Bali Before You Board: Two Payments and One Form to Finish at Home

Are you worried you’ll land in Denpasar, join the queue, and be told you’ve missed something? A lot of people feel that way before a first trip to Bali, especially with kids in tow, and it’s an easy worry to carry when everyone online seems to have a slightly different version of the rules.

Here’s the reassuring part. There are three things to sort out before you fly, and you can do all of them from the couch: an arrival card, a visa on arrival, and the Bali tourist levy. Two of them cost money and one is a free form. Do them in the right order, keep the confirmations handy, and the airport becomes a lot less nerve-racking.

Everything below comes from Smartraveller, the Australian Government’s travel advice service, which publishes the current requirements for Indonesia. Rules can change, so it’s worth reading Smartraveller’s Indonesia page again in the week you fly.

One warning before you start, because it applies to every step. Smartraveller tells travellers to beware of fake websites, and a quick search for a Bali visa or the levy can turn up sites that look official and charge extra. The calmest habit is to type the official address in yourself, or use the links Smartraveller gives, rather than tapping an ad at the top of the results. If a site wants money for something that should be free, close the tab.

Step 1: check the passport

It sounds too obvious to bother with, but the passport is where trips most often come unstuck, so start here.

Smartraveller says that for a visa on arrival, your passport needs at least six months’ validity from the date you plan to enter Indonesia, and it recommends six months from your departure date as well. If you’re cutting it close, it may be time to renew before you book anything else.

Here’s a quick illustration of how close “close” can be. Say you’re flying in on 3 December and your passport expires the following April. That feels like plenty of time, because it’s months away. Count six months forward from the day you land, though, and you reach early June, so an April expiry falls short. It’s an easy one to miss when you only glance at the year.

Condition matters too. Smartraveller notes that Indonesia applies strict standards to damaged passports, and that travellers have been refused entry because of damage. Water damage or minor tears can count. Have a proper look at each passport in the family, including the photo page and the binding, under good light.

One small step: take every passport out of the drawer tonight and check both the expiry date and the condition.

Step 2: the All Indonesia Arrival Card

The arrival card is the free one. According to Smartraveller, the All Indonesia Arrival Card is completed online within 72 hours of travel, which is three days, and it includes the health declaration, so there isn’t a separate health form to hunt down.

The 72-hour window is the bit to plan around. It can’t be done weeks ahead like a hotel booking. If you fly on a Saturday morning, the window opens on the Wednesday morning, so pop a reminder in your phone.

Smartraveller is clear that the arrival card is free on the official site. Fake sites charge a fee for it. If you’re being asked to pay for your arrival card, you’re on the wrong site.

One small step: set a phone reminder for three days before your flight, labelled “arrival card”.

Step 3: the e-Visa on Arrival

Smartraveller describes the visa on arrival, which you can also arrange in advance online as an e-Visa on Arrival, or e-VOA. Here’s how it lays out the details.

• Cost: IDR 500,000. The e-VOA adds a small online processing fee.
• Timing: apply at least 48 hours before you travel.
• Where: through the Directorate General of Immigration’s official e-Visa site, or on the All Indonesia site after you’ve done your arrival card.
• Length of stay: 30 days, which can be extended once, for up to another 30 days, at an immigration office.

If you miss the 48-hour window, don’t panic. Smartraveller says a regular visa on arrival is still available at certain airports and seaports. It does note that some checkpoints may only take cash, so if you’re relying on paying at the airport, have some on hand.

The extension is the part people forget once they’re relaxed and sunburnt. If you think you might stay longer than 30 days, Smartraveller’s advice is to apply for the extension within your first 30 days. Overstaying can lead to a fine and deportation, which is nobody’s idea of a holiday ending.

One small step: put the e-VOA in your diary for the week before you fly, well clear of the 48-hour line.

Step 4: the tourist levy

This is the one that catches people out, because it’s easy to assume it’s part of the visa. It isn’t. Smartraveller describes the Bali tourist levy as a separate charge of IDR 150,000 per person.

The levy is cashless. You can pay it online before you travel, or at designated counters when you arrive at Bali’s airport or seaport. Smartraveller notes that some transit passengers and some visa holders are exempt, so if your trip is unusual in either way, check whether that applies to you.

The official channel is the Bali Provincial Government’s Love Bali site. As with everything else here, type the name in yourself rather than following an ad, because lookalike sites exist.

Paying before you fly isn’t required. Still, it’s one less thing to think about on a hot afternoon after a long flight, so if you’d rather walk out of the airport with it done, do it at home. Either way, keep the receipt where you can find it.

One small step: decide tonight whether you’ll pay the levy before you go or on arrival, and if it’s before, do it while you’re doing the e-VOA.

Putting it on the calendar: an example

Sometimes it’s easier to see the order laid out against real days, so here’s an illustration. Imagine a family of four flying to Denpasar on a Saturday morning.

