Entry & Exit
Indonesia has numerous entry and exit points via air, sea and land but which ones you can use depend on what type of visa you have. The most popular points of entry are the Denpasar International Airport on the island of Bali and Soekarno-Hatta International Airport near Jakarta. Keep in mind the rules tend to change frequently and without notice so you should always check for the latest information before you travel. Start with the Indonesian Government Ministry of Foreign Affairs website but it’s not always up to date so the check in with some of the online travel forums.
Passports
Must be valid for at least 6 months from the date of arrival and you must have on onward ticket. Although rare, immigration officers may run a standard immigration inspection for such things as an onward ticket, sufficient budget, accommodation and itinerary so keep your details handy.
Visa requirements
Visa requirements vary depending on which country you are a citizen of. Indonesia currently has visa free arrangements for citizens of 90 countries including Canada, United Kingdom and the USA. Recently the government announced plans to extend the free visa’s to an additional 84 countries including Australia but at the time of writing, the changes were still being implemented.
The Visa Free Stamp is valid for 30 days only with NO extensions. Visa free passport holders can enter Indonesia at 5 designated airports including Denpasar International Airport on the island of Bali and Soekarno-Hatta International Airport near Jakarta, the most popular points of entry into the country. Additionally there are 9 designated seaport entry points. Importantly, visa free travellers can only exit Indonesia via 25 designated airports that have access to Indonesia’s integrated Immigration Information System.
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Citizens of most other countries are eligible for 30 days Visa On Arrival (VOA) at a cost of US$35. VOA are valid for 30 days and can be extended once only for another 30 days by visiting an immigration office. Currently VOA facilities exist at 20 airports, 18 seaports and the land border crossing at Entikong.
Citizens of the five remaining countries, those wishing to enter or exit somewhere other than the designated Visa Free and VOA points or those wishing to stay beyond the 30 day maximum (plus additional 30 days available for VOA holders) need to apply for a Visa before arrival.
A land border crossing with Visa on Arrival facilities exists at Entikong, West Kalimantan (Indonesia Borneo) for those coming or going from Serawak (Malaysia Borneo). The only other land border crossings are between Jayapura, West Papua and Vanimo, Papua New Guinea and a remote crossing between West Timor and East Timor at Mota’aian. Neither of these have Free or Visa on Arrival facilities and both are notorious for closing without notice so they are unreliable at best.
From 2015, the airport departure tax is included in the ticket price.
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