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If you are coming to Indonesia on a Visa-on-arrival procedure, you have no choice but to travel out and back in to Indonesia to re-new your visa. This usually after 3 days (USD 10) or maximum 30 days (USD 25), depending on how long a visa you paid your US Dollars for.
Visa on-arrival or extendable visa?
That’s something similar I used to do when still living in Phuket/Thailand. Every month you just travel to one of the surrounding countries, cross the border, the officers at the checkpoint stamp you out, you enjoy a few hours in Myanmar, Malaysia, Cambodia or Laos - and back you travel to Thailand. New stamp, new visa. Now it’s a bit more difficult, as Thailand recently changed their visa regulations.
But back to Indonesia - if you want to spend some longer time here, traveling in and out isn’t really an option. Except you live somewhere close to the neighboring countries. Indonesia is just too big to just travel out for a short while. And it’s definitely more expensive, as you mainly need a return flight. If you have friends in Singapore to fly to once in a while or live in the northern Riau Island like Batam or Bintan, it might be okay - but we are talking Bali here. Right in the middle of the 17.000 indonesian islands, thousands of kilometres and about 2 hours of flight away from the next country.
So you probably came here anyway on a different kind of visa. That is (if you don’t work in Indonesia) mainly a Social Visit Visa, or Sosial Budaya, as it’s called here. The work visa is called KITAS or KITAP, depending if you are employer or being employed.
Application outside of Indonesia
You can apply for this kind of visa for instance at the Indonesian Embassy in Singapore (which is rumored to be the fastest and most effective one in Asia) or any other embassy or consulate back in your home country. The process at the embassy will take you 3 days and you will end up with a Visa (single- or multi-entry, again depending how much you spent), which is valid for 2 month and allows up to 4 renewals or extension within Indonesia. You will need a formal indonesian sponsor.
The first 2 months of this visa are obviously the most convenient ones, as you have 60 days in a row, where you don’t have to worry about visa problems. When the expiry date of your 2 months closes in, panic usually is setting in. 8-/
So, how to extend that thing? Cost me how much?
You have basically 2 options, to get your visa extended for another month:
- pay a Visa Agency to do all the paper work for you
- D.I.Y. - meaning, to deal with the Indonesia bureaucracy yourself
Option 1 is usually done by handing over your passport, some passport pictures and the amount of 400.000-600.000 Rupiah to an agent, who is doing all the paperwork and trip to the immigration offices for you. Those agencies are to be found all over Bali and are usually reliable (according to the expats I spoke to). Some even keep your passport the whole time or until you really have to leave the country for a re-newal or other trip.
If you don’t have that much money to spend (just imagine that you could buy about 16 to 32 large beer Bintang for the amount you could save) and if you have more time than money - why not go the extra mile and get your extension yourself for about 200.000 Rupiah only?
All you have to do is to show up at one of the 2 immigration offices in Bali (one is located directly at the Airport bypass, the other in a nice Balinese-style building in Jl. Panjaitan in Denpasar) and fill out the paper forms which will be thrown at you. 
Actually it’s not that difficult: all officers speak english well enough, the forms are self-explaining and consist mainly of information from your passport and your sponsor in the first place. Fill them out, copy your passport (personals page and stamp/visa page) and hand it over to one of the officers. Voila! You can be out there in 10-15 minutes!
You have to come back usually twice: one time to ‘learn’, that your visa extension is approved and that *now* is the right time for you to hand-over the above mentioned 200.000 Rupiah. That is usually a matter of 2 minutes and you are out again. Then you have to come back the next day to pick up your stamped/extended passport.
Your time or your money!
That’s all! The only letdown is, that you are now only free for another 2 weeks, before starting the whole procedure again; as the time between 1st visit and pickup is about 1 week and you are supposed to go there again about 1 week before the expiry date.
3 days will do as well, as I just figured out last month. Nobody complained about it.
So, it’s really more a matter of time or money. What have you got? Do you want more independent traveling around the country without having to worry about passport matters? Either do it at the start of your Visa period (2 months in a row) or ask a Visa agency to help you get separated from your passport (and some more money). Either way - it’s still cheaper than flying or traveling in and out of the country every months to re-new and pay your visa “on-arrival”.
So it’s all up to your preference.
Australian Visa Visa Bureau provides Australian Visa services, including tourist, working and skilled migration
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[...] Visa Extension in Bali - how does it work? [...]
Nice website and blog. I am from Jakarta, Indonesia. And glad to find out that foreigner still interested with our country, even tough Bali already explode twice.
Update May 2007 regarding Extension of the Sosial Budaya:
As the local bureaucracy is expanding, new fees were recently introduced in Bali (Immigration Denpasar, Jalan Panjaitan):
- the Visa Extension Fee was raised from Rp. 200.000 to Rp. 250.000
- Instead of the Stamp (Rp. 6.000) you have to pay now as well for the Application Form and Red Envelope (another Rp. 10.000)
- All Documents (Passport, Forms, Sponsor Letter) have to be copied (Photo Copies costs Rp. 1.000 in the Immigration Department instead of Rp. 100 outside)
- A parking fee of Rp. 500 was introduced for Motor Bikes
Happy extension!
Hi,
Anyone know if they have any forms I could dounload?
