Real Estate and Hospitality Archives

As part of Cambodia’s ongoing efforts per its Digital Government Policy, the Real Estate Business & Pawnshop Regulator (“PRP”) has issued a new notification dated 12 June 2025, titled “Procedures for Requesting the Renewal of Licenses, Professional Certificates, and Other Changes for Real Estate Services Business via Information Technology System Portal (“RPR Notification”), to expand the scope of its online services. For more details on licensing and certification of real estate business licensing, please visit our previous client alert: Cambodia Moves Real Estate Service Licensing to Online Procedure – DFDL.

To understand the RPR Notification, it is essential to comprehend the details of the licenses and professional certificates that the notification covers. Per the RPR Notification and applicable regulations:

Licenses mean real estate management license, valuation license and real estate agency license; and
Professional certificates mean valuation professional certificate and real estate agency professional certificate.

The salient features of the RPR Notification are as follows:

Online Renewal and Documents Submission: According to the RPR Notification, starting 30 June 2025, applicants holding existing licenses and professional certificates who wish to renew or update their business information may submit their application dossier via the online portal at https://realestate-service-business.rpr.gov.kh. Access is also available through the relevant web application, called CamDigiKey, which replaces the previous traditional submission of hard originals.

Application Scope and Legal Procedure: In terms of the application process, including required documentation, qualification criteria, timeline and associated cost – remains governed by Prakas No.064 dated 27 December 2022 on Real Estate Services Business. These provisions apply to legal entities registered in Cambodia (or branch offices of foreign legal entities operating in Cambodia) and to individuals practising certain real estate services, as defined above. For further details, please refer to our previous client alert on the topic (Cambodia: New Prakas on Real Estate Business Service Licensing).

Therefore, from 30 June 2025 onward, the PRP encourages all real estate service providers and businesses to familiarize themselves with and transition to the designated online portal. However, physical submission remains permissible in cases of technical issues arising from the online filing portal.

Should you need any further information or support on the licenses, certificates or business changes above, please reach out to us via the contacts below.

The information provided here is for information purposes only and is not intended to constitute legal advice. Legal advice should be obtained from qualified legal counsel for all specific situations.

Seka Hep

Partner

Cambodia

To enhance the effective implementation of environmental impact assessment (“EIA”) procedure for development projects in Cambodia, the Ministry of Environment (“MOE”) issued Prakas No. 3591 on Development Project Classification for Environmental Impact Assessment in Cambodia, dated 9 May 2025 (“Prakas 3591”). This new regulation establishes a clearer categorization and framework for determining the appropriate EIA standard for each type of developmental projects in Cambodia, reinforcing transparency and promoting environmentally sustainable governance.

Key Highlights of Prakas 3591:

Scope of Application

Prakas 3591 applies to all types of proposed, existing and ongoing development projects regardless of whether they are managed by private individual, private entities, government entities, state owned companies, or state joint venture companies. It takes effect from 6 June 2025.

Prakas 3591 repeals the previous Prakas No. 021 on the Classification of Environmental Impact Assessment for Development Project enacted in 2020 and expand the classification scope from 197 projects to 238 project types, providing greater clarity and detail for project developers.

Project Categories Expanded and Extended Timeframe of EIA Reports Review

The updated classification includes a broader range of sectors, with particular emphasis on mineral extraction, electricity-related projects, automobile tires manufacturing, clothing and garments manufacturing.

Prakas 3591 also expands the MOE’s review periods for the three types of EIA reports:

For EPA: up to 30 business days from the date of submission of a complete dossier to the MOE;
For initial EIA (IEIA): up to 60 business days; and
For full EIA (FEIA): up to 90 business days.

Despite the above timelines, in practice, the MOE may take longer to review and approve a EIA report, depending on their workload and availability.

On related topics on the applicable guidelines for the preparation of IEIA, please visit our website at: Procedures and Implementation Guidelines for Checklist in Preparing the Initial Environmental and Social Impact Assessment Report and on the EIA consultant companies at Cambodia: Accreditation of the Environmental Impact Assessment Consultant Companies in Cambodia – DFDL.

