Getting into Indonesia is straightforward for most people, but the first question is which of three routes applies to you: visa-free entry, the visa on arrival, or the e-VOA arranged online. Which one you fall under depends on your passport, and it changes both what you pay and whether you can stay past 30 days. Here is the practical 2026 version, with official links where the rules can change.
This is the entry-rules companion to our best time to visit Indonesia guide and our Indonesia budget breakdown.
Check whether you need a visa at all
Plenty of people do not. Indonesia grants visa-free entry for up to 30 days to citizens of every other ASEAN country: Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste and Vietnam. There is nothing to apply for and nothing to pay. Arrive with a passport valid for at least six months, proof of onward travel and the arrival card, and you are through.
The catch is worth understanding before you choose, because it is the opposite of what most people assume. Visa-free entry cannot be extended and cannot be converted into another visa. The paid visa on arrival can be extended once. So for an ASEAN traveler on a trip of 30 days or less the free route is simply better, but if you intend to stay longer, buy the visa on arrival deliberately at the start rather than entering visa-free and discovering on day 28 that there is no way to add time.
Malaysian, Singaporean, Thai or other ASEAN passport?
You do not need a visa for a holiday of 30 days or less, and you should not pay for one. The IDR 500,000 visa on arrival described below is for nationalities that are not visa-exempt, and for ASEAN travelers who specifically want the ability to extend beyond 30 days.
Visa on arrival, and what it actually covers
Travelers who are not visa-exempt can use the B1 tourist visa on arrival, often called VoA, for a 30-day stay. The common published fee is IDR 500,000 (about $28), and the visa can usually be extended once for another 30 days. Eligibility is nationality-based and can change, so check the official immigration portal before relying on a third-party summary.
The official numbers, from Indonesia's Directorate General of Immigration: the fee is IDR 500,000, citizens of 87 countries are eligible, and you can use it at 16 airports including Soekarno-Hatta and Ngurah Rai, around 107 seaports and six land crossings.
One detail catches people who plan far ahead. The visa grants a 30-day stay, but the visa document itself is valid for 90 days from issue, and you have to enter within that window. Buying an e-VOA four months before a trip does not work.
And immigration's own wording is worth quoting, because it is a useful corrective to the idea that a paid visa is a guarantee: "Issuance of Visitor Visa does not guarantee entry to Indonesia." The officer at the desk still decides.
The e-VOA: sort it before you fly
The electronic visa on arrival lets you apply and pay online before your trip through the official immigration portal, so you arrive with your approval instead of joining the airport payment queue. Use only the official government site, since lookalike sites charge a markup for the same service. The portal also states that all travelers must submit an arrival card within three days before arrival, so add that to your pre-flight checklist.
Extending your stay
Labuan Bajo, Flores
What thirty days can comfortably include
Three days two nights around Komodo National Park from Labuan Bajo, a short block inside a standard visa on arrival stay.
The 30-day visa on arrival can normally be extended once for another 30 days, giving 60 days total. Start the extension several days before your first 30 days expire. If you entered with an e-VOA, check whether the portal lets you extend online; if not, or if your case requires biometrics or review, expect a local immigration-office visit. For longer stays, use the proper visa class instead of trying to stretch a short-stay visa.
The extension costs another IDR 500,000, the application window opens roughly 14 days before your current permit expires, and after you pay you normally have to attend an immigration office in person for a photograph, usually about a working day later.
That last requirement is the one that wrecks itineraries, and almost no guide mentions it. An extension is not a form you submit from a beach. It means being in a town that has an immigration office, at a specific point in your trip, with a day to spare. If your plan for week five is a homestay in Raja Ampat or a liveaboard in the Banda Sea, the extension has to happen before you go, not while you are out there.
So if you already know you want more than 30 days, treat the extension as a fixed appointment in the itinerary rather than an errand you will get to. Sixty days is the ceiling on this route either way; beyond that you need a different visa class, not a longer stretch of this one.
Do not overstay
As of 2026 the published overstay fine is one million rupiah per day, charged on departure, and it can cause real trouble at the airport. Penalties can change, so treat that as the figure to reconfirm, count your days from the date of arrival, and start any extension a few days before your thirty days run out.
What you need at the border
Have a passport with at least six months of validity from your arrival date and a blank page for the stamp. Immigration may ask for proof of onward or return travel, so have a flight booking ready, and an address for your first night helps. If you applied for the e-VOA, keep the approval handy on your phone. None of it is onerous, but missing the six-month passport rule is the kind of thing that ends a trip before it starts.
