Extending Bali visa: Indonesia visa extension guide

Guide to extending Bali visa on arrival

Hello fellow Bali lovers! This post will tell you everything you need to know about extending Bali visa on arrival (aka “Indonesia visa on arrival”). If you aren’t sure about which Bali visa to get, check out our comprehensive guide to picking and applying for a Bali visa. (This is technically an Indonesia visa).

Cost: Extending Bali visa on arrival costs approximate $30 USD to do it yourself and $50-60 USD to have an agent to do it (we went with an agent and paid £300 for six people; it was our first time in Bali and we would definitely get it cheaper than this knowing what we know now).

Doing it yourself: If you are extending Bali visa yourself you will need to take 3 trips within a 7-10 period to one of the immigration offices. There are 3 offices in Bali and their addresses are:

Nusa Dua (South Bali) Jl. Taman Jimbaran no.1, Mumbul, Kuta Selatan, District Nusa Dua, Bali.
Renon (Denpasar, Southeast Bali) Jl. D.I. Pandjaitan No.3, Dangin Puri Klod, Denpasar Timur, Bali. Phone: 0361.227.828
Singaraja (North Bali) Jl. Seririt, Desa Pemaron, Singaraja, Kec. Buleleng, Bali. Phone: 0362.321.74

When to go & What to wear: When you go to the Immigration office get there for opening time to avoid lines and make sure you are wearing long trousers or skirts and tops that cover your shoulders. They will tell you to leave if you turn up wearing shorts or strappy tops.

What not to do: Please don’t answer phone calls while standing in front of the officer or be rude/argue with them. Balinese culture is very non-confrontational so if you find there is an issue be calm and smile. If you don’t, you may end up getting put to the back of the queue or told to leave if you are not respectful of the process.

Contents

1 Visit 1:
2 Visit 2:
3 Visit 3:
4 Looking for the best Bali accommodation?
5 Best things to do in Bali
6 People are reading:

Visit 1:

What to bring:

The passports of every person who wants a visa extension
A black biro (there are a couple at the office but there can be queues to use these)
2 photocopies of your passport (the picture page, obviously)
2 photocopies of your plane tickets departing Indonesia
A copy of your Visa on Arrival (VOA) receipt (the small piece of paper you received at the airport after paying the $35 USD fee)
Details of the name, address, email and phone number of your accommodation
Patience, entertainment, snacks and water (triple this for every child you are taking with you.)

Tip for families: There is a TV showing cartoons and Mr. Bean, but seats near this are limited so take enough to keep the kids entertained and fed/watered. If you bring iPads it is courtesy to bring headphones with you so the noise doesn’t disturb others. Also fully charge devices before you come.

What to do:

You need to ask for a VOA extension application and you will receive a red folder containing two forms. Fill out both forms and put your name on the front of the folder.

Then take a number from the kiosk and wait until your number is called. (Optional activity: Kick yourself for not bringing decent entertainment/ snacks/ water).

Go to the desk that called your number and hand the officer the folder along with the paperwork that I listed above.

You take another seat and wait for your name to be called again; you will receive a receipt for your application along with a date to return to the office for your second trip, usually around 3 days later depending on how busy Immigration is. Now you can leave.

Visit 2:

What to bring:

355,000 IDR in cash per person (please check this before you go as price changes may occur)
The receipt you were given on your first visit
Patience, entertainment, snacks and water (triple this if you have kids)

What to do:

Take a number from the kiosk and wait to be called to hand in your receipt from your first visit, and your cash payment. You’ll be give another number (isn’t this fun?) and sit down (again) to wait to be called; this time into a small room where officers will take your photo and fingerprints. This goes for children too so prepare them beforehand as some kids will find this weird.

Go out of the room and turn left and walk straight ahead to the desk where they will give you a receipt and a date to come and pick up your passports in the next couple of days. (You may need to be quite firm in getting to the desk as agents will try and push in front of you; just keep smiling!) Then you can leave and go get some nasi campur and a coconut.

Visit 3:

What to bring:

The receipt you were given on your second visit

What to do:

Head to the counter for passport pick-up (ask the officers at the front of Immigration or at a desk and they will direct you) and give the officer your receipt from your last visit before taking a seat. When you are called back up you should receive your passport with your VOA extension and you can leave to taste another 30 days of sweet Bali / Indonesia sunshine!

Alternatively if you pay an agent (if you are in Bali most hotels will know of an agent you can use but it is best to use one that you can get recommendations for from other travellers) they will make two of the trips for you and you will just have to go for one trip (the second one), where you have your photo and fingerprints taken; you’ll then get your completed visas and passports back from the agent a few days later. If you have kids I would highly recommend this as we were in the office for about 3 hours, and doing this 3 times in 7-10 days would have not been fun.

I hope that is helpful to anyone thinking of getting a Bali visa on arrival and then extending Bali visa. If you have any questions about Indonesia visas please comment below. For more posts on Bali including our travel guides, recommendations and mishaps, click here.

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