Indonesia is a popular holiday destination for Australians, hosting over a million visitors from down under every year. The pandemic has caused a dip in tourist numbers, but the Indonesia Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy expects a gradual return to pre-Covid levels. Indonesia is known for its luxury resorts, wellness facilities, and cultural attractions and as a hub for new business opportunities.
Since 2019, a few changes have been made to the process of applying for an Australian visa. In this guide, LetsMoveIndonesia – Indonesia’s largest visa agency will provide an overview of the current situation and explain the requirements for applying for a visa. If you have any questions or need clarification, please contact us; we will be happy to help!
Back in 2019, Australians could easily come to Indonesia or any other destination in Indonesia without having to pre-book a visa. Upon arrival, they could use the free visa exemption that was available to them as part of the 168 nationalities. However, as of November 2022, this is no longer the case.
The current situation for Indonesia Visa Arrivals
If you are an Australian travelling to Indonesia, you can get a Visa on Arrival. This is similar to the free visa you may have used in the past, but this one has a fee that must be paid upon arrival.
Indonesian Visa on Arrival for Australians
Upon arriving in Indonesia, you must pay a fee of US$35 / 500,000 IDR for a Visa on Arrival. Once paid, you are allowed to stay in Indonesia for 30 days. If you want to stay longer, you can extend your visa arrival with LetsMoveIndonesia and stay for an additional 30 days. Note: If you arrive using the Visa on Arrival, you cannot apply for any other visa while in the country. Once the 60 days are up, you must leave Indonesia.
Overstay charges have gone up from 300,000 IDR to 1,000,000 so overstaying now can prove to be a very costly mistake.
To find out more about the Visa on Arrival, check out this article: Everything you need to know about the Visa on Arrival
To extend your Indonesia Visa on Arrival click this link: Visa on Arrival Extensions
Update Visa on Arrival September 2023
As of September 2023, The Indonesian government has expanded its Visa on Arrival and e-visa program by including Armenia, Mozambique, and Tanzania in the list of countries eligible for these travel options. This move aims to further promote tourism and facilitate entry into Indonesia for citizens of these nations. Travellers from Armenia, Mozambique, and Tanzania can now conveniently obtain their visas upon arrival or through the online e-visa application system, making their visits to Indonesia smoother and more accessible.
To find out more about the Visa on Arrival, check out this article: Everything you need to know about the Visa on Arrival
Planning to visit Indonesia for longer than 60 days?
If you intend to visit Indonesia for more than 60 days for tourism or business reasons (not working), you can apply for a Single Entry Tourist/Business Visa.
This visa allows you a one-time entry into the country and cannot be used for multiple entries; meaning if you enter the country using it, you cannot leave and come back in using the same visa.
The Single Entry Visa provides you with a 60-day stay permit, which can be extended two times, each additional 60 days. In total, you can spend up to 180 days within Indonesia and if it runs out, you can simply apply for another visa onshore.
To read more about the Single Entry Visa, check out our article: The Single Entry Social Visa – Everything you need to know!
Stay longer in Indonesia with KITAS
It is important to remember that you cannot apply for any other type of visa if you are using a Visa on Arrival in Indonesia. Therefore, if you plan to stay longer with a temporary stay permit (KITAS), you will need to either do this from outside the country or arrive using a Single Entry Visa and then convert it to Indonesia.
The process of converting visas to KITAS has become extremely difficult, time-consuming, and expensive, so we would recommend anyone who is planning to apply for a KITAS to do it from outside the country so that the application can be done online rather than having to go through immigration offices.
KITAS/KITAP (Temporary and Permanent Stay Permits for Australians
The KITAS and KITAP visa application process is still available for those looking to stay in Indonesia for an extended period.
These visas are available in many different categories, such as working, retirement, investor, spouse, dependent, and more.
Each visa type requires a different sponsor. For more information on these visa types and the sponsors, feel free to contact us or check out our Visa Services page.
Passport validity
The most essential requirement should be the expiration date of your passport. Every Australian tourist visiting Indonesia must have a passport which is still valid for at least 6 more months from the date of application.
Space in your passport
It is important to make sure that you will have enough pages in your passport that can be stamped when travelling to Australia.
Final Note
That’s pretty much it for our Indonesia visa guide for Australians. If you have any questions or need to know more, make sure you contact us and we will be happy to help! WA: +62 812 9260 0590, T: +62 21 300 297 27 (Jakarta) T: +62 361 934 8343 (Seminyak) T: +62 361 939 9406 (Canggu), T: +62 361 280 789 (Sanur), E: info@letsmoveindonesia.com
About LetsMoveIndonesia
LetsMoveIndonesia is a visa agency that helps foreigners enter Indonesia. It was founded by Gary Joy, a British expatriate, in 2016. Recently, it was awarded the title of “Best Visa and Business Consultancy in Indonesia” by the National Award Foundation. LetsMoveIndonesia is transparent with its pricing, has ethical values, and is the leading visa agency in the country. It has three offices in Indonesia (Seminyak, Canggu and Sanur) and a headquarters in Jakarta.
To find out more about all things Indonesia Visa-related, then check out our Indonesia Visa page!
