Visa Requirements in Bali, Indonesia – FAQ

Regardless of the country of your origin and the visa type, there are certain requirements for all foreigners entering Indonesia:

• Your passport should be valid for at least 6 months from the day you enter the country
• Your passport should contain at least one blank page
• You need to have a return airline ticket from Indonesia to prove you’ll leave the country on time.

Concerning the last requirement, usually the immigration service will not ask for a return airline ticket. But if you are flying to Indonesia, there are some countries where they do require you to show a return airline ticket before they check you in.

What type of Indonesian visa you require depends on the nature of your trip. If you are going for a quick holiday break, then a Visa On Arrival (VOA) is the one for you, whereas if you are planning on studying, have a work-related business trip or want to relocate permanently, you will need to plan your visa before booking your plane ticket.

According to a new immigration law from March 2016, citizens of 169 countries can get free Indonesian visa on arrival and stay in the country for 30 days.
Nationals of 169 countries and 2 special regions can get a free 30-day non extendable visa. This 30 day free Indonesian visa is valid for the purpose of;

• Leisure and tourism
• Family
• Social
• Art and Cultural
• Government visits
• Giving a lecture or attend a seminar
• Attend a meeting held by Head office or Representative office in Indonesia
• While in transit on the way to another country.

The listed countries above may enter Indonesia in every International Airport or Seaport.
Important! Visa is valid exactly 30 days not one month and the countdown starts on the day you enter Indonesia.

The ever-popular VOA is available to over 68 nationalities and doesn’t require you to run around before your trip dealing with pesky paperwork.

There are a few requirements to keep in mind, however, in order to make sure your journey through customs is a fuss-free one.

• Make sure your passport is valid for another six months – minimum
• Have your immigration/arrival card filled out and ready to go
• Have a print out of your confirmed flight out of the country handy. You rarely get asked for it, but it’s good to have one on hand just in case, as the more time you spend with airport customs, the less time you have to get on with your holiday.
• If you are sporting a derelict cheap get-up or working a particularly scruffy look, it’s not unheard of to be asked for a copy of a bank statement or something that proves you can actually afford your holiday. To avoid this, do yourself a favour and run a comb through your hair, wear some shoes and make yourself look semi-presentable for the nice customs officials. Or, if no one is intervening with your sense of style – bring a copy of your bank statement.

The following are the 68 Countries granted Visa free facilities:

You will need to front up US$35 during processing to enter the country. Having the right change in USD, AUD or EUR dollars will prove to be the most efficient option for you. If you require masses of change it will be handed to you in IDR.

Tourist Visa

A Tourist Visa lasts up to 60 days and is perfect if you are planning some in-depth island hopping and want to go at your own relaxed pace. For this visa, you will need your passport to be valid for at least another six months and three blank pages left on your passport.

Social/ Cultural Visa

If you have a decent reason for staying longer such as studying, visiting relatives or taking part in a foreign exchange program, you can apply for a Social/Cultural Visa. For this, you will need a valid passport and passport photo.

You will also need to obtain an application form from an Indonesian embassy or consulate, and a letter of introduction or promise of sponsorship from a trustworthy person or school in Indonesia. The visa is valid for 60 days, but it can be extended for one month at a time at an Indonesian immigration office for a period of up to six months. Expect some application and visa extension fees.

Business Visa

If you are visiting Bali for work (e.g. a conference or seminar), you can get a 60-day Single Entry Business Visa. If you need to extend your stay, you will need to pay a visit to the local immigration authorities or a visa agent. There is also the option of a Multiple Entry Business Visa that is valid for up to 12 months.

A Business Visa means that you will not be taking up employment in Indonesia, but are visiting for business purposes such as to meet overseas business partners etc. For a Business Visa, you will need to have a passport with at least six months left on it, a passport photograph, a completed visa application form and evidence that you have enough funds to cover the cost of your stay in Indonesia (usually in the form of a bank statement). You will also need two supporting letters that outline the details of your visit, one from your place of work and one from your guarantor in Indonesia.

Employment Visa / KITAS

An Employment Visa is for foreigners who will be employed while in Indonesia. For this, you will need to be sponsored by a company or organisation in Indonesia. This is sometimes referred to as a Temporary Stay Permit or KITAS, and is great for those seeking an extended work-play-stay visit to Indonesia.

Retirement Visa

If you are over 55 years old and looking to spend your twilight years amongst the tropical vistas of Bali, you can get yourself a renewable five-year visa. For this, your passport will need to be valid for at least 18 months and certain insurance standards such as financial capability will need to be proven.

If you know you’ll stay in Indonesia for more than 30 days it makes sense to get an extendable visa on arrival. You can get an extendable visa at the same border crossing points as a non-extendable. You need to find a specific counter where they issue extendable visas. Just ask the airport staff.

