Indonesia Visa Requirements: What You Need to Know (Updated October 2026)

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Every one of our travellers needs a visa for Indonesia, but for a holiday it is a quick online form and a card payment. This guide was checked against the UK Foreign Office advice, Canada's official travel advice and Indonesia's own immigration, e-visa and Bali levy sites in October 2026.

Do I need a visa for Indonesia?

A visa is required: citizens of the United Kingdom, Ireland, every EU country, the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand must have a visa to visit Indonesia. Only some ASEAN neighbours get in visa-free.

The visa on arrival (B1) is the one most travellers use: all of those nationalities are on Indonesia's visa-on-arrival list. It gives a single entry and 30 days from the day you arrive, for IDR 500,000. Buy it online in advance as an e-VOA at the official site, evisa.imigrasi.go.id, or pay at the visa counter at the main airports and seaports.

Staying longer than a month: the 30 days can be extended once, by another 30 days. If you know you want more time, the C1 tourist visa gives 60 days on arrival and can be extended up to 180 days, but you must apply for it online before you travel.

Volunteering needs a different visa: the Foreign Office says the visa on arrival is not suitable for volunteering, and Canada's advice says volunteers need a social-cultural visa arranged before arrival. If you are joining one of our Bali volunteer programmes, see below.

Two more things before you land: everyone fills in the free All Indonesia arrival card within the 3 days before arrival, and anyone arriving in Bali pays the Bali tourist levy of IDR 150,000.

• Permitted stay: 30 days from arrival on the visa on arrival, extendable once by 30 days. 60 days, extendable up to 180, on a C1 tourist visa.
• Passport validity: at least 6 months from the date you arrive, with at least 2 blank pages (the UK Foreign Office rule for British passports).
• e-VOA validity: you must enter Indonesia within 90 days of the e-VOA being issued.
• Overstays: IDR 1 million for every day over, and possible prosecution, detention and deportation.

Entry requirements

• A passport valid for at least 6 months from arrival, with at least 2 blank pages.
• Your visa: the e-VOA approval, or IDR 500,000 to buy a visa on arrival (cash or card). A visa approved after you have entered is not valid.
• Proof of a return or onward journey. You need it to get a visa on arrival.
• The All Indonesia arrival card, submitted free within the 3 days before you land.
• The Bali tourist levy (IDR 150,000) if you are arriving in Bali, paid online or on arrival.
• A yellow fever certificate if you are coming from a country with a risk of transmission.

Getting your Indonesia e-VOA (and the visa for volunteers)

Every traveller from the UK, Ireland, the EU, the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand needs a visa. For our group trips that is the visa on arrival, best bought online as an e-VOA; volunteers need a sponsored visa arranged before they fly.

• e-VOA, online: apply at the official site, evisa.imigrasi.go.id, with a scan of your passport photo page, a recent colour photo and your return or onward ticket. The fee is IDR 500,000 for 30 days at the time of writing (October 2026), paid by card, and the e-VOA is emailed within 24 hours. The Foreign Office says apply at least a week before you leave, and make sure it is approved before you fly.
• Visa on arrival at the airport: the same B1 visa, for the same IDR 500,000, is sold at a bank counter in the immigration area of the main airports and seaports. Show a passport with 6 months' validity and your onward ticket.
• All Indonesia arrival card: a free customs and health declaration at allindonesia.imigrasi.go.id or in the All Indonesia app, submitted within the 3 days before you arrive. It is not a visa. Ignore any website or email that asks you to pay for it.
• Bali tourist levy: IDR 150,000 (about £8) per foreign tourist, paid online through the Bali provincial government's Love Bali site or on arrival. It is separate from your visa.
• Extending: an e-VOA can be extended online on the same site, once, for another 30 days. Do it within your first 30 days.
• Volunteers: the C6 Social Activities visa (often still called C6B) needs a sponsor in Indonesia and is applied for online before you travel. It costs IDR 2,000,000 in government fees (IDR 1,000,000 visa plus IDR 1,000,000 verification), gives 60 days, extendable up to 180, and needs a letter describing your activities and a bank statement for the last 3 months showing at least US$2,000. Our Bali volunteer visa guide explains the process, and we will confirm exactly what your programme needs.

The quickest way to see the exact rules for your passport is to check your requirements with Sherpa, which keeps track of the latest entry changes for you.

Travelling within Indonesia

Your visa covers the whole country, with no extra permits for the islands we visit. All of our Indonesia group trips fit inside a single 30-day visa on arrival: Backpacking Bali (18 days), Backpacking Indonesia: Expedition (19 days, Bali to Labuan Bajo) and Backpacking Indonesia: Sumatra Adventure (9 days from Medan). Add any days before or after the trip and you may need the extension. Volunteers on programmes such as Turtle Conservation: Bali need the C6 visa above instead. Hotels register foreign guests with the police automatically; if you stay in private accommodation you must register at the nearest police station yourself, or face a fine of IDR 5 million. Around active volcanoes, local authorities enforce exclusion zones, so follow them. For when to go, see our Indonesia weather guide and Bali weather guide.

Official sources

Check the latest visa requirements:

• UK Foreign Office: Indonesia entry requirements
• Indonesia e-visa and e-VOA (official)
• All Indonesia arrival card (official)
• Contact the Indonesia embassy or consulate in your country

Handy tools for your trip

• Travel insurance: cover your backpacking trip with Nomad Insurance from SafetyWing.
• Flights: compare fares for your Indonesia flights on Skyscanner.
• Money: dodge bad exchange rates with a Wise travel card.

Buy the e-VOA the week before, do the arrival card when you check in for your flight, pay the Bali levy, and you will be through the airport quickly. Rules change, so check the official sites for your passport before you travel. Check out our Indonesia backpacking tours.