Bali Visa on Arrival Explained - What to Expect at the Airport

If you’re from one of a list of specific countries, including Australia, you can get a visa for Bali at the airport without ever visiting an embassy. The process is designed to be straightforward, but travel always goes smoother with a little bit of advance planning.

So let’s take a look at the process for getting the Bali Visa on Arrival, plus the arrival card and tourist levy that go with it, so that you know exactly what to expect at the airport.

What Is a Visa on Arrival?

You probably won’t be shocked to hear that the Visa on Arrival means a visa that you can obtain when you arrive.

That means you don’t need to apply for your visa before getting on the plane. You can complete the process by bringing the necessary documents with you and paying at the airport itself. It’s a tourist visa, designed for holidays, visiting friends and family, and a few other short-term, non-work purposes.

These days, there are two ways to get it. You can buy the traditional VOA at a counter when you land, or you can apply for the electronic version, the e-VOA, online before you leave home. Both cost IDR 500,000 and give you the same 30-day stay, so the only real difference is how much time you spend queuing at the airport. Spoiler alert: the e-VOA wins.

Who Can Get a Visa on Arrival?

The VOA scheme isn’t open to everyone. You need to be a citizen of one of the countries that Indonesia has a Visa on Arrival arrangement with.

Who are they? It’s actually quite a long list, but it includes:

• Australia
• New Zealand
• United States
• United Kingdom
• Canada
• Japan
• India
• EU countries
• Brazil
• South Korea
• South Africa
• Mexico

If you’re not sure if your country qualifies, you can enter your nationality on this website for a quick answer, then double-check on the official Indonesian immigration website, as the list does change from time to time.

For those who don’t qualify, it’s not the end of the world. You’re not banned from Bali; you just can’t get a VOA. Instead, you’ll need to apply for a C1 tourist visa or similar before getting on a plane, so leave yourself plenty of time.

How Long Can You Stay?

The standard VOA lets you stay in Indonesia for up to 30 days, and the day you arrive counts as day one. Count carefully if your flight lands late at night.

Once you’re in the country, you can extend it once for another 30 days, giving you 60 days in total, but that’s the limit. You need to apply for the extension before your first 30 days run out. If you got the e-VOA, you can usually extend online through the official immigration website, while a VOA bought at the airport counter generally means a visit to a local immigration office. Either way, there’s another fee to pay, so factor that into your budget.

If you want to stay in Bali longer than 60 days, you’ll need a different type of visa, and you’ll need to explain why you want to stay and how you intend to support yourself. Don’t be tempted to just overstay, as the fines add up fast and can come with a ban from returning.

What Documents Do You Need?

To get your VOA, you’ll need:

• A passport that is valid for at least six months after the date of your arrival in Indonesia, with no damage
• A return or onward ticket showing that you plan to leave the country
• Payment for the visa fee of IDR 500,000
• Details of your accommodation in Bali
• A digital passport-style photo and a scan of your passport photo page if you’re applying online
• A completed All Indonesia arrival card

The All Indonesia arrival card replaced the old paper customs and health forms. It’s free, and you complete it online within three days (72 hours) before you arrive. Once it’s done, you’ll get a QR code that you need to save and show at the airport. It’s a good idea to keep a screenshot and a paper copy in case your phone goes flat.

You won’t normally be asked to prove how much money you have, but officers may occasionally ask about your funds, so it helps to have a bank card and some cash on hand.

Don’t Forget the Bali Tourist Levy

This one catches a lot of people out. On top of your visa, every foreign tourist entering Bali has to pay the Bali tourist levy. It costs IDR 150,000 per person, per visit, and it’s completely separate from the Visa on Arrival. Paying for your visa doesn’t cover the levy, and paying the levy doesn’t get you a visa.

The levy is collected by the Bali provincial government to help protect the island’s environment and culture. The easiest way to pay is online before you fly, through the official Love Bali website or the Love Bali app. Once you’ve paid, you’ll receive a voucher with a QR code by email, which may be scanned when you arrive.

There have been payment counters at the airport too, but sorting it at home means one less queue after a long flight. Keep the voucher on your phone alongside your e-VOA and arrival card so everything is in one place.

Watch Out for Lookalike Websites

Search online for the Bali visa, arrival card or levy and you’ll find plenty of websites that look official but aren’t. Some charge a big service fee on top of the real cost, and some simply take your money. The arrival card is free, so anyone asking you to pay for it is not the government.

The simple rule is that official Indonesian government websites end in .go.id. Here’s where to go:

• e-VOA: evisa.imigrasi.go.id
• Bali tourist levy: lovebali.baliprov.go.id
• All Indonesia arrival card: use the link on the official Indonesian immigration website rather than a search result

If a site ends in anything else, close the tab. The same goes for anyone approaching you in the street asking you to pay the levy by QR code. For more tricks to watch out for, read our guide to tourist scams in Bali.

