Among the diverse 17,000 islands in Indonesia, Bali remains one of the strongest pull factors in Indonesia in terms of tourism and several other business opportunities. This fascinating island is the most travelers’ favorite and outpaces the growth of every other destination in Indonesia or other popular countries.
For millions of tourists each year, they will certainly find everything to their fancy in Bali — be it for culture, leisure, history, shopping, diving, trekking, nature, or retreat. Leveraging the boom of tourism over these years, Bali also remains the jewel of business opportunities for Indonesia’s economy growth.
With vast and diverse business opportunities that are sometimes misused by foreigners comes strict visa regulations and policy. Bali, or Indonesia as a whole, has a variety of visa options that it may sometimes be confusing to foreigners.
Through this article, Cekindo has summarised the top questions related to visa in Bali along with the answers that will be your useful guidance prior to applying for your visa.
1. How many visa types are there in Bali and how are they different from each other?
In general there are seven Bali visa types available for foreigners and they all depend on your specific purpose of visit to Bali. Pay attention to the visa validity and its extension policy to avoid overstaying and serious consequences.
Free Visa on Arrival (Visa Bebas Kunjungan):
- For tourism, family visit, social-cultural exchange, transit, etc.
- Valid for 30 days and not extendable
Visit Visa on Arrival (Visa Kunjungan Saat Kedatangan)
- For tourism, family visit, short course or training, business meeting, social-cultural exchange, etc.
- Valid for 30 days and extendable once for another 30 days
Visit Visa on Arrival in Special Economic Zone (Visa Kunjungan Saat Kedatangan – Kawasan Ekonomi Khusus)
- For holiday, governmental meeting, seminar, fair, etc.
- Valid for 7 days and not extendable
Single-Entry Social-Cultural/Business Visa (Visa Kunjungan Satu Kali Perjalanan)
- For tourism, family visit, short course or training, business meeting, social-cultural exchange, etc.
- 60 days and extendable for four times (30 days each time)
Multiple-Entry Business Visa (Visa Kunjungan Beberapa Kali Perjalanan)
- For short course, training, seminar, meeting, etc.
- Valid for a year but a holder can visit Bali multiple times and each visit is 60 days.
Learn more about Multiple-Entry Business Visa in Bali
Temporary Residency Permit (Izin Tinggal Terbatas – ITAS)
- For work, relocation with an Indonesian spouse, application for retirement visa or citizenship
- Varies depending on the type of ITAS and extendable every 12 months
Permanent Residency Permit (Izin Tinggal Tetap – ITAP)
- To reside permanently in Indonesia due to retirement or marriage
- Valid for 5 years and extendable four times every 5 years (total validity of 25 years)
2. What are the consequences if you overstay your visa?
It is always a serious matter when you overstay your visa in any part of the world, especially in a place like Bali with burgeoning tourism. The punishment includes fines, imprisonment and deportation.
For most short-term visitors and tourists, you will have to keep in mind of the 60-day rule: a daily fine of US$25 incurs if you overstay your Bali visa for less than 60 days and a daily fine with possible deportation and being blacklisted if you overstay your visa for more than 60 days.
For foreigners working in Bali, if you violate the law with regards to your work visa and stay permit, the penalty is significantly more severe than what we have mentioned earlier: a fine of US$35,000 (IDR 500 million) or five years of imprisonment.
3. Can you use a visa agent for all your visa issues in Bali?
While a visa consultant like Cekindo is absolutely legit for all your visa application and extension issues, you need to be extra careful of some “visa-agents” in Bali. This is because most of them are actually downright unreliable and untrustworthy.
Some bad cases that have happened to foreigners by engaging in these deceptive visa agents include: unreturned passport, wrong visa type application, extremely long visa process, no visa sponsorship as promised and insufficient knowledge on visa-on-arrival (VOA).
You can apply for your business visa online: Business Visa and Work Permit Indonesia
Cekindo is your trusted visa consultant
Throughout the years, Cekindo has assisted many clients with their applications of visas and work permits. Consult with our team of visa and legal experts first before applying for your visa.