So I can add to my collection.
entry visa
[...] Indonesia introduced a Visa-On Arrival (VOA) for maximum 30 days with respective fees only back in 2004 - before you could get a 3 months stamp for free. The bureaucratic processes to attain and extend a Social Visa are legendary. Although there were some rumours of longer VOA (up to 120 days) a few months back, those have yet to materialize. [...]
[...] When I was going to Singapore for my bi-annual Visa Run last week, I brought my Laptop with me, because it showed occasionally some flickery display. Sometimes white colours would turn into green light shining through the LCD, pretty strange behavior. Looked like a cable inside the thing was lose or not properly installed. No problem, I thought - still warranty. Down at the Asus Service Center in ‘The Adelphi’, right next to Funan IT Mall, I unluckily tried to to reproduce the error for the Service Staff to see - when disaster stroke. [...]
Hi,
Six months ago went to singapore to extend my social visa, very quick easy. Wanted to go to Thailand this time round for a change of scene.
Can anyone help me with where I need to go in Thailand and how long it takes etc.
Thanks
Michael
I never tried it in Thailand, but the process should be similar. In Bangkok it would surely be the easiest and most efficient way to do it. Maybe someone did it already and can give some review?
hey!
I want an indo visa for 60 days, I’m from holland, but now travelling in oz! is it possible to get the visa here in autralia!
thanks,
mell
mell, that should be perfectly possible. Usually the process is like this: drop by the Indonesian Embassy and apply for it there. It’s usually a straight-forward process, filling out a 1-page form, leaving 1-4 passport photos, paying the fees (around USD 50) and picking it up 3 days later. Good luck!
Just add some more information,
Actually for the 3rd and 4th extension for Social Culture Visa, the letter and documents are has to be submitted as well into ‘Kantor Imimgrasi Wilayah’ or briefly in English are: Immigration Office for Province, this office located at Jl Raya Renon Denpasar.
And by it’s natural the processing time will exceed from normally 3 working days up to 10 working days.
Cheers,
Somehow I personally think that Indonesia Government has to create more simple procedure for foreigner to be able to stay longer in Indonesia instead of make a trip to surrounding country just to obtain a new visa, and this will also somehow keep them spend their money in Indonesia…
Maybe pay another 5 or 6 Million Rupiahs for a new Social Visa valid for another 6 months, as that amount is about equal with what people has to spent to travel overseas to get the visa, keep the money home!!
Cheers,
balidreamhome - that’s a great idea! I wish they would follow through with it. The Philippines did the same thing about 8 months ago, so hopefully Indonesia will follow suit…
Indeed that will be fantastic if that ever happen to Indonesia, unfortunately I am not sure that this will happen soon unless if the decision maker is a person who exactly know what they’re dealing with other wise is just a wishful thinking (sorry!)
cheers, Bintang time!!
Beware at the embassy in Canada, I tried to get a social visa with an individual as my sponsor and it got refused as their final judgment is that I need to have a corporate sponsor. And that’s even if they told me I could when their emailed me a few days before.
I just got that answer today. I have 3 weeks left to get one by different means. I hope I can avoid the Visa on Arrival.
Hi Nicolas,
The policy at each of Indonesian Embassy are not the same and it could be that they have wrong understanding as the social visa (which only need personal sponsorship) with Single Entry Business visa which needs corporate sponsorship unfortunately both visa has the same index code number: 211 both visa are valid for 6 months and extendable while you’re in Indonesian on a monthly bases.
Sometimes the sponsorship has to be signed over stamp duty (Rp. 6,000 materai). If you can arrange to make a stop over in Singapore that will be much easier.
Good Luck!!
hey mate,
if i wanted to stay in bali for a year, without working, do you think my best option would be on a social visit visa? ive had a look around and it seems they are on valid for six months. what might the best course of action be do you think? and how would i go about re-newing the social visa after the 6months, and what are the surrounding costs?
Thanks Heaps, sorry about all the questions
Cheers
Dan
@ Daniel,
The option for you is Single Entry Business Visa or Social Culture Visa, both visa are valid for 6 months, the deferent is that the business vis is issue based on a Bali residing company but Social Culture visa is issue based on a personal invitation.
Why is only two option, because if you are not employed by a company in Bali or above 55 years of age then you can not have a KITAS and working permit or retirement visa which allowed you to stay in Bali / Indonesia continuesly 12 months.
As the social vis is only valid for 6 months, then by the the end of the visa you need to do the same procedure by visiting one of Indonesian Embassy in surrounded country such as Singapore, Kuala Lumpur - Malaysia or Thailand.
lot’s of foreigner living in Bali using this arrangement to be able to stay in Bali in a longer period.
Cheers,
Channel1
Channel 1, thanks for helping out Daniel. I agree with your recommendation. As I don’t work I use the Sosial Budaya myself and it’s quite a straight-forward process.
You basically have to leave the country every 6 months. A return flight to Singapore is usually the cheapest way to apply for a new Visa, which can be done there either within 3 days (DIY for SGD 75) or 1 day (via an agent for around SGD 180).
my pleasure buddy, cheers
so for a newbee from usa…when one arrives in bali we get a 30 day visa ..is there no way before arrival to get a visa for say 2 months?
