The government of Indonesia has changed its visa policy for foreign tourists effective February 1st., 2004.

Visiting Indonesia Without Any Visa

Entering Indonesia without any visa is possible now only for nationals of the following 11 countries and territories: Brunei Darussalam, Chile, Hong Kong, Macau, Malaysia, Morocco, Peru, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Citizens of the above countries will be issued on arrival a stay permit for 30 days free of charge upon presentation of a passport which is valid at least for another 6 months. This stay permit cannot be extended or converted into another type of visa.

VISA on ARRIVAL (VoA)

This facility is available for nationals of the following countries: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, South Africa, South Korea, Switzerland, Taiwan, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom and the United States of America.

Citizens of these countries will be able to apply for a VoA valid for either 3 or 30 days upon arrival by air in Bali, Jakarta and a few other international airports or by ship at a limited number of Indonesian sea ports. A 3-day visa costs US$10 and a 30-day visa costs US$25.

The VoA cannot be extended or converted into any other kind of visa. Also be aware that Immigration officials calculate the 30-day period as follows: your arrival day is counted as your first day, and you must leave the country on the 30th. day!

14 More Countries to Receive VoA Facilities from August 1st, 2005

Quoted in the Bali Post, Minister of Justice and Human Rights Hamid Awaluddin told the press on Friday, July 8th, 2005, that he had now issued a formal decision (No. M-05.IZ.01.10 2005) addressing changes in the VOA policy and setting the implementation date for August 1, 2005.

14 new countries will be added to the existing list of 21 countries eligible to purchase a visa upon arrival in Indonesia. The validity of short term visa costing US$10 will be extended from three to seven days; the validity of the US$25 thirty-day visa remains unchanged.

According to the Bali Post, the 14 new countries eligible to obtain visas on arrival include Austria, Belgium, China, Egypt, India, Ireland, Kuwait, Luxembourg, Maldives, Portugal, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia and Spain. As per March 15, 2006, Sweden is also included in the list.

How to Obtain the "VISA on ARRIVAL" (VoA)

Travelers from the above countries must be in posession of a passport which is valid for at least 6 months from the date of arrival and the completed embarkation/disembarkation card they received from their airline. They must also be able to prove they have sufficient funds for their stay in Indonesia.

Arriving travelers with Visa-On-Arrival status have to go first to one of the 'VoA Counters' to pay the appropriate fee and have their passports stamped with the VoA before proceeding to the Immigration Clearance Desk. An official bank is part of the VoA service counters. Payment of visa fees can only be made in US dollar bank notes, Indonesian Rupiah equivalent or by VISA or MASTERCARD.

Requirement of a Visa Before Arrival

Citizens of countries neither on the VoA nor Visa-Free lists are required to apply for a visa overseas before travelling to Indonesia. Nationals of ALL countries planning to stay for more than 30 days in Indonesia also have to apply for the appropriate visa (tourist, business, social-cultural, etc.) at an overseas Indonesian Consulate or Foreign Mission before departing for Indonesia.