1. Visa on arrival (Extendable)

   There are some options to extend your 30 day tourist visa although it depends what country you are from.

   1. Extend visa once on arrival
      68 Visa on arrival countries can extend their visa once. The extension costs USD 35 so in total you are paying USD 70 for a 60 day stay. After 60 days you will need to leave the country. Alternatively any of the above countries can do a “visa run” to extend their visa. A visa run is usually done in one day. You leave the country on a budget flight to the nearest overseas airport. You can leave on a morning flight and return on an afternoon flight.

      If your country is not listed as one of the 68 VOA recipients, then you will need to apply for a visa at the nearest Indonesian Embassy before travelling to Indonesia.

   2. Extend visa before the 30 days expires
      Or, before your 30 days expires, you will have to go to one of the Kantor Imigrasi (Immigration office) to get a new 30-day visa.

   Extending your visa is not a fast process. First of all, you cannot find an immigration office everywhere in Indonesia.  Second, you’ll need to apply for your visa extension some time before your original visa expires. The process itself can take up to 7 days so you’ll have to wait for sometime before you get your new visa.

   • Firstly, you must go with the listed documents in point 11 (see below) to apply for the visa extension.
   • Second, you must return 2 or 3 days later, for visa payment, taking photo and fingerprinting.
   • And third, again some days later, to collect your passport with the visa.

2. Visa on arrival – Free non-extendable (Stamp)

   Since the visa is non-extendable you can’t extend it while in Indonesia. If you decide to stay longer you’ll have to leave the country and come back again. Many people do a visa run, where you leave the country for one day, enter it again and get a new 30-day visa. Depending on where in Indonesia you are, there are different budget flight options to Malaysia or Singapore.

To extend your visa, you can apply at the Immigration office (Kantor Imigrasi). Check carefully on the places where you can extend your visa before you plan your trip. You can definitely do it in Jakarta (Java), Yogyakarta (Java), Denpasar (Bali), and Mataram (Lombok).

Here is a list of all Immigration offices in Indonesia from the official website. Kelas I and Kelas II are supposed to be those where you can extend your visa. Check before you go.

Depending on where you are, it can be easier and faster to fly out of Indonesia and come back again. In this case you get a 30-day free non-extendable visa on arrival again. You can find cheap flights from different cities in Java and Sumatra to Malaysia or Singapore.

1. Passport with valid visa;
2. Copy of a passport page with photo (2 copies);
3. Copy of a passport page with valid Indonesian visa (2 copies);
4. Printed copy of your return airline ticket from Indonesia. It should be within 30 days from the date you extend your visa (2 copies);
5. Details of a place you’re staying in Indonesia (hostel, hotel etc.), including full address, phone number, email and contact person;
6. Reference/sponsor letter from an Indonesian citizen or long-term resident. This is not required if you want to extend your 30-day visa but you never know.
7. A black ink pen to fill the application form;
8. IDR 355 000 (USD 35) to pay for your visa (you don’t need them on your first visit).
9. Here is a list of all Immigration offices in Indonesia from the official website. Kelas I and Kelas II are supposed to be those where you can extend your visa. Check before you go.
10. Depending on where you are, it can be easier and faster to fly out of Indonesia and come back again. In this case you get a 30-day free non-extendable visa on arrival again. You can find cheap flights from different cities in Java and Sumatra to Malaysia or Singapore.

You are not supposed to overstay your visa. If you do accidentally, then the official penalty is IDR 300,000 per day you have overstayed. This penalty will be charged at the immigration department at the Bali airport upon leaving the country. The maximum allowed time you can overstay is 60 days. If you have overstayed your Indonesia visa for more than 60 days, then you are in the country without a valid visa. The punishment for not having a valid visa is a maximum 5 years sentence or maximum Rp 500,000,000 penalty. (article #119 of UU 6/2011).

Nothing to worry about, when you return to Indonesia you will be given a new 30 day visa.

You may be able to apply online through https://visaonline.imigrasi.go.id/online/

If you entered on the free 30 day visa then this visa cannot be extended. If you do accidentally overstay your visa you will be charged a penalty of IDR 300,000 per day for your overstay. What you can do is a visa run, which is to leave the country in the morning and return to Indonesia the same day in the evening or the next day.

If you have already overstayed then it is too late to extend unfortunately.

Visa regulations for children are identical to adults.

Although it is a requirement, generally the Indonesian immigration department don’t ask to see your onward flight ticket unless they have suspicions you are visiting for reasons other than tourism.

What you may find to be an issue is the airline now allowing you to board, as the airline will be the ones responsible for flying you out the country if you do get refused entry due to no onward ticket. What you can do is just buy a 1-way ticket and if the airline or Indonesian immigration officers make a fuss then you can book an onward flight ticket on the spot (through your phone).