On February 1st 2004 new arrangements came into effect regarding tourist visa requirements for entering Indonesia including bali. there has been considerable confusion regarding these arrangements and, believe it or not, even Indonesian embassies in many parts of the world do not know what the full arrangements are.

This page gives the clearest picture we can of these new arrangements. The information has been collected from a number of sources particularly the British Consulate in Bali.

While this page particularly deals with tourist visas it also gives a brief summary of the other visas options available for entry to Bali.

We strongly advise you to arrange your visa before you set off to Bali. If you do not arrange your visa before you set off you can (depending on your nationality) get a visa on arrival in Bali.

Visa on Arrival

Tourist visas are available, depending on your nationality, on arrival in Bali. They are valid for 30 days only, they cannot be renewed without leaving the country. A short stay visa is also available for 7 days.

You must have at least 6 months validity left in your passport to enter Indonesia.

Who?

If you transit through Bali to another country and do not leave the airport you do not require a visa.

If you enter Bali or other port in Indonesia and you are not an Indonesian citizen then you will require a visa.

For people who are citizens off the following countries these visas are free:

Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei Darussalam, The Philippines, Hong Kong special administration region (not British passport holders), Macao special administration region, Chili, Maroko, Peru and Vietnam.

For people from the following countries visa on arrival costs US$25 for 30 days and US$10 for 7 days:

Australia, Belgium, South Africa, Argentina, Brazil, Denmark, United Arab Emirates, Finland, Hungary, England (see note below), Spain, Portugal, Russia, Egypt, Austria, Qatar, Ireland, Maldives, Luxembourg, China, India, Italy, Japan, Germany, Canada, South Korea, Norway, France, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Switzerland, New Zealand, United Staes of America and Taiwan.

NOTE: (The British Consulate questioned the presence of England but not the rest of Britain in the official list and it has been clarified that in fact all subjects of Great Britain and Northern Ireland are included in this list.)

For people from countries other than those mentioned above including Holland, visas are not available on arrival. It is stated that nationals from these countries can only obtain a visa to enter Indonesia from the Indonesian embassy in ther own country.

We have heard, however, of people from these countries (notably Holland) who have managed to obtain visas, contrary to the official rulings, at the Indonesian embassy in Australia at cost of 1 million rupiah (about US$110 or Aus$160) for 30 days.

(Note: for Hong Kong British passport holders visas do not have to be obtained in London but can be obtained from the Indonesian Embassy in Hong Kong).

Where?
Not all ports of entry to Indonesia can issue visas on arrival.

Visa can be issued on arrival at the following airports:

Ngurah Rai Airport in Bali, Soekarno-Hatta in Jakarta, Polonia in Medan, Tabing in Padang, Sultan Syarif Kasim II in Pekanbaru, Juanda in Surabaya and Sam Ratulangi in Manado. (We also understand that the airport in Lombok has now been included in this list)

Visas on arrival can be issued at the following seaports:

Padang Bai in Bali, Jayapura, Tanjung Priok in Jakarta, Teluk Bayur in Padang, Yos Sudarso in Dumai, Sibolga, Belawan, Bandar Bintan Telani Lagoi and Bandar Sri Udara Lobam in Tanjung Uban and Sekupang, Batu Ampar, Nongsa and Marina Teluk Senimba in Batam.

Duration
Tourist visas on arrival allow a maximum of 30 days in Indonesia, they cannot be extended. Overstaying visas is considered a serious offence in Indonesia, for up to 20 days overstay you will be fined US$20 per day but after this you may risk deportation and blacklisting from further entry.

We have heard that if you get your tourist visa before you come to Bali the visa can be extended for more than 30 days. This has not been definitely validated but the information was from a fairly reliable source.

When you arrive

The process can be slow and wearing. There is very poor signage to help you so here is what happens. You leave the aircraft and enter the arrivals area, here you will come to an escalator into the immigration hall. If there are a number of aircraft arriving at once there may be a lot of people at the bottom of the escalator so be careful. There is an emergency stop button on the escalator.

If you already have a visa in your passport you can proceed past the bank tellers and "Visa on Arrival" desks straight to immigration control. You will queue once. There are about twelve booths and you will wait about half an hour on average. Your passport is stamped and you can proceed to pick up your luggage and customs.

If you want a visa on arrival the cost is US$25. If you do not have US$25 (yes it has to be American dollars) you must first join the bank queue at the bottom of the escalator to change your money and get US$25.

You will then proceed to second queue where you will pay your money and get a visa sticker.

You will then proceed to the third queue (immigration control) where you can get your passport stamped. You can then proceed to pick up your luggage and customs. The process may take up to two hours if a number of planes have arrived at once.

Some people find this wearing especially after a long trip while others accept it saying it is what you can expect in many countries.

Other Visas

There are a number of different types of visa available for entry to Indonesia:

Tourist visa
30 days only, available to most nationalities on arrival, cost US$25.

We understand that tourist visas obtained before travel to Indonesia are valid for 30 days but can be extended up to sixty days at the immigration department in Bali.

Business visa.
Must be obtained before travel at an aproved Indonesia Embassies and some Consulates. A letter of sponsorship is required from an Indonesian company.Duration is 60 days single entry and can be extended each month after 60 days up to a maximum stay of six months. Cost about US$120
NOTE: you are not allowed to work on a business visa (see "Visas and Work" below)

Social Budiah.
Similar in virtually all respects to a business visa except the sponsorship letter must come from an Indonesian citizen. Cost about US$120.

Retirement visa
Retirement visas are available for people over the age of fifty five. They last for three years and then you have to leave the country and renew it. They are fairly difficult to obtain but there are a few shortcuts to get past some of the requirements. You are not allowed to work (see "visas and work" below) and the most serious difficulty is having the required level of monthly income (about US$2,000 per month).

Kitas and Work Permit
If you can find an Indonesian sponsor you can get a KITAS which will allow you to stay in the country for up to 3 years and get a work permit from the department of labour. Companies can only sponsor up to 2 expatriates unless they are a large PT company. You will need a visa to leave the country and overall cost is about US$2,500 per year. It will cost around Rp 4 million to have an agent set up a Kitas and work permit, then you have to pay the labour department a fee of US$1,200 each year and you have to pay a "tax" of Rp 1 million every time you leave the country.

Residents Permit
Very hard to get!!!!

Indonesian citizenship
Extremely hard to get and you have to give up any other citizenship you may have.

Visas and Work

The Indonesian immigration department are very strict regarding working in Indonesia without a work permit. The government line is that jobs must not be taken away from Indonesians.

There are always people around that will "dob" you in to the immigration department if you do work without a permit.

If you are caught you will probably be deported immediately and blacklisted from returning.

A recent story should be noted. A man sitting on the beach playing a guitar was arrested by immigration officials and accused of working (the notion that people may play for pleasure rather than for income is quite understandably not understood by Indonesians). He was to be deported and only strenuous efforts from his consul saved him from his plight.

You cannot "work" on a business visa. A business visa allows you to consult, advise, arrange some business, perhaps buy some exports, etc. but not do any sort of work that is taking work from a local person.