Cambodia Creates a Single Window for SMEs: What the New SME Facilitation Unit Means for Foreign-Owned Businesses

What was announced?

In his 4 October 2026 Facebook post, the Prime Minister said SMEs "will be able to submit applications at only one place", and that the unit "will act as coordinator with all relevant ministries and institutions from start to finish", reducing "complexity, time and costs". He presented it as one of several new measures the government will release soon. Press reports say applications will be accepted both in person and online.

The Royal Decree provides the legal framework. Under Article 3, the unit will:

• give information to applicants, receive applications and help complete them;
• enter applications into an electronic business-service portal, or forward them to the relevant ministries and institutions;
• receive and forward samples, or help collect samples and supporting documents, where ministries require them;
• carry out a preliminary completeness check of applications and samples;
• record, track and evaluate each step so that it is completed within set timeframes, in line with technical standards and applicable legal instruments;
• monitor and facilitate the incentives SMEs receive through it;
• organise its operational and digital systems, and coordinate with ministries, institutions and partners so that registration is simple, effective and accountable;
• report to the Prime Minister quarterly, semi-annually, at nine months and annually, and perform other tasks the Prime Minister assigns.

How the unit is governed and funded

The Royal Decree sets out a compact structure:

• Leadership (Arts 4–5). One chair, appointed by royal decree on the Prime Minister's proposal, and vice-chairs as needed, appointed by royal decree or sub-decree. When absent, the chair may delegate a vice-chair to lead day-to-day work as acting chair.
• Meetings (Art. 6). The unit may invite heads of institutions or their representatives, authorities, eminent persons and technical officials of ministries and institutions to its meetings as needed.
• Seal and structure (Arts 7–8). It uses the seal of the Office of the Council of Ministers. Its secretariat and divisions are to be established by sub-decree, which has now been issued (see below).
• Funding (Art. 9). Its budget is a separate package within the Office of the Council of Ministers' annual budget. It may also receive funds from partners and other lawful sources, and manages its funds autonomously under public financial rules.
• Records and data (Art. 10). All documents, information, data and equipment the unit uses are its public property. Officials must safeguard them and use them only within their duties.

Article 11 repeals contrary provisions. The preamble cites, among others, the 2023 Law on the Public Financial System (Royal Kram NS/RKM/0323/001).

For applicants, note that neither the decree nor the sub-decree sets a specific confidentiality regime for business information beyond this safekeeping duty.

How an application will move through the unit

Sub-Decree No. 214 of 5 October 2026 shows, for the first time, how the single window is meant to work in practice. It splits the unit into three parts, each led by a head appointed by royal decree or sub-decree, with deputy heads appointed by the chair after the Prime Minister's in-principle approval (Art. 5).

The Secretariat is the front desk (Art. 2). It gives information, receives applications, checks that documents are complete, helps applicants fill in forms and enters them into the electronic platform. It also receives product samples, issues a receipt for documents and samples, and tells the applicant which incentives they may be able to receive. Once the relevant ministry approves, the Secretariat hands the licence or permit to the applicant. It also runs the unit's digital platform and database, its legal work, budget and procurement.

The Registration, Licence and Permit Division is the back office (Art. 3). It verifies applications, coordinates with ministry units to collect samples and push through registration, issuance or renewal, relays any request for further documents back to the applicant through the Secretariat, and records, tracks and evaluates every step.

The Monitoring and Inspection Division handles incentives and complaints (Art. 4). It monitors how incentives granted through licences or permits processed by the unit are actually applied, works with ministries to resolve problems with those incentives, and receives requests and complaints about registrations, licences and permits handled through the unit. It also evaluates the performance of the unit's own staff.

Staffing will come largely from secondment (Arts 7–8). Ministries and institutions can second civil servants to work at the unit day to day, at the chair's request and with the Prime Minister's approval, and those officials keep their rank and return to their home ministry afterwards. The unit can also hire people who are not civil servants. Working groups within each part are created by the chair's decision (Art. 6).

How this fits the 2026 SME reform programme

The unit follows a reform drive that began in mid-2026:

• 24 July 2026 Cabinet meeting: The Prime Minister called for a one-place coordination unit routing documents to ministries through CamDX, and announced a six-day registration pilot for soap producers.
• National SME Development Strategy 2026–2030: Reported as signed on 10 July 2026, it plans a coordination unit and a CDC-style one-stop service centre.
• New coordinating bodies: An ad hoc MSME working group (late July 2026) and, according to Khmer-language reports, an SME strategy committee established by sub-decree on 15 September 2026.
• CamDX integration: Ministries were to integrate core MSME services into CamDX by end-September 2026.
• Draft SME sub-decree: In August 2026, officials reviewed a draft sub-decree on the classification, commencement, operation and termination of SMEs.

What is known and what is not

What this means for foreign-owned SMEs and start-ups

For foreign investors running smaller operations, the main frustration has been the number of separate ministry approvals after incorporation. A working single window could shorten the path to lawful trading, particularly for products needing product-level approvals such as samples sent for laboratory testing, which the unit can now collect and forward.

Three cautions apply. First, eligibility is unconfirmed. Neither text mentions ownership, and the reform has been framed around domestic production. Second, the unit coordinates approvals; it does not replace the underlying licensing rules or the authority of each ministry, and the sub-decree confirms that licences are handed over only after ministry approval. Third, the CDC's existing one-stop service for Qualified Investment Projects is a separate track.

What should foreign-owned businesses do now?

Key takeaways

• Cambodia has established an SME Facilitation Unit (អ.ស.ត.ម.) by Royal Decree NS/RKT/0926/918 of 26 September 2026, as a single window for SME registration, licences and permits.
• Sub-Decree No. 214 of 5 October 2026 gives it a Secretariat (front desk), a Registration, Licence and Permit Division (back office) and a Monitoring and Inspection Division (incentives and complaints).
• It is attached to the Office of the Council of Ministers and under the Prime Minister's direct command. Ministries keep the power to approve.
• No start date, chair or list of covered licences has been announced.
• Eligibility of foreign-owned SMEs and the definition of "SME" are not yet known.
• Foreign-owned companies should claim their CamDigiKey account and keep Prakas 117/044 filings current now.

How MLV Law Group can help

MLV Law Group advises foreign investors on setting up and running businesses in Cambodia. Our corporate and regulatory team can check your registration and annual-declaration status, complete the CamDigiKey account claim, map your licences and permits, and track the unit's implementing rules, including foreign eligibility.

To discuss your business, contact our team at legal@mlvlawgroup.com or +855 71 777 4168. For more context, see our Company Formation guide and our Invest in Cambodia / QIP guide.