Medical Certificate for a Cambodia Driving Licence

By Testdrive KH team · July 6, 2026 · Updated August 10, 2026

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Most people applying for their first Cambodian driving license know they will need to pass a theory test and provide ID and photographs. The step that catches applicants out is the medical certificate for a driving license in Cambodia - a short fitness-to-drive check that generally has to be done before you submit your application, not at the counter on the day.

It is a small step, but it is the one that most often sends people home for a second trip - and the one people worry about most, usually for no good reason. Applicants who wear glasses, or who live with a managed health condition, often assume the check exists to catch them out. In practice it is brief, routine, and for most applicants a formality.

This guide covers why the certificate is required, what the check involves, where people get it done, how to prepare, and what happens if you need glasses or have an existing condition.

Disclaimer: Driving license requirements in Cambodia, including medical requirements, are set by the General Department of Land Transport under the Ministry of Public Works and Transport (MPWT), and can change over time or vary by province. Nothing here is medical advice. Confirm the current requirements for your application with the General Department of Land Transport or your local Department of Public Works and Transport (DPWT) office, and discuss any health condition of your own with a doctor.

Just starting out? This article covers the medical step alone. For the whole sequence - eligibility, documents, application, theory test, practical test - see our step-by-step guide to getting a driving license in Cambodia.

Why is a medical certificate required at all?

Driving is one of the few everyday activities where a lapse of a second or two can seriously injure someone else. So a licensing system does not only ask whether you know the rules and can control the vehicle - it also asks whether you are physically capable of driving safely.

That is all the certificate is: confirmation from a medical professional that nothing about your current condition would make it unsafe for you to be in charge of a vehicle. The theory test checks that you know the rules, the practical test checks that you can apply them, and the medical check confirms you can see, hear, and physically operate the vehicle well enough to do both. The examining doctor is not looking for reasons to reject you.

What does the driving license health check involve?

Requirements can vary between providers and provinces, so treat this as a general picture rather than a fixed checklist. In broad terms, a driving license health check in Cambodia is a short assessment covering a few basic areas:

The eyesight test for a driving license is the part people remember, and it is usually the most straightforward: reading a chart at distance, with each eye and with both, and sometimes a basic look at peripheral vision or color perception. Standards for what counts as adequate are set by the licensing authority and can change, so we will not quote numbers here.

The physical part is normally a brief look at whether you can move, sit, grip, and operate controls in a way that suits the category you are applying for. Commercial and heavy vehicle categories can involve a more thorough check.

You will also be asked about your health history: ongoing conditions, regular medication, and anything that has caused loss of consciousness, dizziness, or sudden loss of control. Epilepsy, poorly controlled diabetes, and significant heart conditions come up there not because they automatically bar you, but because they can, in some circumstances, cause a sudden episode at the wheel. More on that below.

Where do people get the medical check done?

The certificate is generally issued by a clinic or hospital rather than by the licensing office itself. In practice, applicants take one of two routes:

• Through a driving school. Many registered driving schools arrange the medical check as part of their package, sending students to a provider they already work with and handling the paperwork alongside the rest of the application. For most first-time applicants, and especially for expats not comfortable navigating the process in Khmer, this is the path of least resistance. Our guide to choosing a driving school in Cambodia covers what to ask when comparing schools, and whether the medical check is included belongs on that list.
• Independently, at a clinic or hospital. You can also organize the check yourself. If you do, confirm first which providers your local DPWT office accepts - a certificate in the wrong format means a wasted trip and a wasted fee.

We are deliberately not naming clinics: which providers are used varies by province and changes over time, and the reliable source is your local DPWT office or a driving school that submits applications there every week. Costs vary too, so ask the price when you book.

How to prepare for your medical check

A little preparation avoids almost every avoidable problem with this step:

• Bring your glasses or contact lenses. If you normally wear them, wear them. The check is meant to assess how you actually drive, not how you perform without the correction you use every day. Turning up without them can produce a worse result than your real vision warrants.
• Do not schedule the check when you are unwell. A heavy cold, an ear infection, or flu can affect hearing, balance, and how you present generally. Reschedule for a week when you feel normal - there is no advantage to pushing through.
• Bring photo ID. The certificate has to be tied to you as a named person, so bring your national ID card, or your passport if you are a foreign applicant, plus a photocopy.
• Bring spare photographs. Some providers attach one to the certificate.
• Know what you take. If you are on regular medication, know the name and dose or bring the packet. Recalling it from memory in the room is a common stumble.

