Bali visa on arrival for Australians: fees and steps

Bali visa on arrival is the paperwork most Australians need to enter Indonesia as tourists. It costs US$35, lasts 30 days and can be extended once for another 30 days. You buy it at the airport when you land, not before you leave home.

This guide covers who qualifies, what the visa costs, how the extension works, the passport rules, and a short checklist for the arrival hall.

Sources for this section: Directorate General of Immigration, Indonesia, Visit Visa page; Wikipedia, Visa policy of Indonesia.

Who can use the visa on arrival

Australia is on Indonesia's visa on arrival list. Wikipedia's summary of the policy, as it stood in August 2019, lists 68 nationalities in this group and names Australia among them. New Zealand, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States are on the same list.

Australians are not on the visa-free list. That list covers 170 jurisdictions, but not ours.

The Indonesian immigration site says this visa suits visits for a holiday, family or social reasons, art and culture, and some short business tasks such as meetings and buying goods. It is not a work visa. If you plan to work, study or stay long term, you need a different visa from an Indonesian embassy or consulate.

Sources for this section: Wikipedia, Visa policy of Indonesia; Directorate General of Immigration, Indonesia, Visit Visa page.

What the visa costs

The Directorate General of Immigration lists the fee for a Visit Visa on Arrival as US$35. At the exchange rate on the day you land, that comes to roughly A$50. That conversion is our own sum, so treat it as a guide only.

For comparison, the same fee table lists a visit visa issued at an Indonesian embassy or consulate at US$50 and a multiple entry visit visa at US$110. Buying on arrival is the cheapest way in for a normal holiday.

The immigration site gives the fee in US dollars only. It does not say which currencies the airport counter takes. Carry some cash and check the signs at the counter, and do not count on paying by card.

Sources for this section: Directorate General of Immigration, Indonesia, Visit Visa page (fees tab).

How long you can stay, and how to extend

A holder of the visa on arrival is given 30 days. The immigration site says it can be extended at an immigration office once, for a further 30 days. That gives a longest possible stay of 60 days.

The extension is done inside Indonesia, so you will need to visit an immigration office before your first 30 days run out. We have not seen an official extension fee on the sources we checked. Wikipedia reports that the extension also costs US$35, but you should confirm that at the office.

Count your days carefully. Work out your last legal day, write it down, and book your flight home before it.

If you want to stay longer than 60 days, the official page points to a different visit visa. It is applied for at an Indonesian embassy or consulate before you travel. It gives 60 days and can be extended up to five times, at 30 days each time.

Sources for this section: Directorate General of Immigration, Indonesia, Visit Visa page; Wikipedia, Visa policy of Indonesia.

Passport and entry rules to check

The main rule is passport validity. The US State Department's Indonesia page, as of September 2019, says a passport must be valid for 6 months beyond your date of arrival, with two blank pages. That page is written for US citizens, but 6 months is the figure to plan around. Check your Australian passport before you book flights, and confirm the rule with your airline or an Indonesian embassy. If it expires within 6 months of your trip, renew it first.

Two other points are worth knowing before you fly.

• Transit through Ngurah Rai. Wikipedia notes that passengers who only transit through Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali still need a visa, unless they come from a visa-exempt country. Australians fall under the visa rule.
• Cash limits. The State Department lists a limit of 100,000,000 rupiah on cash carried into or out of Indonesia.

Rules and fees can change, so check the Indonesian immigration site or an Indonesian embassy before you leave. Australia's Smartraveller service also lists travel advice for Indonesia.

Sources for this section: US Department of State, Indonesia country information page; Wikipedia, Visa policy of Indonesia.

A simple checklist for the arrival hall

1. Before you fly: check that your passport has 6 months of validity left and two blank pages.
2. Bring cash: have at least US$35 per person in notes, and keep the amount in mind for any extension.
3. On landing: follow the signs to the visa on arrival counter. Pay the fee and collect your visa.
4. Keep your papers: hold on to your passport and visa stamp, and note your last legal day.
5. Plan any extension early: visit an immigration office well before day 30 if you want the second 30 days.

Families need one visa for each person, including children. We could not confirm any child discount in the sources, so budget for the full fee for each traveller.

Sources for this section: Directorate General of Immigration, Indonesia, Visit Visa page; US Department of State, Indonesia country information page.

Sources

1. Directorate General of Immigration, Indonesia, Visit Visa (archived 18 August 2019): imigrasi.go.id
2. US Department of State, Indonesia country information (archived 3 September 2019): travel.state.gov
3. Wikipedia, Visa policy of Indonesia (archived 23 August 2019): en.wikipedia.org