reopening date has been announced.
Can I take a bus from Bangkok to Siem Reap?
Not in October 2026. The bus route ran via the Aranyaprathet–Poipet crossing, which is closed. Fly from Bangkok to Siem Reap–Angkor International Airport (SAI) instead; Thai Airways sells the route on its own website.
Can I go from Koh Chang to Cambodia through Hat Lek?
No. The Hat Lek–Cham Yeam crossing in Trat province is closed like all the others. The UK also advises against all but essential travel within 20 km of the border, which includes the road south of Trat towards Hat Lek.
What is the new airport code for Siem Reap?
Siem Reap is now served by Siem Reap–Angkor International Airport, code SAI. Phnom Penh is served by Techo International Airport, code KTI. The old codes REP and PNH belong to airports that no longer handle these flights.
Sources
- UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office – Thailand safety and security (checked October 2026)
- UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office – Cambodia travel advice (checked October 2026)
- US Department of State – Thailand travel advisory (checked October 2026)
- Malay Mail (Reuters) – Thai army shuts most border crossings with Cambodia (checked October 2026)
- The Nation – Government denies border reopening (checked October 2026)
- Thai Airways – Flights to Siem Reap (SAI) (checked October 2026)
- Thai Airways – Flights to Phnom Penh (KTI) (checked October 2026)
- Seat61 – Train travel in Thailand (checked October 2026)