Yes, there is another way, it call Socio Culture Visa this visa required sponsorship or invitation letter from Indonesian, and this visa has to be obtain from Indonesian Embassy in your home country in L.A or other part of USA.
Once you have it, the visa is valid for 90 days until you use it for the 1st time and upon arrival in Indonesia / Bali, you will granted 60 days to stay.
For more detail you may visit my website.
Cheers,
channel1 is right as usual.
Cheers buddy, we should have a bintang sometime!!
You can get a 60 day tourist visa (no sponsorship needed) if you apply ahead of time at an Indonesian embassy in the US. Cost ~$45. If you wait until your on the plane, your only option will be a 30 day visa.
Channel 1 or Chris,
How do you get a personal invitation for 6 month visa? Social visa..being a first timer ..is it hard to obtain? obviosly flying in and out is bit of a pain and expensive..any thoughts…… I wanna go there SOOON…please help.
@ Ravi,
Actually is quiet simple what you need to do is contact visa agency in Bali and tell them what you’re aiming for and they will response to your question and assist you step by step to obtain the Socio Culture Visa.
But please be noted that for several nationality such as Bangladesh, Pakistan, or some country in Africa, Indonesian government are very strict and even the simplest visa the requirement is quiet complicated.
Good luck.
Channel1,
I am heading over to Bali in August and am trying to stay as long as possible. I have no contacts in Indonesia, is the multiple entry visa the way to go?
@ balibound
Multiple entry business visa is only good for a person with intention to travel to Indonesian for a business orientation and or invited by his business partner for a future cooperation. This visa is valid for 12 months but the problem is each visit is only for 60 days and is not extendable while you are inside Indonesia.
Considering that you are having no sponsor and no employment contract then the only option left is Socio (social) culture visa or Single entry business visa, both visa have the same visa index number and valid for 6 months with monthly extension after the 60 days upon arrival. Each extension is good for 30 days.
The sponsor for social visa is an invitation letter by Indonesian individual while Single Entry Business visa is invitation by a company residing in Indonesia.
The visa has to be obtained from any Indonesian Embassy prior to your departure to Indonesia.
Hope this help,
Cheers,
Can anyone tell me, I want to make the social budaya in Kuala Lumpur, what do I have to do, I always go to Singapore to arrange it.
But it will be my first time in KL.
Help?
Here is some information from my friend whose recently back from KL for the agenda Social Culture Visa:
We got back safely last night and I have an update for you!
Visas from KL are now QUICKER and CHEAPER than Singapore! Al you need do is go to Embassy at 9am and staff check your documents. you need 1 copy of the following:
Sponsor letter
Sponsor KTP
2 passport photos
First page of passport with photo
Recent visa - if you have one
Recent extension - if you have one
Exit stamp from Indonesia
Entry stamp into Malaysia
When checked you fill out form, pay 170MYR…and then come back at 3.30pm and pick up visa!!!!!!!
Cheers,
New requirement by Immigration office to Social Culture Visa holder and this is a compulsory. For the second extension each visa holder has to come in person to the Immigration office to do a digital finger print and photograph.
So if you’re planning to go out of Bali, you better adjust your time schedule.
Cheers,
Channel1
Thanks for all the great additions here, channel1! My latest experience is now, that the sponsor needs as well a Bali ID (KIPOM) to extend the Visa in Jalan Panjaitan/DPS. Before it was okay to have one from Jakarta or else (in Singapore it’s never a problem), but maybe we were just lucky.
That amounts to another Rp 50.000 every 3 months. Arglglggl!
Regarding the developments in KL - that’s a good thing! Will check next time in Singapore, if they can make it in a shorter time frame. Or fly right away to KL, if Air Asia offers a good deal. Guess the Visa Agents will be out of business soon….
Channel 1, Thank you for your information..I have all my documents, I normally extend in Singapore, so it won’t be a problem then..tq.
@ Bianca,
My pleasure and wish you all the best with your trip to Singapore, cheers
Does this mean that if I have a sponsor from Lombok I can’t extend it in Bali?
How are the rules considering where your sponsor is from?
Thanks for the information!
@Sandy,
For a person with Lombok ID card acting as his/her sponsor as long as the visa holder residing in Bali then the extension should be done in Bali plus the sponsor must show that he/she has a KIPEM or temporary ID card for Bali, the latest news is that the Immigration office will require the visa holder to come in person to the Immigration office to give digital finger print on the 2nd extension of Social Visa.
At the moment I’m staying in Jakarta with a Kitas and my Indonesian wife as the sponsor for the first year. For the second year my wife can not be the sponsor so I need a ‘good/big’ company to extend my Kitas.
On one of my job interviews I heard there is a new visa or a new rule since 1,5 year (that not many immigration offices even know of) that it is possible for the wife to be sponsor for the second year again to extend the Kitas.
I’ll call with different immigration offices in jakarta today, but have any of you heard of this new rule for extending the Kitas?
I also found a website http://www.rami-services.com/amasis.html where you need to pay a big amount of money and you become an investor and they arrange your kitas and will be the sponsor, but i have big doubts if it’s really trustworthy and not just a big scam
@ Chris B,
Hi Chris, regarding to your explanation I am presuming that you are under a Family KITAS, which also shows that you are sponsored by your (Indonesian) wife, and surely that should be no problem to extend it for the second year.
