Indonesia visa and entry: e-VOA, All Indonesia arrival card, Bali levy

Visa-free, visa on arrival or a visa: which applies to you

The UK government's travel advice puts it plainly for British travellers: you must have a visa to visit Indonesia. The same is true of most Western passports. What differs is how you get it, and the Directorate General of Immigration (now part of the Ministry of Immigration and Corrections) publishes three lists that decide this: countries whose citizens are visa-exempt, countries eligible for a visa on arrival, and countries that need a specially screened 'calling visa'.

Visa-exempt (Bebas Visa Kunjungan). When we checked on 2026-10-03, the immigration list named Brunei, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, Cambodia, Singapore, Myanmar, Laos and Timor-Leste, plus Suriname, Colombia, Hong Kong, Turkey, Brazil, Peru, Kazakhstan, Macau and Belarus, and foreign holders of Singapore permanent residence entering through certain checkpoints. The immigration FAQ says you still need a passport valid for at least six months and a return or onward ticket. The list does not give the length of stay on the same page, so confirm how long you may stay and whether it can be extended before you plan a longer trip.

Visa on arrival (VOA and e-VOA). The immigration FAQ, last updated on 30 September 2026 when we checked, listed 97 countries and territories eligible for the electronic visa on arrival, among them the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Japan, South Korea, China, Taiwan, India, Germany, France, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands. Some countries, Brazil among them, appear on both lists. According to the UK advice, the 30-day VOA covers tourism, visiting family or friends, some business meetings, buying goods and official visits. It is not meant for volunteering, influencer work or creating commercial online content, which may need a different visa.

Everyone else, and longer trips. If your passport is on neither list, or you need more than 60 days, look at the other visit visas on the official eVisa site. The UK advice notes that you can apply online before travelling for options including multiple-entry visas and 60-day visas, and that the visa must be approved before you arrive: a visa approved after you have entered is not valid.

Buying the e-VOA on the official site

The only official place to apply is the Directorate General of Immigration's site, evisa.imigrasi.go.id. Indonesian government sites end in .go.id, as the immigration site itself points out, and the UK advice warns that visa scams by fake agents are increasing, with some travellers losing money and others ending up with the wrong visa, overstaying and being deported. Type the address yourself rather than clicking a search advert.

The eVisa site's FAQ lists what you need: a scan of your passport's biodata page with at least six months' validity from the date you arrive, a passport-size photo (both JPG or PNG, no larger than 200 kb), an email address and a Mastercard, Visa or JCB card; the home page also mentions payment through SIMPONI, the government payment system. Each traveller needs their own visa, although the site lets you submit an e-VOA application for up to five people at once. When it is approved, a download link is emailed to you.

When we checked on 2026-10-03, the UK government listed the VOA at Rp 500,000, payable by cash or card, valid for a single entry. The eVisa FAQ adds that the validity period starts on the date you put in your application, and you can enter on any day within that period. The UK advice recommends applying at least one week before you leave. You can still buy a VOA at the counter on arrival at most main airports and seaports, but buying it online first takes one queue out of the arrival.

• Copy your name and passport number exactly from the passport you will travel on: the FAQ says a visa that does not match your passport is invalid, and payments for mistakes are not refunded.
• Keep the visa as a PDF on your phone and a printout; officers verify it in their system, but the FAQ advises carrying a copy in case the system fails.
• Have your return or onward ticket ready to show. The FAQ says an officer can ask for it and that a visa does not guarantee entry.

Before you land: the All Indonesia arrival card and customs

The second piece of paperwork is the All Indonesia arrival card, run by the immigration authority at allindonesia.imigrasi.go.id and in an app. When we checked on 2026-10-03, the eVisa site's home page said that all travellers must submit an arrival card within three days before arriving in Indonesia, and the UK advice described it as the online customs and health declaration, to be filled in within 72 hours of arrival. It is free. The UK advice specifically warns travellers to avoid alternative websites or email links that ask for payment for it.

In practice, that means the arrival card belongs in the last three days before your flight, not in the weeks of planning. If you are on a multi-country trip, set a reminder for the day before you fly in from Singapore, Kuala Lumpur or Bangkok. The UK advice adds that after completing the form you can also apply for a visa through the All Indonesia app.

