How to Find Official Cambodian Laws, Sub-decrees and Prakas Online

Cambodian legislation is public, but it is scattered. There is no single English-language portal that holds every current law, sub-decree and prakas, and Khmer is the official language of the legal texts. This guide shows a practical order of search, from the most authoritative source down to convenient databases, and explains how to avoid the most common mistakes.

Step 1: Know exactly what you are looking for

Before you search, write down the document type, its number, its full title, the year and the issuing body. Cambodian instruments are usually cited by number. Examples from the pages we reviewed include “Sub-Decree No. 182 ANK.BK on Functions and Structure of Municipal Administrations” (2 December 2019), “Prakas No. 047 on Price Tagging on All Kinds of Goods and Services” from the Ministry of Commerce, and a labour-ministry prakas that cites the Labour Law as “Royal Kram CS/RKM/0397/01”. Laws are promulgated by the King and are often cited by the number of the Royal Kram that promulgates them. If you only have a nickname such as “the new tax rule”, first work out which instrument it really is. Our companion article on the hierarchy of legal documents explains what each type means.

Step 2: Start with the Royal Gazette

The Royal Gazette is the official publication channel. The Constitution says laws must be published in the official journal, and a Council of Ministers law, as quoted in a Konrad Adenauer Foundation study, says government norms of general effect must be published there. It is managed by the Council of Ministers.

A university research guide lists the Gazette online at the Council of Ministers website (ocm.gov.kh, in its government-document section) with content back to 1998. Website addresses change, so search from the Council of Ministers homepage if that exact link fails. Two cautions apply. First, the same KAS study says the Gazette is neither complete nor regular. Second, an index site that summarises the Gazette reports a gap of roughly six months between signing and release. A document missing from the Gazette online is therefore not proof that it does not exist.

Step 3: Check the issuing institution

Ministries and agencies often post their own instruments. The Council for the Development of Cambodia has a laws and regulations page that gathers investment-related texts across sectors such as labour, land, trade and customs. The Consumer Protection and Competition Directorate-General of the Ministry of Commerce lists its prakas by date, with a PDF for each. When you know which institution issued the document, its own website is usually the quickest route to a clean PDF of the original.

Step 4: Use databases as finding aids

Several non-government collections are useful for locating texts, especially if you need an English translation.

OD Mekong Datahub (Open Development Cambodia). A searchable registry of nearly 4,000 legal documents from the Mekong region, most of them Cambodian. You can filter by document type (law, sub-decree, prakas and many others), language, format and topic.
Husky & Partners legal library. A free collection run by a Phnom Penh law firm, organised into 31 subject categories, covering royal decrees, laws, sub-decrees and prakas from 1920 to 2024.
Cambodia Law Box. A searchable database with thousands of documents, marked as current, repealed or draft, and browsable by year and subject.
WIPO Lex. For intellectual property only: laws, implementing prakas and treaties.
ILO NATLEX. For labour and related topics. Each record shows the type of legislation, adoption date and a reference ID.

Treat these as signposts. The Datahub and Husky say they cannot guarantee that their texts are complete or up to date, and the Council for the Development of Cambodia warns that no decision should rest on its page alone.

Step 5: Confirm translation status and currency

English translations of Cambodian laws are generally unofficial. The Council for the Development of Cambodia states that its English text is unofficial and that the official Khmer version prevails. Husky says only some laws have an unofficial English version, and the Refworld database labels one sub-decree as an unofficial translation. If a decision depends on the wording, read the Khmer original.

Also check whether the text is the latest version. A law may have been amended, and a prakas may have been replaced. Look for words such as amended, repealed or replaced in the database record, and compare against the issuing ministry’s list.

A simple checklist

Identify type, number, title, date and issuer.
Look in the Royal Gazette and on the issuing institution’s website.
Use a database to find the document or an English translation.
Compare number, date and title across at least two sources.
Check for amendments or repeal.
Rely on the Khmer original, and ask the issuing institution if still in doubt.

Where Eksastra fits

Eksastra is an independent archive, not a government body. Copies here are for reference and to help you find the right document. Use the official publication or the issuing institution to confirm anything that matters.

Sources

Legislation and Regulation – Cambodian Legal Research Guide – LibGuides at University of Akron
The Development of Cambodian Administrative Law (Konrad Adenauer Foundation)
Cambodia 1993 (rev. 2008) Constitution – Constitute
Gazetteer – Kamnotra
Royal Gazette (Open Development Cambodia)
Laws – OD Mekong Datahub
Husky & Partners Law Library
Cambodia Law Box: Laws
Laws and Regulations (Council for the Development of Cambodia)
Prakas – CCF
WIPO Lex: Cambodia
NATLEX – Cambodia – Prakas On Wage Payment for Workers/Employees (MoLVT No: 442 K.B/Br.K .KhL )
Sub-Decree No. 182 ANK.BK on Functions and Structure of Municipal Administrations
Sub-Decree No. 36 on Khmer Nationality Identity Cards (Refworld)

This article describes general information and is not legal advice. See our Disclaimer.