Indonesia offers various types of visa on arrival option. A short stay visa in Indonesia is even free and available to nationals from 169 countries.
In this article, we cover the three best options to stay in Indonesia for short term.
Choosing the correct visa for short term stay in Indonesia
You should choose the type of visa you want to stay in Indonesia prior to entering the country. This is because different visas have different requirements, some of which need to be done before your trip. Here is a comparative table to simplify the choice between different short term visas:
VOA is given for 30 days and you can extend it for another 30 days without leaving the country.
| The planned length of your stay | Recommended visa | Comments |
| Less than 30 days | Free short term visa | Just book a return ticket and arrive in Indonesia without any other preparation. |
| 30-60 days | Visa on arrival (if your passport allows it, see the world map below) | |
| 60 days per visit with multiple visits per year | Multiple entry business visa | Requires a corporate sponsor which Emerhub can provide |
Short Stay Visa in Indonesia
Indonesia offers a free short-stay visa to 169 nationals. As long as you hold a passport of any of those countries (see the world map graph below whether your country is part of the list) you can arrive in Indonesia without any other preparation than a return ticket and stay for 30 days.
This visa can be used for various purposes, but is limited to the following conditions:
- Not to be used to take up employment in Indonesia
- Has a validity period of 30 days
- Non-extendable
- Not transferable into any other type of stay permit
Short stay visa is a great way to visit Indonesia as a tourist for up to 30 days. However, since you cannot extend it or convert it to other types of visas it’s not suitable for living in Indonesia. Also doing “visa runs” every 3o days with this visa is an easy way to get into trouble with the Immigration officers at the border.
Visa on Arrival (VoA) in Indonesia
Visa-on-Arrival costs USD 35 and is valid for 30 days and is extendable for another 30 days only to nationals of 61 countries below (see the World Map below). If you plan to stay in the country for 1-2 months then it’s better to pay the visa fee rather than counting on the free short-stay visa.
Although, note that visitors who overstay a visa in Indonesia will face a daily fine of IDR 1,000,000 (~USD 70), as per the Government Regulation No. 28 the Year 2019. The amount of the fine was recently adjusted from the previous IDR 300,000 (approx. USD 23). If your visa is expiring soon, make sure to also go through our blog post about the increased overstay penalty in Indonesia. Note that overstaying your visa now might affect your ability to get other types of visas in the future.
How to Extend Your Visa on Arrival in Indonesia?
The process of extending your visa on arrival by yourself usually takes up to 2 weeks due to its lengthy bureaucratic hurdles, but Emerhub offers a service for you to extend your visa on arrival in just 7 business days. Our service let you enjoy your current tourist stay without the hassle of visiting the immigration office and worrying about missing any paper works for the visa extension. Most importantly, you will not have to leave the country!
A Business Visa for a Longer Stay in Indonesia
Unlike tourist visas that require you to extend the visa after 30 days, a business visa allows all foreign nationals to stay in Indonesia for 60 days per visit. It also comes with unlimited entries to the country within a year. Emerhub is also able to open a local bank account to business visa holders as long as they use our sponsorship.
There are, however some restrictions on a business visa, such as:
- Only a limited amount of business visas are approved
- Must be sponsored by a legal entity registered in Indonesia
- Some countries are not eligible to get this visa
The key requirements for a business visa are having a local corporate sponsor. Emerhub can serve that role and apply for a visa invitation on behalf of you. Read more about business visa or get in touch with us using the form below.