What you declare is set by Indonesian Customs. Its passenger-goods page, under Finance Minister Regulation 34 of 2025, gave a duty-free allowance on personal goods of USD 500 per person per arrival when we checked, with duty charged on the excess. It also lists cash or other payment instruments worth Rp 100,000,000 or more, or the equivalent in foreign currency, among the items that must be declared. The same page still describes the older Electronic Customs Declaration at ecd.beacukai.go.id; follow whichever form the airline and the immigration site direct you to at the time you travel, and do not pay anyone to fill it in.

Bali's tourist levy: how and where to pay

Bali charges foreign visitors a one-time levy for the protection of Balinese culture and the natural environment, set by Bali Provincial Regulation 2 of 2025, which amended a 2023 regulation. When we checked on 2026-10-03, the provincial government's Love Bali site (lovebali.baliprov.go.id) listed it at IDR 150,000 per person. The Ministry of Tourism describes it as a single payment during your stay in Bali, before you leave Indonesia, and it is completely cashless.

The ministry describes two ways to pay. The recommended one is online through the Love Bali website or app before you travel, by bank transfer, virtual account or QRIS; you receive a paid notification and a digital receipt, and the Love Bali site emails the levy voucher and has options to verify or resend it. If you have not paid in advance, you can pay by credit or debit card at counters run by the state bank BRI at I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport and at the Tanjung Benoa port, and receive a printed or digital receipt.

The Love Bali site also offers group payment and an exemption application; read the exemption conditions there rather than assuming they apply to you. Only use the provincial site, which ends in baliprov.go.id, or its official app. The levy is separate from the visa: paying one does not cover the other.

Ports of entry, extensions and overstaying

Not every border post handles visas on arrival. The immigration authority publishes the entry points for e-VOA holders. When we checked on 2026-10-03, the list covered 16 airports, including Soekarno-Hatta and Halim Perdana Kusuma in Jakarta, Ngurah Rai in Bali, Juanda in Surabaya, Yogyakarta, Kualanamu in Medan, Zainuddin Abdul Madjid in Lombok, Sultan Hasanuddin in Makassar and Sam Ratulangi in Manado. It also covered land crossings such as Entikong (from Sarawak), Mota'ain (from Timor-Leste) and Skouw (from Papua New Guinea), and seaports including Batam Centre, Sekupang and Nongsa on Batam and Bandar Bentan Telani Lagoi and Sri Bintan Pura on Bintan, the usual ferry routes from Singapore, as well as Benoa and Padang Bai in Bali. If you plan an unusual route in, check that the crossing is on that list.

The 30-day VOA can be extended once, for another 30 days, according to the UK advice: at any immigration office in Indonesia, or on the eVisa site if you applied online. Do it inside the first 30 days. Overstaying costs Rp 1,000,000 a day, and the eVisa FAQ warns that overstayers may also be detained, deported or banned from future travel. The UK advice adds that using the wrong type of visa is taken just as seriously.

One rule surprises people who rent villas or stay with friends. The UK advice says that if you stay in private accommodation, you must register with the nearest police station and could be fined Rp 5 million if you do not; hotel guests are registered automatically. If you book a private villa, ask your host whether they handle this.

Last checks before you fly

Check your passport first. The UK advice says it must have an expiry date at least six months after the day you arrive and at least two blank pages, and that you will be denied entry with a passport reported lost or stolen. Airlines check this at check-in, so a passport with five months left can stop the trip before it starts.

Health and tax are smaller items. You need a yellow fever vaccination certificate if you are arriving from a country listed as a transmission risk. Airport tax is included in domestic air fares, but the UK advice says that on some international departures it may not be included in the ticket, so ask your airline or agent.

Finally, treat any visa guide, including this one, as a starting point. The visa-free list, the e-VOA list and the arrival-card rules have all changed in recent years, and the authorities enforce them. A last look at evisa.imigrasi.go.id, the immigration lists and your own government's travel advice a few days before you fly costs nothing, and the arrival card cannot be done earlier anyway.