Everyone who has been to Indonesia has mostly good things to say about it. And we are not talking about just Bali here. It is such a diverse country with so many customs, languages and such a rich cultural heritage.
Now if you are wondering about how to get Indonesia visa or whether you even need one, the good news is that Indonesia is usually lenient about the whole visa thing, especially if you are a tourist.
But there are many other kinds of visas that you need to get if you want to work, study or retire there etc. In this guide, we will cover the visa types, fees, and application process for Indonesia visas. And of course, the COVID updates.
Table of Contents
COVID Update Indonesia
Who can enter?
- All foreign visitors who have Temporary Stay Permit and Permanent Stay Permit (Permanent Residents/KITAS and KITAP) with a valid Multiple Re-entry Permit.
- Holders of expired ITAS/ITAP/MREP staying overseas (outside Indonesia), who have been granted a required letter from relevant competent agencies/boards, and those who apply for the family reunion ITAS/ITAP
- Holders of Diplomatic Visa and Official/Service Visa.
- Holders of Diplomatic Stay Permit and Official/Service Stay Permit.
What’s Suspended?
Visa on arrival and visa waiver program.
COVID Entry Requirements
- A health certificate issued by health authorities from their home countries or negative PCR test.
- Undertake a mandatory 14-day quarantine at designated facilities conducted by the Indonesian government or self-quarantine under supervision of the Indonesian health authority,
Do You Need Visa for Indonesia?
Citizens of the following 29 countries need a visa for Indonesia, irrespective of the purpose of their travel.
| Afghanistan | Cameroon | Central African Republic | Colombia |
| Congo | Democratic Republic of the Congo | Djibouti | Equatorial Guinea |
| Eritrea | Ethiopia | Guinea | Guinea-Bissau |
| Iran | Iraq | Israel | Kosovo |
| Liberia | Micronesia | Montenegro | Niger |
| Nigeria | North Korea | Pakistan | Sierra Leone |
| Somalia | South Sudan | Sudan | Syria |
| Yemen |
Anyone who is not from the countries above can enter Indonesia visa-free for up to 30 days. However, citizens from a visa-free country, also need to apply for a visa or extend their stay in case they want to stay for more than 30 days.
How to Get Indonesia Visa?
There are two ways to apply for an Indonesian visa. You either apply for the Indonesia visa on arrival or at an embassy of Indonesia.
1. Apply Indonesia Visa on Arrival
Indonesia VOA or visa on arrival is only issued for short-term touristic, social or business purposes, not for any other purpose. You can apply for a visa on arrival at certain airports and seaport in Indonesia.
The general requirements for Indonesia Visa On Arrival are:
- A passport valid for at least 6 months from the date of entry, and one blank page for the visa. A limited validity passport is not accepted without a prior Indonesian visa.
- Proof of onward ticket for a visa.
- Visa on Arrival fee (refer below).
- Proof of accommodation
While proof of accommodation is not always a requirement, it is sometimes asked about. So it is better to have it on you.
2. Apply for Indonesia Embassy Visa
If you are coming to Indonesia to work or study or retire or anything that’s not related to tourism, you need to apply for a visa in Indonesian embassy/consulate only.
And citizens of countries who don’t have visa-free entry to Indonesia and/or can’t get a visa on arrival, then you would need to go to a consulate of Indonesia to apply for a visa.
Find out the embassy of Indonesia
In order to apply for a visa in an embassy, check whether there is an Indonesian embassy in your country. You can contact them to ask about the opening hours and visa requirements and get an appointment if needed.
Prepare the documents
Once you know the exact requirements for Indonesian visa, collect the documents. Indonesia might need your documents to be apostilled depending on the type of visa you want. If that’s the case, you need to check on that.
Pay the Indonesia visa Fees
The Indonesia visa fees differ for different visa types.
Depending on the embassy you are applying through, you can deposit the visa fees in a bank, pay through cash, money order, company’s check, cashier’s check. The visa fees are non-refundable.
Submit/Mail in the documents
Some embassies of Indonesia allow you to mail in your document for your visa application.
Example- Embassy on Indonesia in Australia
But the majority of the consulates/embassies receive the application in person only.
