Indonesia, which has struggled to process visitors at its airports this past summer based on our personal experiences, has launched a new product with VFS Global.
Visitors can apply and pay for the Visa-On-Arrival sticker in advance and be eligible for a fast-track counter at the airport or pay even more and have meet-and-greet service waiting at the aircraft door.
You can arrange your Indonesia VOA before arrival here.
These services come with a fee.
Previously, not all nationalities needed a VOA; currently, only those from ASEAN countries can enter without paying for one.
The price of the visa-on-arrival, when paid at the airport, is 500,000 IDR ($32.20).
The price of the prearranged visa-on-arrival is $35 + either the regular VFS service fee of $30 or express service of $92.50 that comes with the meet & greet.
My Bali Entry Experience:
Entering Indonesia Through Bali In May 2022
Sebastian’s Reporting from Bali:
Bali Airport Has Become A Nightmare With Up To Five Hours Immigration Lineups!
What you need:
- Passport bio page
- Return air tickets
- Hotel voucher (non-mandatory)
- COVID Vaccination Certificate (minimum 2 doses)
Airport Process:
On arriving at these ports of entries, please follow the steps :
- Our staff will be available at a meeting point before Immigration
- Present the VOA confirmation email to the staff. You are not required to pay any additional fees when you arrive at the airport.
- Staff will guide you through fast track Immigration lanes at the airport.
- Immigration officer will have a pre-printed VOA sticker ready and will paste on the passport upon your arrival with a stamp.
Have Documents Ready:
Please ensure that you carry the following documents and present them at the Immigration counter for visa stamping :
- Passport: A valid passport with at least 6 months validity from the travel date of entry into Indonesia.
- Return flight ticket copies.
- Vaccine Certificates or PCR test results if applicable.
- Down PeduliLindugi Application from Google Playstore or Apple Store
Please note: The Immigration officer might request for other additional information/documents. Please keep them readily available with you.
Fees:
The fee payment is the last step of your application process after submitting your details and the other mandatory documents. The Fast track VOA fees to be paid is as below (non-refundable online processing fee) as follows:
Press Release from VFS Global:
Conclusion
Based on my personal experiences of entering Indonesia 20+ times through Jakarta and Bali, the immigration waiting times are highly variable, albeit the majority of times I have been through really fast.
The airport experience took roughly an hour when I went through last time this summer, and only once have I had a complete disaster in Jakarta when lines were hours long, and people were pushing through (not real lines – basically survival of the fittest).
There are always “handlers” readily available in Bali airport who whisper “boss – express service” when you enter the hall. They take your money and walk you in front of any possible line, essentially bypassing all the passengers that may have been waiting for hours. I don’t know. Perhaps it is worth paying for these “handlers” if lines are entirely out of control.
The visa-on-arrival payment has never been the bottleneck, although, before the pandemic, I didn’t need one for a few years. It is always immigration.
This “handler” situation has made me wonder if the lines there are on purpose so they can collect some loose cash from the tourists.
