Bali Visa Information

Unless you are visiting Bali from a country included in the Association of Southeastern Asian Nations, you will need a visa to visit Bali. The 30-day Visa on Arrival (VOA) is the most popular, but there are ways to extend and stay for longer if you so choose. Here are some important things to know about gaining your visa to visit Bali. Keep in mind, that laws are constantly changing, so make sure to get the most current information directly from the Indonesian Visa Website.

 

Visa On Arrival

For most visitors a Visa On Arrival (VOA) will be required to enter Indonesia with the exception of passport holders from these ASEAN countries:

• Brunei
• Cambodia
• Malaysia
• Laos
• Myanmar
• Philippines
• Singapore
• Thailand

Residents of countries not listed above are eligible for a 30-day Visa-On-Arrival (VOA), which can be extended once at any of the three immigration offices on Bali for a total stay of up to 60 days. The standard VOA cost is US $35 per person and can be obtained at the airport with proof of an onward ticket out of Indonesia within 60 days. We recommend applying for your VOA online to save time and secure the correct visa.

 

Extending Your 30-Day Visa in Bali

If you’re considering moving to Bali, or just want to enjoy an extended vacation, one of the easiest ways to do so without getting attached to a lengthier or slightly more complex Visa situation is to opt for the 30-day Visa on Arrival (VOA), which can be extended one time for a total stay of 60 days or less.

Below we have outlined the steps to successfully extend your 30-day VOA, though we recommend keeping an eye on the latest developments, as the requirements are known to change from year to year.

Things To Know:

• This may vary depending on your departure airport or airline, but we were required to show our exit tickets from Indonesia (booked for day 58 after our arrival) before being allowed to board our flight to Bali for the first time. If you are moving to Bali (and didn’t get a Social Visa while still in your home country) or are on an extended vacation without a specific end date, I recommend purchasing an inexpensive one-way ticket to Singapore within 30 to 60 days from the day you arrive. You may want to contact your airline ahead of time to avoid any costly last-minute plane ticket purchases.
• If you plan on staying in Bali for 31 to 60 days, DO NOT opt for the free 30-day VOA, as it cannot be extended. Instead, purchase the $35 USD Visa on Arrival at the immigration counter (or apply for an Online Indonesia Visa) at Bali’s Ngurah Rai International Airport, which can be extended for a stay not to exceed 60 days.
• The 60-day VOA is not equal to 2 months. The day you arrive counts as day 1, so avoid any trouble by counting your days correctly! The fee for overstaying your Visa is a steep 1,000,000 IDR per day. There is also a prison sentence added if you overstay more than 60 days.

After purchasing your VOA at the airport, you will need to either 1) hire a local agent service to handle the extension process, which requires 3 separate trips to the same immigration office (approximately $50 USD), or 2) prepare the documents and do it yourself (approximately $26 USD).

Personally, unless you plan on traveling around a ton or simply don’t want to have to worry about it, I recommend extending it yourself. It’s fairly straightforward, not overly time-consuming (once you’re at the office), and cheaper than hiring an agent. Plus, if you plan on staying in Bali for more than 60 days, you’re likely going to have to familiarize yourself with the immigration office process anyway.

There are currently 3 immigration offices in Bali. Since you’ll need to go to the same office a total of 3 times (likely all within a week to 10 days), you’ll want to choose the most convenient one.

• Ngurah Rai Immigration Office (South Bali) – Jl. Raya Taman Jimbaran No.1, Jimbaran, Kec. Kuta Sel., Kabupaten Badung, Bali 80361, Indonesia | Phone: +62 361 8468395
• Kantor Imigrasi Kelas (TPI Denpasar, Southeast Bali) – Jl. Panjaitan No.3, Sumerta Kelod, Kec. Denpasar Tim., Kota Denpasar, Bali 80234, Indonesia | Phone: +62 361 227828
• Singaraja Class II Immigration Office (North Bali) – Jl. Seririt- Singaraja, Pemaron, Kec. Buleleng, Kabupaten Buleleng, Bali 81119, Indonesia | Phone: +62 362 32174

Give yourself at least 7 business days (or more) to take care of your VOA extension, and pay special attention to holidays and local celebrations when the offices will be closed, which could cause delays. Offices are typically open from 8 am to 4 pm (and closed from 12 to 1 pm for lunch), Monday through Friday.

Pro Tips: Get there as early as possible to avoid long lines, crowds, and midday traffic, and be sure to wear appropriate clothing (pants, long skirts, or basically anything that doesn’t look like you just came from the club or the beach). There was a poster of Kate Middleton as an example of appropriate clothing, and Rihanna as an example of inappropriate clothing, if that helps you.

 

What To Bring To Immigration

You will need to locate a copy machine to prepare copies of your documents for immigration. There are some near the office but they can get busy so try to locate one near your accommodation for convenience. You will need to bring the following with you to the immigration office.

• Black Pen
• Passport
• 2 Copies of Passport Picture Page
• 2 Copies of Departure Plane Ticket from Indonesia
• Copy of Visa on Arrival Receipt (small piece of paper you received at the airport after paying the $35 USD fee)
• Name, Address, Email, and Phone Number of your Accommodation

 

Visit #1

Ask the employees at the counter for a 30-day Visa on Arrival extension application. You will receive a red folder with 2 forms inside.

