Yoga Bound Travel Indonesian Passports and Visas.

Passports and Visas

The government of Indonesia has changed its visa policy for foreign tourists effective February 1st., 2004.

Visiting Indonesia Without Any Visa

Entering Indonesia without any visa is possible now only for nationals of the following 11 countries and territories: Brunei Darussalam, Chile, Hong Kong, Macau, Malaysia, Morocco, Peru, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

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. This stay permit cannot be extended or converted into another type of visa.

Visa on Arrival (VOA)

This facility is available for nationals of the following countries: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, South Africa, South Korea, Switzerland, Taiwan, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom and the United States of America.

Citizens of these countries will be able to apply for a VOA valid for either 3 or 30 days upon arrival by air in Bali, Jakarta and a few other international airports or by ship at a limited number of Indonesian sea ports. A 3-day visa costs US$10 and a 30-day visa costs US$25.

The VOA cannot be extended or converted into any other kind of visa. Also 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. day!

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 and the completed embarkation/disembarkation card they received from their airline. They must also be able to prove they have sufficient funds for their stay in Indonesia.

Arriving travelers with Visa-On-Arrival status have to go first to one of the 'VOA Counters' to pay the appropriate fee and have their passports stamped with the VOA before proceeding to the Immigration Clearance Desk. An official bank is part of the VOA service counters. Payment of visa fees can only be made in US dollar bank notes, Indonesian Rupiah equivalent or by VISA or MASTERCARD.

Requirement of Visa Before Arrival

Citizens of countries neither on the VOA nor Visa-Free lists are required to apply for a visa overseas before traveling to Indonesia . Nationals of ALL countries planning to stay for more than 30 days in Indonesia also have to apply for the appropriate visa (tourist, business, social-cultural, etc.) at an overseas Indonesian Consulate or Foreign Mission before departing for Indonesia.

Restrictions on Certain Nationals

Citizens of Israel and Portugal may not enter Indonesia on their passports. Business travelers from Eastern European countries are given a one-month, non-extendable visa allowing them to travel freely within the country. Visitors from Hong Kong can get 30-day visas for group travel (minimum five people) from the Indonesian Consulate in Hong Kong. They must enter and exit Indonesia in Medan, Jakarta, or Denpasar (Bali) and all tour details such as accommodation and travel must be arranged through a travel agent.
Also note that during 1994-95 there was a crackdown on foreign residents in Bali. Next time you visit the immigration office in Denpasar, take a look at the statistics for EPO's granted. (EPO stands for "exit permit only" - granted for residents who don't intend to return.) The figures took a sharp upturn starting in mid-1994, from tens to hundreds.

General Rules and Regulations

All visitors must possess a passport valid for at least six months after their arrival date in Indonesia. Immigration officials reserve the right to deny entry to any visitor who, in their opinion, is not properly dressed or groomed (long hair is okay), lacks the proper funds, or "may endanger the country's security, peace, and stability or the public health and morals." These unfortunate undesirables will receive a transit visa upon arrival that allows them to hang out at the airport until the first available flight out.

If you stay longer than three months in Indonesia on any visa, you must "register as an alien," pay Rp1,500 (plus Rp400 for two forms), and be fingerprinted. After residing in Indonesia six months, any foreign resident wishing to leave the country must obtain an exit permit and pay a "foreign fiscal tax" of Rp250,000. This tax constitutes an advance payment of income tax. Only the diplomatic corps, members of international aid organizations, airline personnel, and government-sponsored persons are exempt.

Finally, note that as in most Third World countries, if a Western man marries an Indonesian woman he is granted no special residency status; he must leave the country every two months and return each time as a tourist when he'll receive the usual entry stamp. This is not the case when a Western woman marries a Balinese man. She is able to obtain a residency visa, subject to renewal every six months or so.

Information and Assistance

For help with immigration problems or requests, go to the main immigration office in the Renon Complex, Niti Mandala, Jl. DI Panjaitan, Denpasar (tel. 0361-227828). Another immigration office - convenient for visitors who stay in Kuta, Nusa Dua, or Jimbaran - is near the airport on Jl. Raya I Gusti Ngurah Rai, Tuban (tel. 62361-751.038; 751-011 Ext: 1212, 2184). Both offices are open Mon-Thurs. 07.00-13.00, Friday 07.00-11.00, Saturday 07.00-12.00. You may also go to any one of Indonesia's 74 other immigration offices.

Tips: If you don't dress properly (follow dress code chart on wall), these bureaucrats won't even talk to you. T-shirts, halter-tops, and bathing suits don't cut it.

You can use the services of privately owned enterprise to help you obtain a social/cultural/ business visa and provides legal services and notary assistance to make your life a lot easier. If you try to get a visa by yourself, you may have to make as many as nine visits to immigration to get just one extension. This private bureau can get visas with charges Rp600,000 - 700,000 for six months - a bargain compared to leaving the country twice. (See "Private Bureaus for Legal Services").