If somebody told you that you haev to search for a’big’ company to sponsor you then this will mean that you will change the KITAS from a family KITAS into a Working KITAS and surely you have to cancel your present KITAS and travel overseas to do the same procedure as the 1st KITAS with consideration to pay US$ 1,200 yearly (non refundable).
I am not sure with the offer to be an investor in a company to be able to have a sponsor and a KITAS, this is a little bit fishy for me as there are few things you must understand such as a personal tax identification number and actually the company sponsor should be an active company otherwise this are another scam form which create to absorb money from a person who doesn’t really understand and aware on how it works. Also do you really thing you can have proper information from them about your investment or this just weakening your position as a foreigner in Indonesia as you’re tight up to them :-)
I have my corporate agent located in Jakarta and surely he can assist you to extend your KITAS but I can not write it here as this is not my website and I feel bad to do promotion here (nomad4ever will angry to me :-) ), Please do feel free to visit my website and write me an email then I will inform you the person who can help you there in Jakarta.
Cheers,
channel1
@channel1
Thanx alot for the information about extending my Kitas and for the help so far.
My wife called this morning with the head immigration office in jakarta, but the right person to answer the question was not in at the moment. we got the request to go to our local immigration office in jkt timur and ask them to write a letter which we then can use to bring to the head office together with all kinds of documents like my passport, kitas and documents of my wife and then they can answer the question. (?!?)
sounds like me sponsoring the immigration ’service’ just to get 1 answer.
my wife will try to call again later, maybe the person who answers the phone this time will give us some more/other infomation.
If you can provide me with your contact’s info here in jkt it would/could be of great help.
I’ll send you my email address to your blogspot as your other/private domain has expired a few days ago (nomad4ever wont be angry for promoting that site i think)
Thanx again,
Chris B
if things can be done by a reliable agent and save your from doing a trip to the office in reasonable cost, why bother yourself :-)
I have sent you an email of the contact detail, good luck :-)
Guys, thanks for helping out each other once again!
Chris B, that’s the problem with plenty of services in Indonesia, some people seem wanting to help you, but actually they just want to empty your wallet. Officials and governmental institutions are no difference. Better always check ID/company and double-check, before handing over any amounts of money to unknown people.
My own Visa experience is limited so far to the VOA (Visa on Arrival) and Sosial Budaya. Just wanted to add for the last one: they now do the fingerprinting (which is necessary with the 2nd extension) with an electronic fingerprint reader here in Bali. All 10 fingers - but no ink anymore, so no more black fingers.
Hi, I am from Ecuador. I applied for my visa before entering to Indonesia. I is valid for two months, but it expired on August 28th and my ticket back home is September 1st. I am going to enter to Indonesia (Jakarta) on August 20th, do you think that I can ask in the inmigration in the airport if they can extend my visa just for 4 days more?
Thank you for your help
Hi Meche,
The meaning of the visa expiration on August 28th is the date when the visa is using the first time to enter Indonesia, normally the visa valid in two months before being use for the first time.
As you are entering Indonesia on August 20th, the sixtieth day will be on October 18th.
The best thing is look at the back side of your departure card, there is a stamp on a green color by immigration officer when upon arrival in Indonesia entrance gate, in that card is indicating how many days you may stay in Indonesia from the arrival date.
Please be noted that your arrival date also counted! If in that card is written 60 days then you have nothing to worry but if what written there is 30 days then your visa will expired on September 18th
Hope this help, have a great day.
Cheers,
Funny thing happened to me today, when applying for my 3rd extension of the Social Budaya. I only have to come back now in 2 weeks (usually 3 days) for payment. Are there some changes going on? Or are they just getting away from the practise that I have to play courier for them, transporting the documents to the other ‘kantor’ around the corner and picking it up for them? Channel 1, do you know more??
Hi Chris,
The processing of the 3rd & 4th extension of Social visa is always took longer time especially now when they apply a new system called e-office. This system is a media to collect the data and make an online registration of all visa holder in Indonesia.
This will bring the whole visa arrangement into the next level which is good for our country unfortunately the operator of the ‘machine’ seems doesn’t have enough training before the system was actually applied.
The step by step of extension now are:
1. Submit the passport & sponsor letter for extension to immigration locket.
2. They will do the data entry (digitally).
3. Bring the whole data and everything to the immigration officer section Foreigner Control Supervision (WASDAKIM).
4. Data Entry (again).
5. Scanning the passport.
6. Send the information to the Central Immigration Province which located in Renon for Bali Province.
7. Pay the extension cost to the immigration counter.
8. Placed the extension stamp on the passport.
9. Another scanned for the passport which already extended.
10 Recollect your passport.
So now we can imagine how many people are doing their extension at the same time and this create some certain delay in processing time of the visa extension.
I do believe that Immigration doesn’t has any intention to ‘push’ you to use agent service for extending your visa, but is only a matter of processing time.
Plus especially form Bali area you have to deal with Public Holidays and Ceremonies :-)
Hope this help.
Cheers,
Channel1, many thanks for the enlightenment and additional information. So let’s hope that overall the process is getting quicker and more painless, once they are used to the new procedures. That’s probably good news!