Fill out both forms in all caps (including the aforementioned sponsor information), and don’t forget to write your reason for traveling and signature on the back side, as well as your name on the front of the folder.

Take a number from the kiosk (likely placed near the entrance) and have a seat until your number is called. When prompted, go to the specified desk and give the immigration officer your red folder, including the forms, your passport, and any copies you’ve made. They will let you know if anything needs to be fixed.

Have a seat, listen carefully for your name, and go back up to the desk to collect your receipt with a date and time frame to return, typically around 3 days later. The office keeps your passport, so do not lose your receipt!

Visit #2

On the second visit, the only two things you’ll need to bring are 500,000 IDR in cash and your receipt from the last visit.

Take a number and wait to be called, then submit your receipt and cash payment. You’ll then be given another number and told to sit back down. When your second number is called, go to a different room to have your photo taken and fingerprints scanned.

The officer will give you a receipt telling you when to return to pick up your passport (typically the next day or two), and you’re good to go!

Visit #3

Your final visit is an easy one. Simply go to the counter with your receipt (you shouldn’t even need to take a number this time), have a seat until you’re called back up, and voila! Your passport will be returned, and you can go back to enjoying your extended time in Bali!

 

Social Cultural Visa

For those planning to live in Bali for longer than 60 days, one of the most popular visa options is the Social-Cultural Visa, or Sosial Budaya. While you can typically plan ahead and obtain this type of Visa from your home country, you can also make arrangements for it once you arrive in Bali, so long as you leave the country for the application process and return within 3 months.

Having recently gone through this process ourselves, I can tell you that while the requirements may seem somewhat vague and tedious, the process is not really all that difficult. Below is the information we used to get our Social-Cultural Visa after we were already in Bali, but as always, we recommend checking around for the latest updates or changes.

• You cannot receive a Social-Cultural Visa from within Indonesia! You must either apply in your home country, or from a country outside of Indonesia.
• If you’re already in Bali (on a 30-day or 60 Day Visa On Arrival, for example), we recommend flying to Singapore, as the turn-around time is quick, the process is simple, and the flights from Bali are short and fairly inexpensive.
• A Social-Cultural Visa grants you an initial stay of 60 days in Bali, followed by 4 possible extensions, each for an additional 30 days, bringing your total stay to a maximum of 180 days.
• The Social-Cultural Visa is Single Entry, meaning that if you need to leave Indonesia for any reason (not just Bali, as travel within the country is permitted), you will need to start the process all over again before returning on the same type of Visa. If you know you’ll need to leave the country any time in the following 6 months, this is probably not the Visa for you.
• You are not permitted to conduct any type of business activity or take up employment on the Social-Cultural Visa. This also includes volunteer work.

 

If you are already in Bali:

Consider hiring a Visa Agent – While it is entirely possible to do everything yourself, in our opinion, it is worth the extra money to hire an agent to handle the paperwork, multiple trips to the immigration office, Singapore agent referrals, etc.

Required Documents:

• Visa Application Form – The agent filled this out for us
• Sponsor Letter & I.D.
• Passport – Must have more than 6 months validity from the reentry date and 2 available pages
• Copy of ID page in Passport – This can be done anywhere in Bali, but we like SupaPrint in Legian
• Copy of Singapore Stamp page in Passport – You’ll need to do this once you arrive
• 2 Passport-Sized Photos Per Person – We got these done at Kodak Express in Kuta, Bali, located at the intersection of Jalan Raya Kuta and Jalan Kauripan

 

Things To Keep In Mind:

• If you want to cut down on costs, you could choose the early morning flight from Bali to Singapore (6:20 am on AirAsia), and technically get your Visa processed in time to fly back to Bali the same night, avoiding any accommodation and additional meal/transportation costs in Singapore.
• Check the Indonesia Embassy website for any upcoming holidays before you book your ticket to Singapore, as the embassy will likely be closed, causing delays in your stay.
• You will need to show an exit ticket out of Singapore before leaving Bali, but will not be required (at least in our case, flying with AirAsia) to show an exit ticket out of Indonesia within 180 days of your return. Simply tell the customs agent at Bali’s Ngurah Rai Airport that you will extend your Social-Cultural Visa after the initial 60-day stay, and plan to leave within 180 days (It’s best to look at a calendar and come up with a date, just in case).
• Since our agent in Singapore handled everything for us, we did not have to dress up because we never entered the Embassy at all. Skip the dress pants – Singapore sits one degree north of the equator, and is very hot and humid! This will not be the case when applying yourself, however, and pants are supposedly a must.
• Once in Singapore, buy a Singapore Tourist Pass (STP) for transportation within the city, which includes busses, the MRT, and the LRT ($22 SGD for 1 Day, $29 SGD for 2 Days).
• If staying in Singapore overnight, try to choose accommodation close to the Indonesia Embassy, which is located at No. 7 Chatsworth Road. We found a nearby Airbnb rental on River Valley Rd. and simply walked to meet our agent at the Embassy the next morning.

In the meantime, enjoy your time in Singapore – delicious chili crab, Singapore Slings, Little India, Chinatown, and more await!

 

For more great Bali information use the links below.

Bali Trip Preparation | Accommodations | Regions | Activities | Moving To Bali