Smooth Landings in Indonesia: How to Survive Visas, QR Codes, and Immigration Smiles

Oct 8

If you are dreaming of landing in Bali without the bureaucratic headache, this guide is your boarding pass. We already took the bumpy route, through visa portals, QR codes, and enough WiFi dropouts to test our marriage, so you do not have to.

When we arrived, Bali greeted us with incense, humidity, and the faint perfume of adventure, or maybe a clove cigarette. Hard to tell after twenty hours in the air. But the real initiation came earlier, at immigration. We stood armed not with sarongs, but with stubborn QR codes and PDFs that refused to upload. The woman behind us sighed like we invented the delay. The officer studied our phone as if it had personally offended him. Welcome to paradise… almost.

This is the straightforward, coffee-in-hand guide to entering Indonesia without tears, tantrums, or data-roaming bills large enough to fund a small village.

Visa Basics: Which Indonesian Visa Do You Actually Need in 2025?

Unless you are from a tiny handful of ASEAN countries, you need a visa. For most travelers, the simplest entry option was, and still is, the e-Visa on Arrival (e-VOA). It allows a 30-day stay that can be extended once for another 30. Apply online through Indonesia official e-Visa website, pay about USD 35, and wait for your shiny PDF with a QR code. Show that at immigration instead of joining the jet-lagged masses at the airport counter.

The site occasionally behaved like it was coded during dial-up days. When Cary’s e-VOA application froze for the third time, he called it a test of spiritual patience. Switching to Firefox turned out to be the digital equivalent of prayer. It finally worked.

Here is what helped after a few coffees and one minor meltdown:
✅ Switch browsers. Firefox or Edge often behave better than Chrome.
✅ Type every field manually. Autofill confuses the form.
✅ Keep uploads small: passport under 400 KB, photo under 200 KB, white background only.
✅ Use a laptop; mobile crashes are common.
✅ Try again late at night in Indonesia or mid-morning your time.
✅ Still stuck? Email evoa@imigrasi.go.id with screenshots. They really do reply.

If all else fails, you can still get a Visa on Arrival at the airport. It is slower but perfectly legal. Your 30 days start the day you arrive, not when you apply. Do not wait until day 29 to extend; bureaucracy does not share your sense of adventure. Start the process about two weeks before expiry.

Arrival Requirements: What to Bring to Immigration (and What to Print Before You Fly)

Here is what you need ready before you face the immigration line. Ideally, print it all, because paper never crashes.

Quick Checklist Before Landing in Bali (2025):

✅ Passport valid 6+ months.
✅ eVisa or VOA receipt (printed + screenshot).
✅ All Indonesia QR code (submitted within 72 hours).
✅ Proof of onward flight. Airlines are stricter than immigration.
✅ Proof of accommodation, at least one night booked.
✅ Bali Tourist Levy (if you landed in Bali) QR code, pay IDR 150 000 (about USD 10) and keep the QR receipt.
✅ Travel insurance confirmation, because hospitals here expect payment before sympathy.

New Rule: All Indonesia Digital Arrival Card (effective October 1, 2025)

Starting October 2025, Indonesia says “enough with the paper shuffle.” Every traveler must fill out the new All Indonesia Digital Arrival Declaration within 72 hours before arrival at allindonesia.imigrasi.go.id or through the mobile app. The system merges immigration, customs, health, and quarantine into one QR-coded form.

Forget to do it, and you’ll be the one trying to download it over airport WiFi while the autogate stares at you like a bouncer who knows you’re not on the list.

If you want to avoid that panic altogether, check out our guide to using eSIMs in Indonesia. Staying connected from the moment you land makes every form, QR code, and ride-share app work like magic.

Health and Insurance: Do You Still Need Covid Papers to Enter Indonesia?

Indonesia dropped its Covid-19 paperwork long ago, but travel insurance remains your best souvenir. Hospitals here expect payment upfront, and even paradise has its germs.

And yes, Bali Belly still lurks like a bad sequel. If you would rather not star in it, check out our Guide to Staying Healthy in Bali before your trip becomes a bathroom tour.

Special Rules and Notes: Visas for Long Stays and Over-50 Travelers

Indonesia does not give seniors any special treatment at immigration, just the same warm smiles and slow lines as everyone else. But if you are 55 or older and dreaming of a longer stay, the Retirement Visa is your golden ticket. It is valid for one year and renewable, perfect if your idea of heaven involves morning papaya and temple bells.

If you stay more than 90 days with a local SIM card, register your phone’s IMEI at customs as soon as you landed. Otherwise, your signal may vanish faster than your patience in the VOA line.

Overstay your visa and the fine is IDR 1 million per day (about USD 65). Do that too long and you risk blacklisting, not the movie, the actual ban.

Visa rules remain the same across entry points; only Bali adds the tourist levy.

Official links worth bookmarking:

eVisa on Arrival: evisa.imigrasi.go.id
Bali Tourist Levy: lovebali.baliprov.go.id
All Indonesia Arrival Card: allindonesia.imigrasi.go.id
Type of Indonesia visa: https://www.imigrasi.go.id/wna/permohonan-visa-republik-indonesia

Pro Tips:

Print everything and screenshot the rest. Wi-Fi dies, phones overheat, and scanners get moody. Keep your eVisa and All Indonesia QR in your photo gallery, not buried in your email. Bonus points if you install an eSIM before you land; you will breeze through immigration while everyone else argues with airport Wi-Fi.
Photo your entry stamp. It fades faster than memory, and you will need that date for visa extensions or domestic flights.
Timing matters. Fill out your All Indonesia form within 72 hours of arrival, no earlier, or you will have to redo it.

Getting into Indonesia was not really hard. It just demanded patience and a sense of humor. Once we stopped fighting the forms and accepted that everything here runs on island time, it started to make sense. The first lesson of traveling in Indonesia is simple- slow down. The islands will meet you halfway.