Going to Indonesia for over 30 days, I obviously needed to get the right visa to be able to stay this long. This being the extendable visa that is good for 30 days and allows you to extend it for another 30. When I arrived, still a bit groggy from the flight, I got the WRONG ONE. Stupid? Yes. But it could happen to you too so if you need a visa that’s valid for longer than 30 days, read this carefully!
When entering Indonesia, you need to BUY the visa yourself BEFORE going through immigration!
You can buy it at a small counter before you reach immigration itself. So make sure you do this, otherwise you’ll get the 30-day non-extendable free one automatically as soon as you walk through immigration.
Good, we got the most important part covered. Now, as soon as you have your extendable visa, there’ll come a time (before the 30 days that is) that you’ll have to extend it! There’s two ways of doing this
- With a VISA agent – easy, fast, but it’ll cost you more money
- Extend it yourself – still easy, takes a bit more time, will save you money.
Below I’ll explain how find a visa agent, and of course how to do it yourself! Because I know you’d rather spend money on more important things!
Table of Contents
1. Through a VISA Agent
A lot of people use a VISA agent because it is the easiest way. With use of a VISA agent, you’ll only have to visit immigration once (instead of three times) and, if you have a good agent, you barely have to wait. Be carefull though, the VISA agent could keep your passport for up to two weeks, so be sure it is a regulated agent and not someone you meet on the streets. Most of them are honest business people, but you never know. The price for using an agent is between 650 000 Rupiah and 900 000 Rupiah (instead of the 355 000 Rupiah you normally pay).
2. Extending it yourself!
The process of extending you visa is really easy. It just requires a little bit of time. As said before, you’ll have to visit the immigration office three times. Look up the immigration office closest to you, as they will ask you where you’re staying.
Make sure you go around the time the office opens. This will ensure you almost no waiting time at all. The first visit I was in and out within 30 minutes! That being said, the second visit took an hour because the machine for the fingerprints was down.
Here’s a list of what you’ll need:
- A black pen (these are not provided)
- Your passport (of course)
- 2 photocopies of your passport page, you’ll probably only need one like me but you never know.
- 2 photocopies of your VISA sticker in your passport
- The receipt you get when you buy the VISA at the airport
- 2 photocopies of your flight out of Indonesia within those 30 days of extension. Also needed just one but just in case.
- Address, name and telephone number of place you are staying in Indonesia.
- Address, name and telephone number of a sponsor.
What I heard about it, it isn’t necessary but ask the owner of the guesthouse you are staying if this is ok. - 355 000 IDR in cash. This is for the second visit.
First visit
During the first visit you’ll have to fill in the necessary paperwork. You can just go to the immigration office and get it there, or download it and fill it in beforehand. As you arrive, ignore the Indonesians lining up, you just need to look for the foreign immigration sign, find the blue ticket machine and take a number. Then, go to Counter One and ask for the paperwork if you haven’t downloaded it already. All you need to do then is wait your turn, and hand over your filled in paperwork and the all of the copies mentioned above. Wait for your name to be called, pay attention because it can be quite noisy in there and especially if you have a hard to pronounce name, they will butcher your name. They’ll then give you a receipt that acts like a temporary passport untill you get yours back.
Well done, you survived your first visit!
You are not really allowed to take pictures within the office but here you can see on the left hand side the blue machine to take a number, the places where you ask you documents are also on the left hand side a bit further and remember for later, the place were you collect your passport is on the end of this picture. This is for the Denpasar office though.
Second visit
This visit will be the longest one, and is also the one where you have to pay up for your extension. You’ll need to go to a counter that says ‘payment’. Present them with your receipt/temporary passport you received last time and go sit down. There is an Indonesian waiting system here, so really no system at all. Just hope that the smile you gave the officer convinces him or her to do your paper fast. When your name is called go up to the counter and pay your fee. Easy. You’ll have to wait again before getting your fingerprints and a photo taken. It is possible that the officer will ask you questions as in where you are staying, why you are staying longer,.. Just answer the same things as on your form and everything will be ok! She will give you a new receipt and that’s it!
Third visit
On the last receipt you’ll get, there will be a date and time when you can pick up your passport and visa. It doesn’t matter if you pick it up after this date. They will just have it waiting for you there. Make sure to check the time too, I arrived there in the morning but could only pick it up between 2-4 o’clock. When you enter, go straight to the one counter you haven’t been yet. It doesn’t matter if there is a line of people looking confused. Most of these are VISA agents, doing all their files at once. Present your ticket to the officer behind the counter and take a seat. Wait for your name to be called. This will take between 15-30 minutes and collect your passport. Always check if dates are correct because it is known that they make mistakes and put a wrong date on the VISA. Better safe than sorry!
The stamp you will get extending your VISA. The bottom date is the date of extension, top one of untill you are allowed to stay.
And you are done!
As you can see it is not that much of a hassle and if you are on a tight budget or can’t find a visa agent you trust, it is completely possible to do it by yourself!
If you’re not sure what VISA you should get, we have another blog post going online in a couple of days! Keep an eye for it.
Share with all your friends who are visiting Indonesia!
DISCLAIMER: Only use this text when you are using the VISA extension in a legal way. If you are working in Indonesia and using a tourist visa to extend it time after time, you will eventually run into problems because they see that you have multiple visas and only leave the country in between for a short period. This is just a guide, you’re still responsible for your own actions, so use common sense and you should be fine!
Laura is the lead writer at BackpackBeliefs.com, where she specializes in travel guides, cultural exploration, and sustainable tourism. With over 10 years of travel experience and a Master’s degree in Cultural Anthropology, Laura brings valuable insights to her readers.
For the latest travel tips and updates, connect with Laura on Facebook at @backpackbeliefs and Instagram at @backpackbeliefs. where she has 4,622 followers.