For more details on the EIA requirements in a specific industry sector, please contact our experts below.

Disclaimer: The information provided here is for information purposes only and is not intended to constitute legal advice. Legal advice should be obtained from qualified legal counsel for all specific situations.

Seka Hep

Partner

Cambodia

Following the issuance of Prakas No. 050 by the Ministry of Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction (“MLMUPC”) in 2024—which provided initial guidance on the registration of private units in co-owned buildings constructed before 19 December 1997 (see our previous update: Cambodia Gives more Clarifications on Registration of Private Units of Co-Owned Buildings Constructed Before 1997 – DFDL)—the MLMUPC now issued Circular No. 001 on Registration Procedure for Private Units in Old Co-Owned Buildings Constructed Before 1979 and 31 December 1997 on 22 May 2025 (“Circular 001”). These Circular aims to further streamline, clarify the registration procedures and to ensure the legal ownership of possessors of private units in co-owned buildings constructed before 1979 and 19 December 1997.

Click ‘Download‘ to read the full briefing outlines further clarification on the Registration Procedure for Private Units in Old Co-Owned Buildings Constructed Before 1979 and 1997.

Seka Hep

Partner

Cambodia

DFDL is pleased to introduce the 2025 edition of the Investment Guide to Real Estate in Cambodia — your trusted resource for navigating the country’s dynamic property landscape with clarity and confidence.

This comprehensive guide offers practical insights and expert perspectives to support your investment decisions. Inside, you’ll find detailed information on:

Property Ownership Framework: A clear breakdown of who can own land and property in Cambodia and under what conditions.
Land Types & Classifications: An overview of the various land categories, including private land, concessions, and state-owned property.
Foreign Investment Options: Accessible pathways for foreign individuals and companies to participate in the Cambodian real estate market.
Investment Structures: Common methods for structuring and managing property holdings, such as long-term leases, joint ventures, and corporate ownership.
Due Diligence Essentials: Step-by-step guidance on verifying titles, identifying encumbrances, and ensuring a secure acquisition process.
Development & Construction Process: Key requirements for permits, approvals, and compliance with zoning and planning regulations.
Taxes & Transaction Costs: A summary of relevant taxes and fees, including transfer tax, stamp duty, VAT, and capital gains implications.
Market Outlook for 2025: Up-to-date insights on trends, challenges, and opportunities shaping the real estate sector.

Whether you’re an investor, developer, or advisor, this guide is designed to help you unlock value and manage risks in one of Southeast Asia’s most promising property markets.

Click ‘Download‘ below to access the full guide for free.

“Drawing on its expertise in infrastructure, residential and commercial real estate projects, DFDL Thailand specializes in all aspects of turn-key real estate projects.” – Legal500 2025

“DFDL’s real estate team offers extensive assistance to individual and corporate developers, with considerable experience advising on luxury hotel and residential developments. The team holds experience in advising clients on hotel management agreements, as well as general corporate, tax structuring, financing, land and matters associated with real estate projects across Thailand.” – Chambers Asia Pacific 2025

In addition to the Government’s previous efforts to digitalize public services, the Ministry of Land Management, Urban Planning, and Construction (“MLMUPC”) has recently included additional online public services. As notified in our latest legal update on 8 October 2024, the MLMUPC has previously introduced a trial launch of four online public services on 5 August 2024, including the real estate exclusive sale, exclusive gift, hypothec registration, and pledge registration services in Phnom Penh. For more details, please see our previous legal update at https://www.dfdl.com/insights/legal-and-tax-updates/dfdl-cambodia-legal-alert-trial-launch-of-four-public-services-via-mlmupcs-online-platform/.

In a significant move to enhance the efficiency, effectiveness, and expeditiousness of public service delivery, on 6 January 2025, the MLMUPC announced the trial launch of seven additional online services, effective from 7 January 2025. Please note that only properties located in Phnom Penh will be accessible to these online services. This makes real estate public services more accessible to the public through the MLMUPC’s online system.