I and my wife are planning to travel around Asia for a year, and would love to visit West Papua (irian jaya) . The problem is, 30 days visa is just not long enough to do so while we would also love to stay in Java and Bali for a while. This means we will have to extend our Visa for maybe two more months. Is this possible, and how are we to go about this?
hello I have just returned from indo spent 2 nhalf months surfing. done one visa run to thailand returned indo for another 30 day visa. I left jakarta 18 august with 15 days left on visa. (Bad move) I now wish to return to jakarta indo.night 24th august- flight ticket on hold. Does anyone know if I return to indo now for 3rd visa with 2nd visa (even though I have left the country) to have expired in another another 9-10 days approx. 02/09/08. other than customs questioning my intentions for returning so soon. should there be any problems due to visa dates. e.g. am i supposed to wait the full time of 2nd visa before re entering the country. any info be appreciated. Thank you Shane
@ Markie,
Regarding to your plan you may ask to Indonesian Embassy in your home country to give you a 60 days tourist visa but unfortunately the Tourist Visa is not extendable so every time your visa expired you must travel to surrounding country at least for 1 day and return to Indonesia to gain another 30 days. Social visa also not suitable for you as your position will be in many different place and this will create a problem in extending your visa.
@Shane,
There will be no problem for come back to Indonesia with another tourist visa, as tourist visa is single entry so every time you leave the country while your visa is still valid, automatically your tourist visa is canceled
Hope this help, cheers & happy traveling..
Hello I’m going to Bali for six months and I don’t know of anybody who can sponsor me as this is my first time there. Can you explain to me what is the easiest way around this problem? I would also like to know where I apply for my visa living in northern Ireland? How much also would it take to realisticaly take to get by each month, basic living! I’m bring £3000 is that enough? Any light on theses subjects would seriously help! Thanks, great site!
Hi Leroy,
What you need to do is get a sponsorship from registered visa agent and also let them work for your visa extension and other matter regarding to the immigration requirement in Bali.
My company also providing services for this arrangement.
The living cost on basic living approximately is Rp. 3,000,000 to Rp. 5,000,000 a month but not including the accommodation and Visa cost for 6 months is Rp. 3,000,000 if you let the visa agent work for your visa. Transportation will be another additional cost for you if you willing to have a variety tour but if you ‘dare’ to drive rental motor bike here then the cost is very cheap let say Rp. 400,000 for the motor bike rental per month and gasoline is Rp. 6,500 per liter.
Please also be prepare with your International drivers license and also health insurance or travel insurance.
3000 pound will be ok for 6 months.
Cheers,
@ Leroy,
Sorry forgot to let you know that the visa called social Culture Visa and is valid for 6 months upon arrival in Bali with monthly extension before the first 60th day over.
The visa can be obtain under sponsorship of Indonesian National at the Indonesian Embassy in your home country. Approximately the cost for the visa is US$ 80 payable directly to the Indonesian Embassy visa counter.
Cheers,
this is all silly. you can now get a 60 day tourist visa from any embassy out of indo, and extend it in the country up to 4 times 30 days each time, total 6 months, and you can do this at any immigration office in indo. and its cheaper, and simpler. no need to mess around with social visas anymore. dont pay a visa company for a social visa, its a waste of money
Wish you all the best Lilly,
Cheers,
Hello Channel1,
I’ve got my Social Budaya in KL. TQ for all your info it was all done in 24 hours time.
TQ
Hi Biateca,
You’re very welcome and also thanks to Nomad4ever for creating this nice forum :-)
Cheers,
HELP !!!
I am going to Bali on Oct.27. I will be there until April 2009. I am a Canadian resident and the maximum the Indonesian consulate will give me is a 60 day tourist visa.
I just read above Lily’s comment that you can extend the visa for 30 days up to 4 times? Is this true???
I really don’t want the hassle of having to do a Visa run to Singapore or Malaysia.
Please Help.
Thanks,
Jamie
[...] Yes, they have Working Visas (KITAS) or Retirement Visas, but those exclude everyone below 60, who doesn’t work. The Social Visit Visa is a joke in itself! Anyway, here are some more details on how it works. [...]
Hi Nomad4ever.
Did u provide a link above? Unfortunately I don’t see one.
What can I do to extend my travel visa for up to 6 months without having to leave Indonesia and do a border run?
Thanks,
Jamie
Jamie, although I heard about the possibility that you can extend a normal tourists visa (NOT the VOA - Visa on Arrival one!), I can’t confirm that, as I always used the Sosial Budaya.
What did the Indonesian Consulate tell you, can you extend in-country?
Maybe someone else can also comment on that?
Hi Jamie,
Please check the index code on your visa sticker, the location of the index code is on the upper right of the visa sticker if the number is 211 then you are ok, and surely is extendable in within Indonesia without necessary to travel to surrounding country.
The extension can be conduct 4 times on a monthly bases.
Cheers,
Hi Chris,
The requirement for Retirement Visa is Minimum 55 y.o and for a working KITAS, a person may still qualified although pass 55 y.o.
Cheers,
So Channel1, is it true then, that you don’t need a Sosial Budaya anymore to stay up to 6 months in Indonesia? No need for a sponsor anymore, just ask for the extendable tourist visa in the Indonesian embassy where you apply?