What To Do After Landing

If you’re going straight to Bali from outside Indonesia, you’re probably going to arrive at Ngurah Rai International Airport, near Kuta in the south of the island. It’s a busy airport, and if a few international flights land at once, the queues for immigration can stretch out quite a bit, especially in the evening and during school holidays.

The good news is that the process itself is simple, and if you’ve done your homework, you’ll be through in no time. Have your passport, your e-VOA or payment ready, your arrival card QR code and your levy voucher all within easy reach, rather than buried at the bottom of your carry-on. Here’s how it works, step by step.

Step 1: Head to the Right Counter

As you walk off the plane, follow the crowd towards immigration. If you’ve already got your e-VOA, you can skip the Visa on Arrival payment counter and head straight to the immigration lanes, which is usually much quicker.

If you haven’t applied online, look for the Visa on Arrival signs. They’re clearly marked and will direct you to the payment counter where you buy your visa before joining the immigration queue. Don’t go directly to the immigration desks unless airport staff tell you to, as you’ll just be sent back to the VOA counter and lose your place.

When in doubt, ask one of the airport staff. They deal with confused, jetlagged tourists all day long and are generally very helpful.

Step 2: Pay the Visa Fee

If you’re buying your visa at the airport, this is where you pay. The fee for a VOA is IDR 500,000, which works out to roughly A$50. You can pay by card or cash at the counter, and you’ll get a receipt that you need to keep with your passport.

Remember that the Bali tourist levy is a separate payment of IDR 150,000 per person. The smart move is to pay it through Love Bali before you leave home, so it’s already sorted by the time you reach this point.

Card machines do occasionally go down, so it’s worth carrying enough cash to cover the visa fee as a backup. Having some rupiah on hand also helps once you’re through, for snacks, parking or a tip for your driver.

Step 3: Immigration Inspection

Don’t worry, you can keep your trousers on. Normally, an immigration officer will ask for your passport, your visa receipt, and possibly your supporting travel documents, like your return ticket or accommodation booking.

They may ask you some questions, too. You can expect to be asked about the purpose of your visit, where you’ll be staying, and how long you plan to remain in Indonesia. Answer honestly and keep it simple. "Holiday, staying in Seminyak, two weeks" is perfect.

For most people, these questions are just a formality. Most of the time, the interview lasts only a couple of minutes, and then your passport will be stamped and you’ll be sent through to collect your bags.

Step 4: Baggage, Customs and Out

Once you’ve cleared immigration, collect your luggage and head to customs. This is where your All Indonesia arrival card QR code comes in. Have it open on your phone, or have your printed copy ready, and scan or show it as you pass through.

Customs is usually quick for tourists, but don’t bring in anything you shouldn’t. Indonesia has strict rules on drugs, and there are limits on duty-free alcohol and cigarettes, so check the allowances before you fly.

Then you’re out into the arrivals hall. If you installed a travel eSIM before you left, now’s the moment to switch it on, book a Grab or message your driver, and start your holiday.

Can You Apply Online?

You can, and arguably, you should.

Indonesia offers an e-VOA that lets you apply before you leave for Bali. This helps to reduce waiting times and means you can get your visa approved before getting on the plane. The Indonesian government wants to encourage everyone to get the e-visa, so they make it really easy. You can apply and pay online and get authorised to enter the country quickly so that you have one less thing to deal with at the airport. Apply a few days before you fly to be safe, and keep a copy of the approval on your phone.

That’s not the only part of your trip you can take care of before you arrive. Installing a travel eSIM from ZenSim before you leave means your phone can connect to a local network as soon as your plane touches down. That way, you’ll have access to maps, translation tools, emails, and helpful articles like this one that can help you with the whole immigration process.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

It’s not super hard to get a VOA, provided you’re eligible for one. But that doesn’t mean it’s impossible to make mistakes. First-time visitors often make simple errors that can delay their entry to the country. Things like:

• Not having enough time left on your passport, or travelling with a damaged passport
• Forgetting to book your onward or return travel
• Joining the wrong queue for immigration
• Assuming every nationality qualifies for a Visa on Arrival
• Forgetting to fill out the All Indonesia arrival card
• Forgetting to pay the Bali tourist levy
• Paying a lookalike website instead of the official .go.id site

That’s another reason why it’s a good idea to apply for the e-VOA. Filling out the form at home in your pyjamas is a lot less stressful, and you’ll have more time to make sure you get everything just right.

Entering Bali the Easy Way

If you’re eligible, the Visa on Arrival is one of the easiest ways to enter Bali. In fact, it’s even easier now that the whole process can be done online.

Just don’t make the mistake of taking it for granted. Check your eligibility, apply for your e-VOA, fill out the free arrival card within three days of landing, pay the tourist levy through Love Bali, and make sure your documents are in order. Do that, and you should sail through the airport quickly and efficiently.

Of course, it’s never a bad idea to have a backup plan. Having mobile data the moment you land means you can pull up a lost booking, contact your accommodation or check an immigration rule without hunting for Wi-Fi. If Bali is just one stop on a bigger adventure, check out our plans that cover a range of Asian countries so you’re connected as you hop around the region.