Overstays

It's possible to get a short extension on your visa in order to meet a ship or plane. Immigration routinely grants a three-day overstay, particularly if you're leaving by ship. For a longer overstay, the only legitimate excuse is that you've lost your passport or are in the hospital or can bring a note from a doctor or hospital verifying a medical problem.

If you know you're going to overstay your visa - even for a lousy day - go to the immigration office and obtain an official extension. Don't try to talk your way through the immigration checkpoint at the airport when leaving the country; the officers there are stickier than expected and will require you to straighten it out at the immigration office. They really make your squirm and sweat, you may have to pay a fine (bargain!), and you might even miss your flight.

If your booked flight is scheduled to leave during the week after your visa expires, you should be able to get an extension from the immigration office for the waiting time. It will probably require a letter from your travel agency explaining the situation. Show up with a confirmed ticket out and a reason why you can't get an earlier flight.

Re-entry

If you use up your two-month maximum stay on an entry stamp but want to spend more time in Bali, one oft-used solution is to leave the country, return, and get a new entry stamp or visa in your passport. You must obtain a visa if your place of arrival is not an official entry point. Most people in this situation spend the US$350-400 or so on a roundtrip ticket from Bali to Singapore, spend a few days in Singapore shopping and catching the latest movies, then fly straight back to Bali. A cheaper alternative is to leave Indonesia at certain points as close as possible to neighboring countries from where you can re-enter.

The following are the most convenient, least expensive routes out:

* By speedboat (twice weekly, Rp130,000 roundtrip) or air from Medan (North Sumatra) to Penang (West Malaysia). By air from Pekanbaru (East Sumatra) to Melaka (West Malaysia), then by taxi to Kuala Lumpur. oBy air from Jakarta to Singapore (US$140 roundtrip on Sempati Airlines). To fly to Tanjung Pinang is more expensive than the direct flight to Singapore. By air from Pontianak (West Kalimantan) to Kucing (East Malaysia) (Rp208,000 roundtrip, leaving once weekly on Friday). Returning at Pontianak's airport you get an entry stamp. By road from Pontianak (West Kalimantan) to Kucing (Sarawak, East Malaysia). Four daily buses cross the land border separating the two countries; Rp22,000. By air or by boat from Tarakan (East Kalimantan) to Nunukan and Tawau (Sabah, East Malaysia). The boat connection operates three times weekly and costs Rp68,000 roundtrip; this boat is sometimes on, sometimes off. You need a visa before reentering Indonesia because no entry stamp is issued on arrival in Tarakan, Indonesian Borneo.

* By air from Kupang (Timor) to Darwin (Australia). By ferry from Melaka (Peninsular Malaysia) and Dumai (East Sumatra). The problem with this reentry is that you need a visa and have to go to Kuala Lumpur to get one.

Indonesian Customs

Customs procedures have become more informal with the installation of green and red routes at international airports. Tourists with nothing to declare use the green route, which involves no baggage inspection. The customs and immigration people at Bali's Ngurah Rai International Airport are usually mellow and respectful, but it all depends on the time of day, the official's mood, who's watching, the crush of the line behind you and your nationality. The officials are mostly concerned with moving the tourists through as quickly as possible.

Duty-free items that may be imported are: 200 cigarettes or 50 cigars and two pounds of tobacco; cameras (no limit) and reasonable amounts of film; two liters of liquor; a reasonable amount of perfume for personal use. Weapons and ammunition, narcotics, anything that can be considered pornographic (such as a scorching copy of Playboy), books with Chinese characters in them, and Chinese medicines are forbidden entry.

Technically, photographic equipment, computers, radios, typewriters, cassette recorders, TV sets, cordless telephones, and transceivers should be listed on your passport, declared to customs, and taken out upon departure, but officials don't seem to care. All movie films, videocassettes, laser discs, records, and computer software should first be screened by the Film Censor Board. Books and printed matter using Indonesian languages are supposed to be cleared by the Minister of Culture, but seldom are.

Except for drugs and weapons, customs officials are pretty relaxed about enforcement. If you need or if you carry prescription medication, carry a letter from your doctor. The import of pets, plants, and fresh fruit is also controlled. Pet owners must present a certificate from a veterinarian vouching for their pet's good health. Dog and cat owners must carry proof that Fido and Kitty have been inoculated against rabies within six months prior to arrival.

Home Country Customs
Importation into other countries of organic souvenirs bought in Indonesia may be prohibited. One reader reported that when she tried to take some wayang puppets into Australia, they were quarantined. Anything purchased with feathers or furs or made in part with organic matter or parts of endangered species will most likely be confiscated. If you don't declare these items, you may be fined.

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