Hi Chris,
In some cases with my previous clients, they got a tourist visa with index code 211 this index code is indicating a social culture visa or Single Entry Business visa which both of the visa has the same validity for 6 months, and indeed extendable in within Indonesia.
Also in some embassy they issue the visa without even ‘bothered’ to write the sponsor name on left down below the visa sticker, and this also extendable as long as the index code is 211.
Some of my clients also tells me that they can ask for a tourist visa directly for 60 days this are happen is Oz & United State :-)
As long as the index code of the visa is 211 then surely is extendable :-)
Cheers,
Hi Chanel1
Would I request a visa code 211 from my embassy? I apply for my visa on Wednesday.
Thanks!
Hi Jamie,
You can ask for the visa under the code of 211 but surely the embassy has prerogative right to give it or rejected, but when you apply for a Social Budaya Visa which is valid for 6 months using sponsorship then they always give it to you.
Wish you luck :-)
Cheers,
Channel 1,
I received a code 211 from my embassy on my visa. Now what is my next step to extending the visa?
Jamie
Hi Jamie,
The index code 211 is indicating a Single Entry Social Visa or Business Visa, both visa are a six months visa.
Upon arrival you are granted 60 days counted include the arrival date, and before the 60 days expired, at least 1 week before, you may extend the visa by submit the extension request letter made by your sponsor into the immigration office in Bali.
The processing of extension is in within 7 - 10 working and during the extension process your passport will be under immigration custody.
Please contact your sponsor for the extension. In some cases the Indonesian Embassy issue the visa without stated your sponsor (located on left down below of your visa sticker) if that’s what you have now then for extended your visa you may use any Indonesian person to do the extension or any visa agent to do the work for you.
Cheers,
Hi Channel 1,
I’m in Singapore right now. I fly into Bali at 9am.
Regarding the sponsorship, how do I go about obtaining a sponsor?
Regards,
Jamie
Hi Jamie,
Actually the sponsor has to be prepared prior to your arrival in Singapore, but it seems that you are already there and just about to continue your trip to Bali.
The best way is postpone your departure to Bali and get a sponsorship, and for this my company are able to provide a sponsorship under some certain cost, and if you are required to have a service from our corporate agent in Singapore the the visa processing can be done in 24 hours.
Regards,
Channel1
Hey,
I just got your mssage Channel 1. Unfortunately I arrived in Bali about 7 hrs ago. Am I out of luck?
Is there anything I can do to extend my stay?
Also, it is my first time in Bali and I am in Kuta. It’s an absolute madhouse. Can you receommend any places in Bali that are devoid of partyers and drunks?
Thanks,
Jamie
Hi Jamie,
To get away from the crowded area you have to go and stay in Bukit - Jimbaran Area or close to Uluwatu Temple.
There is a nice beach called Dream Land and somehow if you’re sick of Kuta then I think that beach area is good for you.
Cheers,
Hi,
i had bad look and somebody crashed in my scooter some days ago.
I had to change my flight to Malaysia, because i still can’t walk.
BUT i only have a VOA and because of the accident i have to overstay my visa for six days.
Do you see a chance to extend the visa (for reasons of accident) in Denpasar?
Regards
Rick
motornomad, sorry to hear about your accident, hope everything will recover nicely!
It’s possible to extend a VOA for a few days, when there are serious reasons, but prepare to pay for it. And make sure that you visit the Immigration, *before* the VOA expires. It’s located in Jalan Panjaitan in the Renon area of DPS.
Worst case in my view is that you have to pay Rp.200.000 for every day of overstay. But probably less, if you go there before it expires and explain your situation. Just stay calm, friendly and ask them for their help and you will most likely pay less. Good luck!
Would be nice, if you could share your experience here after talking to the Immigration; for others in similar situations. Thanks!
Hi Chris,
i will show up at the kontori immigrasi on monday and report about my experience.
Thanks
Rick
Hi
I have been at the immigrations office in Jalan Panjaitan, but they sent me to the office next to the airport.
Despite the fact that i am walking on crooks, have a bandaged leg and two medical reports, they want an ACTUAL letter from my doctor, wy i can’t leave indonesia at the expiry date of my visum.
I got this letter now and will try again tomorrow.
The good news: The extension of my visum will be for FREE
Regards
Rick
motornomad, yep the Immigration Officers can be sometimes pretty full of themselves. And they love to send you around or make you come again and again with additional documents or whatever. One of the reasons why I finally gave in and moved to another country, after having to visit them about 20 times in 6 months for simple Visa Extensions. It was a big pain in the backside in the end.
At least you didn’t have to pay anything! Good luck for your trip home and your recovery!
Hi Chris,
i met the immigrations officer next day with the letter from my doctor that i can’t fly. He agreed to extend the visum, but i have to come back next week do do this, cause he cannot extend the visum 7 days, just three. I also have to show my ticket for the flight to Malaysia, where i will continue my round-the-world trip on my motorcycle.
I’ll report next week.
Rick
motornomad/Rick, that sounds really good! Hope everything works out!
Your RTW trip with motorcycle sounds very exciting to me! Possibly to most of the readers here also. Do you have a website, where you report about your RTW trip? If not, maybe we can collaborate on a guest article together with some pictures here?