The Bali tourist levy
If your trip includes Bali, there is one extra to know about: a tourist levy of about one hundred and fifty thousand rupiah, around ten dollars as of 2026, separate from your visa and charged once. You can pay it online before you arrive or on the spot, and the money goes toward the island’s culture and environment. It applies only to Bali, not the rest of Indonesia, so a trip straight to Sulawesi or Raja Ampat skips it.
The levy is IDR 150,000, paid once per visit, and Indonesian citizens are exempt. It sits on a 2025 provincial regulation amending the original 2023 one, and it funds cultural and environmental programmes on the island.
Two warnings. First, the only official payment site is lovebali.baliprov.go.id. Lookalike sites exist and charge a markup for the same thing, exactly as they do with the e-VOA. If the address does not end in .go.id, it is not the government.
Second, enforcement changed in 2026. There are now spot checks at the major sites, including Tanah Lot, Uluwatu and Besakih, and visitors who have not paid settle it there by QR code. It is a small amount and an easy thing to have done before you land, so pay it online and screenshot the receipt.
The simple version
If you hold an ASEAN passport and are travelling for 30 days or less, you need no visa and should not buy one. Everyone else, for a holiday of up to 30 days: check eligibility, use the visa on arrival or official e-VOA, complete the arrival card, and make sure your passport has at least six months left. For longer, plan the extension early and use the official portal or immigration office process. Then choose your travel dates with our best time to visit Indonesia guide, and you can plan the trip with us.
Written by
Asik Travel Editorial
Local travel editors
We write from the islands we sell, with first-hand notes from our guides and operators.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a visa to visit Indonesia?
Often not. Citizens of the other ASEAN member states, including Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, enter visa-free for up to 30 days with nothing to apply for and nothing to pay. Everyone else buys the visa on arrival, or arranges the e-VOA online beforehand. Eligibility is nationality-based and can change, so confirm your own case on the official Indonesian immigration portal before booking rather than relying on a third-party summary.
How long can I stay in Indonesia on a visa on arrival?
The B1 tourist visa on arrival, often called the VoA, covers a 30-day stay for eligible travellers, and the commonly published fee is IDR 500,000. Counting your stay days correctly is one of the details that catches people out. Because these rules can change, check the official immigration portal before you travel.
Should I get the e-VOA before I fly, and what is the arrival card?
The electronic visa on arrival lets you apply and pay online before your trip through the official immigration portal, so you arrive with your approval instead of joining the airport payment queue. Use only the official government site, since lookalike sites charge a markup for the same service. The portal also states that all travellers must submit an arrival card within three days before arrival, so add that to your pre-flight checklist.
Can I extend my Indonesian tourist visa?
The 30-day visa on arrival can normally be extended once for another 30 days, giving 60 days in total. Start the process several days before your first 30 days expire. If you entered with an e-VOA, check whether the portal lets you extend online; if not, or if your case requires biometrics or review, expect a visit to a local immigration office. For longer stays, use the proper visa class rather than trying to stretch a short-stay visa. One thing to note if you entered visa-free: that route cannot be extended or converted at all, so if you already know you want more than 30 days, buy the visa on arrival when you land instead.
What do I need at Indonesian immigration on arrival?
Have a passport with at least six months of validity from your arrival date and a blank page for the stamp. Immigration may ask for proof of onward or return travel, so have a flight booking ready, and an address for your first night helps. If you applied for the e-VOA, keep the approval handy on your phone. None of it is onerous, but missing the six-month passport rule is the kind of thing that ends a trip before it starts.
Do Malaysians need a visa for Indonesia?
No. Malaysia is an ASEAN member state, and Malaysian passport holders enter Indonesia visa-free for up to 30 days. There is nothing to apply for and nothing to pay, so do not buy a visa on arrival for a short holiday. The one thing to know is that visa-free entry cannot be extended, so if you plan to stay longer than 30 days, buy the visa on arrival deliberately when you land.
Which nationalities can enter Indonesia without a visa?
Citizens of the other ASEAN member states: Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste and Vietnam, for stays of up to 30 days. Indonesia has extended visa-free access to a number of other countries as well, and the list changes, so confirm your own nationality on the official immigration portal before you fly.