Key Highlights:

The newly introduced services are designed to streamline the legal process of the real estate services and facilitate the transactions more efficiently. The new additional services include the following:

Automated number registration (i.e. administrative number via an online system);
Land consolidation;
Land division without transferring ownership;
Land division with exclusive sale;
Land division with exclusive gift;
Conveyance of strata title (or registration of private unit) of a co-owned building; and
Division of ownership over a co-ownership property.

As part of the trial run, applicants can apply for these services through the MLMUPC’s official portals at https://mlmupc.gov.kh/ or https://cadastral.mlmupc.gov.kh/login by filling in the required information and attaching the relevant documents during the process. Upon completion and verification, the applicants may submit their requests directly via online system for MLMUPC’s review. To date, there is no clear written guideline about whether this process can be done 100% online without the need to physically visit various land authorities.

By accessing the system, the users will be able to review the documents stored on the system and track the history of those documents or registration process anytime.

Should you need any further details on these additional online services, please kindly reach out to us via the contact below:

Davy Kong

Partner

Cambodia

Vietnam’s Land Law 2024 introduces clearer guidelines for extending and adjusting land use terms, providing much-needed transparency for investors. Published in the reputable Vietnam Investment Review, this article is authored by DFDL Vietnam’s Partner and Co-Managing Director Hanh Tran, and Senior Legal Advisor Nguyen Bao Ngoc.

It highlights key updates, such as criteria for projects qualifying for extensions, including delays caused by force majeure, and improved mechanisms for dispute resolution. These changes are set to boost investment confidence, enabling better project planning and long-term commitments in Vietnam’s thriving real estate sector.

Discover how these regulatory shifts could reshape opportunities for developers and investors. Click the button below to download the article.

Article is sourced from Vietnam Investment Review

Baongoc Nguyen

Senior Legal Adviser

Vietnam

We’re thrilled to announce the launch of the Investment Guide to Real Estate in Thailand and Vietnam 2025, written by our expert Partner, Paul Volodarsky and the teams.

These comprehensive guide provides invaluable insights into Thailand and Vietnam’s real estate market, covering economic forecasts, regulatory changes, investment opportunities, and more.

Whether you’re a seasoned investor or new to the market, this guide is your go-to resource for making informed decisions. Don’t miss out on the latest trends and opportunities in Thailand and Vietnam’s dynamic real estate sector.

Download your copy today and stay ahead of the curve!

Download Thailand’s Guide

Download Vietnam’s Guide

Paul D. Volodarsky

Partner, Head of Regional Real Estate and Hospitality

Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam

The recently announced 2025 edition of Chambers Asia-Pacific has ranked DFDL in 6 countries, 11 departments and 19 practitioners! Congratulations to our practitioners who have been ranked in their respective practice areas below. We extend our gratitude to our clients for their unwavering support and to Chambers for this incredible recognition. This continues to reinforce our mission to provide unparalleled legal services and inspires us to keep pushing boundaries and achieving new heights.

Bangladesh

Shahwar Jamal Nizam, Band 1 (Corporate & Finance) and Band 2 (Projects & Energy)
Mahboob Aziz, Up and Coming (Corporate & Finance and Projects & Energy)
Tarannum Tasnim, Up and Coming (Projects & Energy)

Cambodia

Chris Robinson, Band 1 (General Business Law)
Martin Desautels, Vietnam expertise based abroad (General Business Law)
Guillaume Massin, Band 2 (General Business Law)
Clint O’Connell, Band 4 (General Business Law)
Vansok Khem, Band 4 (General Business Law)
Chuan How Tan, Singapore expertise based abroad (General Business Law)

Laos

Audray Souche, Thailand expertise based abroad (General Business Law)
Kristy Newby, Band 1 (General Business Law)
Senesakoune Sihanouvong, Band 1 (General Business Law)
Standré Bezuidenhout, Band 2 (General Business Law)

Myanmar

Nishant Choudhary, Band 2 (General Business Law)
Thida Aye, Band 3 (General Business Law)

Thailand

Audray Souche, Band 2 (Projects & Energy)
Paul Volodarsky, Band 3 (Real Estate)