Hi Chris,
if you don’t mind to read my reports in german language (the english section isn’t up to date yet, sorry)
Motornomads Blog
At least you can have a look at the MEDIA, where you find lots of pictures, videos and press releases.
It’s somehow funny to ride more then 430000 Kilometers trough the remotest areas without any problems just to have somebody crashing in you scooter on Bali.
Best regards
Rick
Hi Chris:
Your blog is really helpful.
Do you have the phone number for any visa agency? Even better if you have one in Bandung. I need to renew my travel Visa.
Pls respond asap if you can. :-)
Thanks
Lilani
motornomad/Rick, thanks for the link, will read up on that!
Lilani, sorry can’t help with that. Never used any. But Channel 1 further above provides these kind of services, maybe he can help further. Just click on his name to link through his website.
Hi Chris,
today i met the immigration-officers again. They insisted to have a letter of the embassy, but i denied that request because the german embassy wouldn’t write that kind of letter for me. We discussed the same thing last week and the boss of the office agreed to my point of view. So the officer today acted like his boss commanded him, but it’s not sure he will do again.
After buying a folder and making some copies i left the building with an important stamp in my passport.
Thak you
Rick
Congrats and thanks a lot for the update! By the way, nice site you have there, have to go read some more….
@lilly, interesting what you say. I would like a 60 day visa that I can extend. I am in the UK. The embassy here says I can get a 60 day tourist visa from them, but it cannot be extended.
Maybe I should get a Visa from KL or Singapore before entering Bali, as this visa can be extended?
hello, i am planning to arrived bali on 20/4/2008, my idea is to rent a house there for 6 months, i have been studing all visa requirements and i would like to know how can i get s spondsor invitation by a company or individual person as it will be my first time in bali i do not know any body
the opcion i have without this documents i 60 dyas visa thta supposed to be extended 3 or 4 times getting out indonesia each time
as i have beeen reading is not easy to get 4 times extension i need to geta social visa
if anyone can help me
Darren and Elena, if you don’t know anyone who could ’sponsor’ you for an extended stay; there are always agents who can arrange that for a bit higher price. Just go through the comments and you will find plenty of information about the proper process. Or simply contact a few agents to compare their prices and offers!
Also it could be a good idea to get the Visa in Singapore, as they are more flexible with the extendable Visa options.
Hi Chris, Great blog and very helpfull.
Just wondering if you could clear something up for me as I’m having trouble understanding all this red tape etc, there’s lots of conflicting information.
if you could clarify the below for me I’d be Gratefull, I may even buy you a beer while I’m enjoying my 3 months stay in bali.
1) can I get a 60 day visa from the local indo embassy here in the uk?
2) can I then extend it via the method above (Paying an indo company) for a further 30 days?
thanks, Chris,
Murphy, both your questions can be answered with a ‘yes’. You should be able to get a 211 code Tourist Visa. It is initially valid for 60 days and can be extended 4 times for another 30 days for a total of 6 months.
Hey I NEED help i want to go to Bali for a least 3months and not sure what visa i am best to get, it would be great if i could apply for a work visa once I am there. I would also like one that i can change if i decided that i want to stay there longer than 3months.
PLEASE HELP
Polly, the best would be to get the Sosial Budaya Visa (for which you might need a sponsor) or the now available 60-day tourist visa (see comments above). In both you would get the first 2 months included from the embassy and are able to extend another 4 times (1 month each) for a total of 6 months, before you would have to leave the country.
You must apply at your local embassy to get the Visa in advance before coming to Bali. Don’t just come here without Visa, as you will get only a Visa on Arrival (VOA), with which you have to leave the country after 4 weeks, as it’s not extendable.
@ Polly,
Try to contact the closest Indonesian Embassy in your area and ask them if they can give you the 60 days tourist visa with index visa No. 211.
If so that type of visa is extendable in Bali and you may stay up to 6 months with monthly visa extension.
If they can not give you that type of visa then you need to have a sponsor letter made by Indonesian to apply for a Social Culture Visa.
Cheers,
Hah, Channel1, my friend! This time I was 8 minutes earlier!
Hope everything is well in paradise? Have a great weekend ahead!
Hi Chris,
Bali is still fine but the temperature is getting pretty hot & dry, plus the road traffic you know it, it’s getting tough now to drive in Bali…
Wish you all the best buddy :-)
I arrived in Bali about 1 week ago and I might stay for longer than 30 days. The customs officer at the airport gave me his telephone number and told me that if I wanted to stay longer than the 30 days the visa on arrival allows to give him a call. Just wondering if it is possible for a customs official to extend the 30 day visa on arrival?
If anyone could help me that would be great.
shaun, that sounds like some unofficial deal he is offering to you. He might be able to get you a new VOA sticker for whatever amount of money to better his own salary. It’s up to you, if you want to take him up on this offer. Surely it’s illegal, the worst thing that can probably happen to you (if caught) is that you can get expelled from the country due to visa violations, banned from further entry and maybe have to pay a (heavy) fine. VOA are definitely not extendable.
Hi Shaun,
Please help our country to beat corruption by ignoring this type of crooks officer :-)
Nomad is 10000000% correct!! and he’s beat me again a couple of minutes…
Cheers,
channel1, thanks for pointing that out clearer than myself. It’s better to not use that offer and avoid supporting corrupt officers. Indonesia is struggling to reduce corruption (which is hindering the progress of the country immensely) and it can of course only succeed, if those crook officials who ask for money are ignored or even better - prosecuted.