While the admin is under way, start on the part that genuinely takes preparation. The medical check takes an afternoon at most; the theory test takes study. A free mock exam will show you quickly where you stand.

What if you need glasses or contact lenses?

This is the most common worry, and the answer is reassuring: needing corrective lenses is normally not a reason to be refused a license. A large share of licensed drivers everywhere need correction, and licensing systems are built around that fact rather than against it.

What generally happens instead is that a condition is recorded. A condition is a restriction attached to your license: the license is valid, but only when you meet that requirement. The corrective-lenses condition is the most common one there is, and it means what it sounds like - you must wear your glasses or contact lenses whenever you drive.

The practical consequence is that you have to actually wear them. Driving without your glasses when your license carries a corrective-lenses condition means driving outside the terms of your license, which can matter during a traffic stop and, more seriously, after a crash. Keep a spare pair in the vehicle. And if your vision is borderline, the usual outcome is that the doctor sends you to an optometrist and asks you to come back - not that your application ends.

Does a medical condition disqualify you from driving?

Usually the honest answer is: probably not, but it depends on the condition and how it is managed - and that is a conversation for you and your doctor, not for an article.

The key point is that the assessment is generally not about your diagnosis in the abstract. The questions that matter are:

• Is it controlled? A condition that is well managed and stable over time is a very different proposition from one that is untreated or unpredictable.
• Does it affect safe driving? The concern is specifically with anything that could cause a sudden loss of consciousness, awareness, vision, or physical control at the wheel.
• Does it need monitoring? Some conditions lead to a license being issued with a condition attached, such as periodic medical confirmation, rather than to a refusal.

That is why we are not publishing a list of disqualifying conditions. Any such list would be a guess at rules set by the licensing authority, and it would frighten people whose condition is perfectly compatible with driving. If you live with epilepsy, diabetes, a heart condition, a visual impairment, or anything else you think might matter, talk to the doctor who treats you before your medical check.

Why honest disclosure matters

There is an obvious temptation to leave something off the form if you worry it might slow your application down. Here is why that is a bad trade.

• Insurance. Insurance generally works on the basis that the information you gave is accurate and that you are validly licensed. A license obtained on the basis of an undisclosed condition, or driving in breach of a condition attached to your license, can give an insurer grounds to dispute a claim. That is the moment the shortcut becomes expensive.
• Liability. If a crash occurs and it emerges that a known, undisclosed condition contributed to it, your position afterwards is considerably worse.
• Your own safety. An undisclosed condition that can cause a blackout at the wheel is a real risk to you, your passengers, and everyone else on the road.

Disclosure usually costs far less than people expect - most often nothing at all, sometimes a condition noted on the license. Non-disclosure costs nothing until the day it costs a great deal.

How long does the certificate last, and is it needed at renewal?

Medical certificates are generally treated as a snapshot of your current fitness to drive, so offices normally expect a recent certificate rather than one of unlimited validity. A certificate from an application you abandoned two years ago is unlikely to be accepted now. How recent is recent enough can vary by office and can change, so ask when you book. The practical rule: get the certificate as part of assembling your application, not months ahead of it.

A medical certificate can also come up at renewal in some cases - particularly where a license has been expired for a long time and the office treats the renewal more like a fresh application, or where a condition on the license calls for periodic medical confirmation. Our guide to renewing your driving license in Cambodia covers what renewal involves and how to check whether a medical certificate applies to you. If you are a foreign resident, the medical step generally applies the same way it does to a local applicant - see our guide for foreigners and expats for the documentation side.

Final thoughts

The medical certificate is the least dramatic step in getting a Cambodian driving license and the one most likely to cost you an extra trip. Sort it out early, use your driving school if that is simpler, bring your glasses and your ID, be straight about your health, and it becomes a short appointment rather than an obstacle.

Then put your effort where it counts. Take a free practice test or work through category practice on Cambodia Test Drive while your paperwork comes together - by the time your certificate is in hand, you will be ready for the part that really is a test.