Get the Indonesia visa
When your application is being processed, you might be asked to submit more documents if you are missing any of the requirements. It is possible that they might call you to come down for an interview.
If everything goes well, you will receive the Indonesia visa.
How Long Does It Take to Process an Indonesian Visa?
The time to process your Indonesian visa depends on where you are applying from and the specific visa type. It is usually not more than 8-10 working days if everything is fine.
But when applying for visas, seldom everything is fine. The process will take longer for some visas like journalist visas when the application requires approval from relevant authorities in Indonesia. Think 6-8 weeks.
That being said, it usually takes longer if you are from on of the following countries. The reason is that the embassy will need to work with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jakarta to process your application.
| Afghanistan | Cameroon | Guinea |
| Israel | Liberia | Niger |
| Nigeria | North Korea | Pakistan |
| Somalia | Syria |
You should apply for Indonesia visa at least 14 working days before your intended day of departure. Practically speaking, a month would be better.
Indonesia Visa Types
Before you know how to get Indonesia visa, you must understand the differences among Indonesia visa types and which one is for what.
1. Indonesia Tourist Visa
An Indonesia tourist visa allows a foreigner to visit Indonesia for recreation and sight-seeing. So for people who got inner wanderlust or have read “Eat, Pray,Love” a little too many times, and want to visit Indonesia need this visa.
But, since Indonesia has a lenient visa policy, which basically means that they love tourists, most people can enter Indonesia without a visa or they can get one on arrival.
So, only if you are from one of the countries(see the list above) that need an Indonesia visa, you would have to make a trip to an embassy and submit a bunch of documents.
2. Indonesia Business Visa
If the reasons behind your visit to Indonesia are related to business, such as attending meetings, trainings, signing some deals- stuff that has nothing to do with selfies in front of Ubud temple, you need a business visa.
I mean you can still take those selfies and see that rendition of Hindu epics in Bali or whatever. But that’s not why you went there in the first place, right?
The business visa for Indonesia is a multiple-entry visa, that can be issued for up to one year. And you can enter Indonesia as many times as you want and stay up to 60 days per entry.
3. Indonesia Long Term Visa
The Indonesia long term visas or how they are officially known as “limited stay visas” allow you to be in Indonesia for a longer period of time to work, study etc.
So all these visas are long term visas. They are all valid for single-entry. But don’t worry, once you are in Indonesia, you will be able to get a stay permit that will allow you to enter/exit multiple times.
| Indonesia Work Visa |
| Indonesia Student Visa |
| Retirement Visa for Indonesia |
| Indonesian Family Visa |
| Research Visa |
| Religious Visa |
4. Diplomatic, Official and Service Visa
A diplomatic Visa is given to foreign citizens bearing diplomatic passports, for the conduct of diplomatic assignment in Indonesia.
Service Visa is given to foreign citizen(s) bearing service passport(s), on assignment to Indonesia for non-diplomatic purposes.
Indonesia Visa Fees
| Visa type | Fees in USD |
| Visa on arrival | 35 |
| Single-entry Tourist Visa | 50 |
| Multiple-entry Tourist/Visit/Business Visa | 110 |
| Long term visa (6 months) | 150 |
Indonesia Immigration
Upon Arrival in Indonesia
Complete a Passenger Arrival Card before passing through Customs Passport Control. You will get on your flight or at the arrival area.
Indonesia Airport Tax
International passengers departing Indonesia are needed to pay an airport tax of IDR150,000. And IDR40,000 is levied for domestic passengers.
Most airlines today incorporate airport tax into their total tickets cost on purchase. But it doesn’t hurt to look, does it? So do give your ticket a look-see.
Indonesia Visa Extension
You can extend an Indonesia visa on arrival or a tourist visa from embassy , up to 4 times, each time for 30 days.
This will cost you the same you paid when you got it.
You can’t apply for an extension if you entered under a visa waiver program. That’s the reason everyone gets a visa on arrival.
Indonesia Visa Overstay
The Indonesia visa overstay fee is approximately USD 70 per each day you have overstayed. Now you might have read about some story of some dude who was able to bargain it down or sang an Indonesian song so well that the immigration authorities paid him actually.
But the reality is that Indonesia is strict about overstaying. So don’t do it.