Entry Guide to Indonesia
Do you know Indonesia's Visa and Immigration Policy?
Before leaving and starting an exciting adventure exploring the various natural wonders of Indonesia, make sure you already have the necessary travel documents. It would be even better, if you already know all the complete information about Indonesia's visa and immigration policies from your home country, in order to avoid unwanted things.
You can visit our Visa and Immigration Information page to learn more about entry permits to Indonesia and other related information.
1 | What is the easiest way to enter Indonesia via air transportation?
Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang (right on the outskirts of Jakarta) and Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali, are the two main entry points for foreign tourists wanting to visit Indonesia via air transportation. Both airports have undergone major expansions and are now equipped with newer and more comfortable facilities. Other airports that also serve international flights are Juanda Airport in Surabaya, Hasanuddin Airport in Makassar, and Kuala Namu Airport in Medan. The newly established West Java International Airport in Majalengka, West Java, or about 68 kilometers from the city of Bandung, also provides a variety of international flights.
Air travel from the US to Indonesia takes at least 20 hours with at least one transit in East Asia, Europe, or the Middle East. Meanwhile, traveling from most countries in Europe takes less than 20 hours. In Europe, direct flights are available from Amsterdam, London, and Istanbul, but for those of you who are in other than the list of cities above, you must still make at least one transit. For flights from Australia, which is quite close to Indonesia, it takes about 4-7 hours of air travel. There are also departures provided by several airlines in several major cities in the Middle East, which have regular schedules to Indonesia. There are also short-haul flights from several cities in Indonesia that are close to cities in Malaysia, such as departures from Pontianak to Kuching, from Tarakan to Tawau, and from Pekanbaru to Malacca.
Garuda Indonesia, an Indonesian-owned airline, serves flights to several cities in Southeast Asia, East Asia, Australia, Saudi Arabia, Amsterdam, and London. Garuda Indonesia also has extensive code-sharing agreements (Sky Team), which will help provide good flight frequencies from various airports in countries close to Indonesia.
2 | What is the easiest way to enter Indonesia by sea?
Ferry Boats
Indonesia can be visited by sea, one of which is by using a ferry. Indonesia's sea routes are directly connected to neighboring countries such as, Singapore, Malaysia, and the Philippines. The ports that are commonly accessed by foreign tourists are connected between Sumatra Island and Riau Islands with ports in Singapore and Peninsular Malaysia. The geographical proximity of Batam Island and Bintan Island in the Riau Islands to Singapore and Malaysia makes the twin islands the third and fourth major entry points into Indonesia. In addition, there are also ferries connecting Sabah, Malaysia and East Kalimantan, both ports serving routes to Jakarta or other islands in Indonesia. Meanwhile, Roll On Roll Off (RoRo) ships connect General Santos and Davao in the Philippines with Bitung, North Sulawesi.
There are ferries that provide regular trips from Singapore to several ports in Batam, Tanjung Pinang, and Bandar Bintan Telani Lagoi (resort) in Bintan. Pesona pals can also board a ferry that operates daily on the Singapore-Tanjung Balai route on Karimun Island. In Peninsular Malaysia, there are ferries that offer daily trips with routes to Batam, Bintan, Tanjung Balai, Dumai, Pekanbaru, and Tanjung Balai Asahan, available at Johor Bahru Port and Kland Port.
Cruise Ships and Sailing Ships
The cruise ships will stop at 5 ports in Indonesia, namely Tanjung Priok (North Jakarta), Tanjung Perak (Surabaya), Belawan (near Medan), Makassar, and Tanjung Benoa (Bali). There are 24 regular cruise ship itineraries from Singapore to Java and Bali, as well as several special schedules to Bali and Nusa Tenggara. Pesona friends can board the cruise ship and stop at specific locations along the way along with other passengers, in which case immigration will be handled on the ship. This stop can also be the last place to end your cruise, but you must visit the Immigration office after docking to take care of the required documents.
As a form of commitment to ease the process of entering Indonesian waters, the Indonesian government has implemented a number of policies with simpler procedures. These policies include waiving the Cabotage principle so that cruise ships can load and unload passengers at designated ports. The government has also relaxed customs, immigration, quarantine and port authority procedures and accelerated the sailing permit application process from one month to one day.
The Clearance and Approval for Indonesia Territory (CAIT) policy has also been abolished. Now ships can register online through the website http://yachters-indonesia.id
3 | How to enter Indonesia through the route from if Pesona Friend is in the border area?
Three Indonesian land areas are directly adjacent to three countries, namely Timor Island with Timor Leste, Kalimantan with Malaysia, and Papua with Papua New Guinea. The border area of Indonesia-Timor Leste is in Atambua City, where Motaain is the Cross Border Post. The other two posts in Atambua City are Matamauk and Napan.
From Malaysia, there is a bus that routinely operates on the route Kuching (Sarawak, eastern Malaysia) - Pontianak (West Kalimantan), the bus passes through the Cross Border Post located in Entikong. Meanwhile, the Aruk Cross Border Post in the Sambas region connects West Kalimantan with Sarawak, Malaysia. And finally, the Nanga Badau Sanggau Cross Border Post which connects the region in West Kalimantan with Sarawak, Malaysia.
The only land border connecting Papua and Papua New Guinea is the Skouw Cross Border Post located in Mauratami District. It is located approximately 60 kilometers from Jayapura, the capital of Papua Province.