Visa Exemption & Visa on Arrival (US$ 35) Short Guide to Visas for Bali & Indonesia
The government of Indonesia has changed its visa policy for foreign tourists effective 15th of June 2015. To the list of 15 countries that are granted visa exemption another 30 countries have been added.
Australian citizens will have to pay for a Visa on Arrival.
Visiting Indonesia Without Any Visa
Indonesia without any visa is possible for nationals of the following 15 countries and territories:
[table]Since June 2015 the visa-free policy is granted to foreign nationals of these 30 additional countries:
[table]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. Make sure your passport has at least one empty page for the stamp (or sticker). This stay permit cannot be extended or converted into another type of visa.
VISA on ARRIVAL (VoA) – 35US$
This facility is available for nationals of the following countries:
[table]Citizens of these countries will be granted a VoA valid for 30 days upon arrival in Bali, Jakarta and other international airports (by ship at a limited number of Indonesian sea ports). A 30-day visa costs US$35 and is extendable for another 30 days. You can go to the immigration office at the airport by yourself or hire a visa agent who will charge around 50 – 80 US$ for this service per passport. 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. (or 60th. day! in case of extension)
How to Obtain the "VISA on ARRIVAL" (VoA)
Travelers from the above countries must be in possession of a passport, which is valid for at least 6 months from the date of arrival. They must sometimes also be able to prove they have sufficient funds for their stay in Indonesia, if the immigration officer has doubts that they can. Sometimes it is necessary to show them the return ticket or confirmation slip. But since travelers can book easily online now and on short notice, this is very rare.
Arriving travelers with Visa-On-Arrival status have to go first to one of the “VoA Counters” to pay the appropriate fee before proceeding to the Immigration Clearance Desk. Payment of visa fees can be made in US Dollar or Indonesia Rupiah, AUS$, or EUR. Sometimes other currencies are accepted. But to avoid long queues and problems at the counter it’s better to have the cash ready. After you land, make it quick to get to the payment counters, the queues can sometimes be quite long. And after paying, you will have to queue again for the immigration process (which can take up to 1hour if you are unlucky).
CUSTOMS REGULATIONS
Prohibited Items
Weapons, narcotics and pornography are prohibited to bring into Bali. Pets are strictly banned to prevent the spread of rabies.
Alcohol & Tobacco
You are only allowed to bring a maximum of one liter of alcohol, 200 cigarettes, 50 cigars or 100grams of tobacco and a reasonable amount of perfume into Indonesia. Photographic equipment, typewriters, laptop computers and radios are admitted, provided that they are taken out on departure. All these should be declared via a customs declaration form that must be completed before arrival. The form might be handed to you in the airplane, otherwise there is a counter next to the conveyor belts where you pick up your luggage.
Another subject is the import and export of currencies; one is not allowed to import or export Indonesian currency exceeding Rp. 100 million. In addition, the export of national treasures is frowned upon – genuine antiques, tortoise shell, crocodile skins and ivory are not to be taken out of Indonesia.