Vietnam

Jérôme Buzenet, Band 2 (Corporate/M&A) and Band 3 (Projects, Infrastructure & Energy)
Hanh Tran, Band 5 (Corporate/M&A)
Martin Desautels, Band 3 (Projects, Infrastructure & Energy)
Phong Anh Hoang, Band 3 (Projects, Infrastructure & Energy)

Click here for more info: https://chambers.com/law-firm/dfdl-asia-pacific-8:2564

To align with the Royal Government of Cambodia’s first phase of the Pentagon Strategy for Economic Development and Digitalization and the broader goals outlined in the Cambodia Digital Government Policy 2022-2035, the Ministry of Land Management, Urban Planning, and Construction (“MLMUPC”) issued a notification on 13 August 2024, on the trial launch of certain public services through an online platform.

On 5 August 2024, the MLMUPC introduced a trial launch of the online public services, including the exclusive sale, exclusive gift, hypothec, and pledge services in Phnom Penh. The trial launch has been initiated in response to Cambodia’s ongoing efforts to digitalize and enhance the public services in line with the development of its society, economy, and cultural landscape.

The online launch is a pivotal step in modernizing the provision of public services, enhancing efficiency, and making these services more easily accessible and streamlined for citizens. As part of the trial run, applicants can now apply for these services via the MLMUPC’s official portal at https://cadastral.mlmupc.gov.kh. This development marks a significant move toward achieving the MLMUPC’s priority objectives of completing land registration, improving service satisfaction, and fostering a harmonious environment.

Key Highlights:

As for an initial step, the online platform for now provides public services related to the exclusive sale, exclusive gift, hypothec, and pledge services in Phnom Penh only.
The trial phase was launched on 5 August 2024.
Applicants can now apply for above public services through the MLMUPC’s official website.

Seka Hep

Partner

Cambodia

DFDL Thailand is pleased to announce that it acted as the lead legal adviser to GCP Hospitality in its successful sale of the Hilton Garden Inn, Bang Tao, Phuket to TriO Capital.

GCP Hospitality is the affiliated hospitality arm of the Gaw Capital Group and a renowned player in the hospitality industry, having acquired over 60 hotels and other accommodations globally over the past 16 years. For TriO Capital, this acquisition marks its first significant step in its expansion into Thailand’s vibrant tourism market.

DFDL provided comprehensive legal advice on all aspects of the sale, ensuring a smooth and efficient process from start to finish. Our team’s deep expertise in the Thai hospitality sector and experience with cross-border transactions played a pivotal role in the successful conclusion of this deal.

The DFDL team was led by Regional Managing Partner, Audray Souche, Partner, Walanchathas Sanguanwong, with support from Legal Advisors, Rohan Bishayee and Benjawan Butkrut.

Following the implementation Prakas No. 064 on Real Estate Business Services Licensing issued on 27 December 2022 and its subsequent announcements in 2023, the Royal Government of Cambodia now moves a huge step to online licensing procedure as part of its Cambodia Digital Government Policy 2022-2035 issued on 28 January 2022.

The Real Estate Business and Pawnshop Regulator (“RPR”) of the Non-Banking Financial Service Authority (“NBFSA”) issued a notification on Procedure of Application for Professional Certificates and Licenses of Real Estate Services via Information Technology System Portal dated 24 July 2024 (“RPR Notification”).

The RPR Notification notes that it will launch procedure for applying professional certificates and licenses for real estate services for parent companies, branch offices via information technology portal from 1 August 2024 onwards. This will make the licensing procedure more straightforward, less time-consuming and effective as compared to the old licensing procedure. Please refer to our previous legal update in detail on the topic via Cambodia: New Prakas on Real Estate Business Service Licensing (dfdl.com)

Based on the RPR Notification, the physical hard original submission will thus no longer be required. Applicants who wish to apply for professional certificate or license for their real estate services will be able to submit their application dossier to https://realestate-service-business.rpr.gov.kh via App: CamDigikey.

Should you need any further details on types of real estate services licenses, application procedure via the RPR’s online system, required application documents and assistance with the licensing, please reach out to us via the contact below:

Seka Hep

Partner

Cambodia