Entry into Indonesia | Visa tips
There are different ways to enter Indonesia. No matter which airport you will arrive at, the procedure looks pretty similar everywhere and is also very simple. Tourists from most countries can get a free Visa Free Entry for 30 days.
So you don’t have to worry about applying for a visa beforehand. However, if you want to stay longer, you have to take further steps and, if necessary, bring some patience.
In this post you will learn everything about the different visas and how you can get them:
- Visa Free Entry (free, 30 days)
- Visa on Arrival (chargeable, 30 days + renewable by another 30 days)
- Visit Visa (chargeable, 60 days + renewable by another 120 days)
- Social Visa (chargeable, 60 days + renewable by another 120 days)
Visa Free Entry | Free stay up to 30 days
As soon as you get off the plane, just follow the “Arrival” signs at the airport. In the airports everything is wonderfully signposted in English and you can simply follow the other arrivals. Depending on the daytime, you have to wait in front of the visa counter.
You can use this time to fill out your arrival card: You enter your personal data, your flight number and the date on which you will leave again. As soon as it is your turn, you only have to show your passport and this arrival card to the nice official. Attention: You may have to show your onward flight/exit ticket. So I would recommend that you get one before you arrive — in this way you avoid long discussions.
If you smile then at the officer again, he will give your passport a new stamp (often a bit grumpy). Tada! Welcome to Indonesia! With this visa you can stay in the country for 30 days.
However, you cannot extend this visa. If you want to stay longer in Indonesia, you can fly in and out for a short time (very popular method!) A flight to Kuala Lumpur and back often doesn’t cost more than 30 euros. And then you can re-enter and spend another 30 days in Indonesia. That’s it.
Visa On Arrival | Paid stay for up to 60 days
During my last stay in Indonesia, I chose the paid but extendable option. To get the paid Visa On Arrival, you don’t have to stand in the long arrival line behind the other tourists. Just go to the VoA payment counter. There are rarely long waiting times and the man behind the table is finally happy to have something to do. You simply hand him 35 USD (important: payable in all currencies, but only in cash) and answer his questions well.
I was asked whether I was there for vacation (yes, it is also on the arrival card) and whether I had a boyfriend on Bali. I think the last question was rather unofficial, but I just answered no and got at least a smile from the officer.
Then you go to the immigration with your pretty purple Visa On Arrival receipt and you get a visa sticker into your passport (I’ve never had a sticker in my passport :)).
Now you are free to move around in Indonesia: But only for 30 days. For the extension of another 30 days you have to show up three times at the relevant Immigration Office (Indonesian: Imigrasi):
1. Submit your passport and the appropriate forms
2. Take a photo and immortalize your fingerprints and answer a few questions in a small interview
3. Pick up your passport again.
Allow approximately two weeks for the whole procedure so that you can get your passport extended in time.
For the visa extension at Imigrasi, you pay 500,000 IDR (= 32 euros).
Note: There are three different Imigrasi on Bali, for example. Depending on where you currently live, you have to go to the Imigrasi which is responsible for you.
Because I was sent from one imigrasi to the next on the first day and the constant driving a taxi was too annoying for me, I took a little more money and gave my passport to a visa agency.
If you fall back on an agency, you pay between 800,000 and 1,000,000 IDR (= 50 – 63 euros). It depends on how punctually you start applying and which working period you choose. Fortunately, because I showed up at the agency very early, I was able to choose the two-week working period of 800,000 IDR.
There are many agencies in Bali that offer you the service to extend your visa. In any case, pay attention to the online reviews. Your passport can also quickly get send on the black market with the wrong agency.
I chose BALI VISA EXTENSION AGENT and was very satisfied with the service. All I had to do was hand over my passport to the office in Canggu and pay the fee. A few days later I was informed via WhatsApp on which date I should appear at the Imigrasi in Denpasar to have my fingerprints and my photo taken. Four working days later, my passport was ready to be picked up in the agency’s office. Top! Another 30 days!
Visit Visa | Paid stay up to 180 days
You must apply for the Visit Visa before you enter Indonesia. The application is made either in your home country at the responsible Indonesian embassy (there are three in Germany: in Berlin, Hamburg and Frankfurt) or in any other country. You should take care of your Visit Visa at least 4 weeks before departure, as the authorities always need a certain amount of time to process it. So that you don’t have to drive to the embassy several times, you will find everything you need for your visit visa here:
- your passport (must be valid at least six months after the start of your trip and should still contain at least four free pages)
- a copy of the first page of your passport
- two colored biometric passport photos 3.5 x 4.5 cm
- a copy of your outward and return flight tickets
- the processing fee (currently approx. 50 euros) or proof of your transfer of the fee
- the completed visa application (you can find it online on the respective page of the embassy)
- Proof of your income (for example, a copy of your bank statement) – this shows that you have enough financial resources to live in the target country.
- a sufficiently stamped envelope (if you cannot pick up your passport yourself)
As soon as you have your Visit Visa, you can stay in Indonesia for 60 days and extend your stay four times by another 30 days. The process is the same as for the Visa On Arrival.
Social Visa | Paid stay up to 180 days
The Social Visa is applied for in the same way as the Visit Visa at the responsible Indonesian embassy in general. However, the visa is aimed at interns or students who want to spend a semester abroad. Compared to the Visit Visa, you also have to show a sponsor who fills in the corresponding sponsor letter. You can find the template on the pages of the embassy. Any Indonesian citizen is suitable as a sponsor (for example a friend, acquaintance, university student, etc.). It is important, however, that if you travel f.e. to Bali your sponsor has a Balinese passport, is also in Bali and must come to the Imigrasi with you when you apply for the extension.
Warning | Overstay in Indonesia
It almost happened to me that I would have been without a visa in Indonesia for one day too long, because I had calculated two months in advance for my onward ticket. Caution: The extension of your visa is 30 days (not necessarily a whole month)! So add 30 days to your arrival date and take care of the extension of your visa early. For every day that you stay illegally in Indonesia without a visa, you have to pay 1,000,000 IDR (= 63 euros). Alsooo rather avoid unnecessary stress and count correctly. 🙂
If you have any questions about visas, feel free to ask them in the comments. Otherwise: Have fun in Indonesia!
Lots of Love ♥
DID YOU LIKE THIS POST?
SPREAD SOME LOVE
Leave a Reply
Want to join the discussion?Feel free to contribute!