About a week before, someone sits down at the kitchen table with all four passports and does the e-VOA for each person who needs one, comfortably ahead of the 48-hour line. While the laptop’s open, they pay the tourist levy too. At IDR 150,000 per person, that’s IDR 600,000 for the four of them, and they could just as easily leave it for the counters on arrival.

On the Wednesday morning, the 72-hour window for the arrival card opens. The phone reminder goes off, and the arrival cards get done one traveller at a time, with each confirmation saved under that person’s name.

On the Friday night, it’s the cup of tea and the short check at the end of this guide.

Notice what that does. Nothing is squeezed into the last 48 hours except a form that’s free and quick, and nobody is paying for anything in a queue with tired kids. If your flight is on a different day, just count back the same way: 72 hours for the arrival card, at least 48 hours for the e-VOA, and the levy whenever it suits you.

One small step: write your flight day at the top of a page, then count back three days and one week and mark both.

Money and customs, briefly

There’s one money rule worth knowing. Smartraveller says you need to declare money over IDR 100,000,000, or the equivalent in other currencies, when you arrive in Indonesia and when you leave. For most holidaymakers that won’t come up, but if you’re carrying a large amount for any reason, it’s important.

That’s as far as this guide goes on customs. Smartraveller’s Indonesia page covers the rest, and it’s the place to check if you’re bringing anything you’re unsure about.

For families

Travelling as a family mostly means doing the same steps more than once. Smartraveller describes the levy as IDR 150,000 per person, so budget for it person by person. For the arrival card and the e-VOA, check on Smartraveller’s page how each applies to everyone in your group, then work through them one traveller at a time.

It helps to do them together at the kitchen table, one passport at a time, and to name each confirmation clearly when you save it. A folder on your phone with everyone’s documents labelled by name saves a lot of scrolling at the counter while small people are getting restless.

To give you a picture, one way to set it up is a single folder called “Bali”, with a smaller folder inside for each traveller. Each of those holds three things: the arrival card confirmation, the e-VOA where that person has one, and the levy receipt if you paid ahead. When it’s the next person’s turn at the counter, you open the next name, and that’s it.

One small step: before you close the laptop, go down the booking name by name and tick off each person’s documents.

Questions people ask before they go

“Isn’t the levy part of the visa?” It’s a very common mix-up, so you’re in good company if you assumed so. Smartraveller describes the tourist levy as a separate charge of IDR 150,000 per person. Paying for your e-VOA doesn’t cover it.

“Can I do the arrival card a week early, just to get it out of the way?” It’s a lovely instinct, but no. Smartraveller says the All Indonesia Arrival Card is completed within 72 hours of travel, so it has to wait until those last three days.

“A site is asking me to pay for the arrival card. Is that normal?” No, and it’s worth trusting the uneasy feeling. The arrival card is free on the official site, and Smartraveller warns that fake sites charge a fee. Close the tab and type the official address in yourself.

“I’ve left the e-VOA too late. Is the trip off?” Not at all. Smartraveller says a regular visa on arrival is still available at certain airports and seaports. Because some checkpoints may only take cash, bring some with you if that’s your plan.

“What if we fall in love with the place and want to stay longer?” The visa on arrival covers 30 days and can be extended once, for up to another 30 days, at an immigration office. Smartraveller’s advice is to apply within your first 30 days, because overstaying can lead to a fine and deportation.

“Do I have to pay the levy before I fly?” No. It’s cashless either way, and you can pay online before you travel or at the designated counters when you arrive at Bali’s airport or seaport. Paying at home is simply one less job on arrival.

One small step: if any of these questions was yours, jot the answer on the same page as your flight dates, so it’s all in one place.

The night before the flight

By now the hard part is done. All that’s left is a quick check before bed, and it’s worth doing slowly with a cup of tea rather than at the boarding gate.

• Passport: at least six months from the date you’ll enter Indonesia, with no damage that could cause trouble.
• Arrival card: completed within the 72 hours, with a confirmation saved for each person who needs one.
• e-VOA: approved, with a copy saved for each person it covers.
• Levy receipt: saved, or a plan to pay at the counter on arrival.

Save all of it offline as well as in your email, because you may not have a reliable connection when you land. And if you do end up checking documents over airport or hotel wifi, it’s worth reading up on VPNs and why you might need one before you go.

Then close the suitcase and get some sleep. You’ve done the bits that can be done from home, and the rest is holiday.

Sources: Indonesia travel advice, Smartraveller, Australian Government (https://www.smartraveller.gov.au/destinations/asia/indonesia); Love Bali tourist levy, Bali Provincial Government (https://lovebali.baliprov.go.id/home); e-Visa, Directorate General of Immigration of Indonesia (https://evisa.imigrasi.go.id/)