Thank you Chris,
It’s about time :-) to erased all of the unnecessary corruption activity even started by small matter but surely it will brings a good impact to my country…
Best Wishes !!
Channel1.
Excellent, Thanks for the Info. I already have a one way flight booked to Singapore so I guess it won’t be too much to get a return flight.
Thanks again
shaun, you might want to check out also Jetstar.com, they have sometimes great deals, especially if you book in advance. Or book a flight with Lion Air through a travel agency in Bali, might be even cheaper.
If you are planning again to stay longer than 1 month, you could go to the Indonesian Embassy in Chatsworth Road in Singapore and apply for the extendable tourist visa. Then you will get initially 2 months and simply extend it up to 4 times for another month within the country.
May someone could be answered my question?
I’m from Malaysia, I had already applied Student Visa before I arrived Bali for my Industrial Training. But I realized that MAX STAY ONLY 60 DAY(S). According the sponser letter I summit for apply Student Visa, the length of training is 90 days. So the MAX STAY IS ONLY 60 DAY(S)?
Now my Visa already past the valid date >MAX STAY ONLY 60 DAY(S)<, will it be a problem when I would like plan to Lombok visit???Will it be a problem when the day I back KL MALAYSIA???
PLEASE REPLY AS SOON AS POSIBBLE. THANK YOU A LOTS
Hi Shirnie,
I am almost sure the visa you have now is either Social Visa or Multiple entry business visa please have a check on your visa stick to your passport on the upper right, there is an Index code is 211 the that is social visa and this visa is extendable but you will need a sponsor for this. By understanding that you are now overstay of your 60 days then the penalty charge for the over stay in Rp. 200,000 per day, but also you can not stay too long under ‘over stay’ situation as this will be a problem with immigration.
Please make a contact with local immigration office or reliable visa agent to solve your problem.
Cheers,
Hi everyone,
Understood that getting a Sosial Budaya visa requires an indonesian sponsor, please advise how can I get a sponsor instead of making friends in Bali?
tata, I bet Channel1 or any other agent can help you with that…alternatively get the Extendable Tourist Visa…
Hi Tata,
The best way is contact to Indonesian Embassy closest to where you residing and ask them for a 60 days tourist visa as this visa has the same index code with social visa which is number 211 and this visa is extendable while you are in Bali… unfortunately not everyone who work at the embassy knows this :-)
If they required you to provide a sponsor letter then do feel free to email me for further arrangement.
Cheers,
Note: Nomad4ever
You beat me again and again buddy :-)
Channel1, yeah - but only because I am the one to confirm comments of new readers. You have no chance!
Hi all,
Just a short notification regarding the Social Visa.
As experienced by some of my clients, travelers to Indonesia whose eligible for a visa on arrival they may contact to closest Indonesian Embassy and ask for a 60 days tourist visa instead of request Social Visa and has to provide an invitation letter (known as sponsor letter) made by Indonesian citizen and there are possibility in some of Indonesian Embassy they’re no longer provide social visa service but change that to a 60 days tourist visa.
For travelers utilizing Social Visa for a couple of times, please be alert that there is a policy of a local immigration office in Indonesia (for this case Immigration Office Denpasar - Bali) refuse to extend the visa under the reason that ‘the person has been to Bali couple times under social visa’ and they suspicious that the visa holder (s) are working in Bali, they will advise you to leave the country.
So far I haven’t figure out how to ‘escape’ from this :-)
Hope this information helps.
cheers,
That’s no good news, Channel1! And I thought the Visa Rules will be relaxed a bit further with the acceptance of this tourist visa without the need of all the sponsor formalities/bureaucracy. Seems like the Balinese Immigration is closing a loophole to get around their money-making machine.
Hi Buddy,
I am not sure what is exactly they aiming for beside they work so slow now !!
Cheers,
Hello Chris, Hello Channel1,
Thanks for your info. However, we checked with our local Indonesian Embassy website for the tourist visa info, they said that:
There are three types of Visit Visa are as you can read from http://www.indonesian-consulate.hk/new/index.php?do=content&language=eng&page=11&tipe=1
(( That’s means we cannot extend the visa without leaving Bali or to some near country for the extension……
))
In fact, I want to stay here for a period of 6 months without leaving, then maybe looking for some small business and consider to open a PMA afterwards. Please kindly advise the costs for the visa and setting up the PMA, is it one-time payment or annually?
Hi Tata,
That’s why I was wrote in ’some’ of Indonesian embassy they can give you a 60 days tourist visa with the index code 211 this doesn’t mean applicable to all of Indonesian Embassy, each embassy has their own policy.
In regards to your plan then the proper visa for you is not a social visa but a single entry business visa this can be obtain through a sponsoring / invitation letter by a Bali residing company.
For the last question I am very sorry that I can not answer it in this forum as this forum is belongs to “Mr. Nomad4Ever” and subject for Indonesian visa(s), you may email me to my private email and I will explain about setting up a business in Bali.
cheers,
Alright, I sent a private email to you (Channel1), thanks so much!!