20 September 2026 · Explera Trade Desk
Quick answer
Indonesia's entry paperwork is three separate things on three separate portals, and clients routinely complete one and assume they have done all of them. As of 20 September 2026 a typical leisure arrival needs: a visa, most commonly the electronic visa on arrival (e-VOA), bought in advance at the official immigration portal; the All Indonesia arrival card, a free electronic customs and arrival declaration filed within 72 hours of landing; and, for Bali specifically, the Bali tourist levy, a per-person charge paid through the provincial Love Bali portal. None of them replaces another. Explera DMC Indonesia briefs all three against the group's actual routing and nationality mix, because the levy applies to Bali and not to the rest of the country, and the visa answer changes by passport.
The three steps, in order
- The visa. For most leisure source markets the answer is the e-VOA — the electronic version of the old visa-on-arrival sticker, bought online before travel at the official immigration portal, valid for a 30-day stay and extendable once. The counter version still exists at major airports, but the electronic one lets the client use the automated gates, which on a busy arrival bank is the difference between a 20-minute clearance and a much longer one. A handful of nationalities enter visa-free and others need a visa arranged well in advance: this is decided by passport, not by itinerary.
- The All Indonesia arrival card. A free electronic arrival and customs declaration, replacing the old paper customs form. It can only be filed within 72 hours of arrival, so it cannot be done early — a day or two before departure is the practical window. The client carries the resulting QR code.
- The Bali tourist levy. A per-person charge on foreign visitors entering Bali, currently IDR 150,000, paid through the provincial Love Bali portal, ideally before travel. It produces its own QR code, and it is separate from the visa in every respect. It applies to Bali; it does not apply to a client flying into Jakarta for a Java programme.
- Passports need at least six months' validity beyond arrival and clients should have onward or return evidence available. Both are occasionally checked and always assumed.
- The official portals only. All three have paid look-alike sites ranking well in search. Telling clients to use only the official addresses is worth a line in the joining instructions — it is the most common way a client overpays for something free or cheap.
What this means for a group booking
The levy is a Bali question, not an Indonesia question
This is the single most common misunderstanding. A multi-island itinerary that touches Bali needs it; a Java, Sumatra or Sulawesi programme that does not touch Bali does not. On a complex routing, work it out from the actual flight sequence rather than from the brochure.
The 72-hour window is an operational constraint
It is short enough that a client filing too early is refused and one leaving it to the airport is queuing. For a group, that means a scheduled reminder three to four days before departure rather than a single instruction sent with final documents.
Collect the passport mix at deposit
The visa answer splits by nationality and not by booking. Getting the list early is what leaves time to act on it for the nationalities that need more than an e-VOA.
Keep every QR code retrievable
Clients lose them, and they are needed at a point where the client may not yet have data. Saved offline, with the tour leader and the ground handler both holding copies, this stops being a problem.
At the airport
- Automated gates are available to e-VOA holders at the main international airports and are substantially faster than the staffed desks.
- Arrival banks matter. Bali in particular clears one widebody quickly and four slowly. Build a realistic meet window rather than the best case.
- Domestic connections need buffers that account for immigration, baggage reclaim and often a terminal change — not the published minimum.
- Nobody at the airport can fix missing paperwork quickly. This is a pre-departure problem every time, which is why the joining instructions matter more than the meet.
- Extensions are possible but not automatic. A 30-day e-VOA extends once, and the process takes time on the ground. A client planning a longer stay should be on the right product from the outset.
Confirm it against the source
Entry rules are the fastest-moving item in this business, so this guide is dated deliberately: it describes the position as at 20 September 2026 and should be reconfirmed against the official portals at the time of booking rather than relied on months later. The e-VOA is issued through the immigration ministry's own site, the arrival card through the national arrival-card service, and the Bali levy through the provincial Love Bali portal. All three are government services and none needs an agency intermediary.
Explera DMC Indonesia briefs entry requirements per group against the actual routing and passport mix, schedules the arrival-card reminder inside its 72-hour window, holds copies of every confirmation, and tells partner agents when a rule moves rather than leaving them to find out.
Where this fits in our Indonesia programmes
The pages below carry the operational detail behind this briefing.
- Services: Group travel & GIT in Indonesia · Transfers & drivers in Indonesia
- Destinations: Lombok DMC · Komodo National Park DMC · Raja Ampat DMC
Entry briefings, arrival handling and ground operations across Indonesia: write to b2b@explera.id or message the trade desk on WhatsApp +66 93 656 8090. Explera DMC Indonesia is IATA TIDS-registered (96215733). Get in touch today for a net-rate quotation within 24 hours.