The types of Visas in Indonesia are quite diverse. This relatively makes foreigners who want to come to Indonesia clueless and need help unraveling each visa’s description and process. 

Definition of Visa

A visa is an official document that allows the bearer to legally enter a foreign country. Following to Ministry of Law and Human Rights No. 22 of 2023 (“Permenkumham 22/2023”), a Visa of the Republic of Indonesia (“Visa”) is a document that allows foreigners to enter the Indonesian territory and forms the basis for a stay permit.

The visa is usually stamped or glued into the bearer’s passport but in Indonesia itself, all foreigners entering Indonesia must have a valid and legal Visa unless otherwise stipulated by immigration laws and international treaties.

Foreigners are required to have a guarantor (sponsor) who could be an Indonesian citizen or legal entity domiciled in Indonesia. Sponsors may submit applications for various reasons, including business meetings, lectures, and journalistic visits, among others.

Types of Visa

The Law No. 6 of 2011 (“Immigration Law”) governs four types of Indonesian visas: diplomatic visas, service visas, limited stay visas, and visit visas.

1. Diplomatic Visa
   Diplomatic visas are for foreigners (including family members) to enter Indonesian territory to engage in diplomatic missions following international treaties and reciprocity principles.
2. Service Visa
   The purpose of this visa is to permit foreigners (including family members) who hold diplomatic passports and other passports to enter Indonesian territory to engage in non-diplomatic missions following the orientation of their appointment in Indonesia by their Government or International Organization.Please note that the issuance of Diplomatic Visas and Service Visas is under the authority of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia.
3. Limited Stay Visa
   There are two categories of granting this type of limited-stay visa to foreigners who:
   • is a clergyman, expert, worker, researcher, student, investor, and their families, as well as foreigners legally married to an Indonesian citizen, who plan to reside temporarily in Indonesian territory;
   • work on a vessel, floating device, or installation operating in the archipelagic waters, territorial seas, continental shelves, and/or Exclusive Economic Zone of Indonesia. There are various types of limited-stay visas according to the foreigner’s arrival purposes.Limited stay visas are given to foreigners and their families who have fulfilled certain requirements to live in Indonesia for 5 (five) or 10 (ten) years.
4. Limited stay visa
   Limited stay visas are given to foreigners and their families who have fulfilled certain requirements to live in Indonesia for 5 (five) or 10 (ten) years.
5. Visit Visa
   Visit Visa is a Visa granted to foreigners who will travel to Indonesian territory for governmental, educational, socio-cultural, tourism, pre-investment, business, family, or journalistic visits, or to stop by to continue travel to another country.In addition to these reasons, based on Article 41 of the Immigration Law, immigration officers may also issue Visit Visas to nationals of certain countries at their discretion upon arrival.There are 3 types of Visit Visas, which are:

• • One-Time Visit Visa
    This type of one-time visit visa is given to foreigners who will stay in Indonesia for a maximum of 60 days or 180 days, for the purposes of tourism, family, social, business, pre-investment, arts and culture, government duties, non-commercial sports, comparative studies or short courses and short training, doing emergency and urgent work, giving lectures or attending seminars, continuing travel to other countries, joining conveyances that are in Indonesian territory, making journalistic visits, participating in international exhibitions, attending meetings held with the head office or representatives in Indonesia, purchasing goods, making films, providing guidance, counselling, and training in the application and innovation of industrial technology to improve the quality and design of industrial products and foreign marketing cooperation for Indonesia, conducting audits, production quality control, or inspections at company branches in Indonesia, and prospective foreign workers in the trial of ability to work.For the record, based on Article 14 of Minister of Law and Human Rights Regulation No. 29 of 2021 (Permenkumham 29/2021),a one-time visit visa can also be granted to stateless foreigners and/or foreigners holding travel documents other than national passports to conduct tourist activities, family, social, business, pre-investment, arts and culture, government duties, non-commercial sports, comparative studies, short courses and short training, performing emergency and urgent work, giving lectures or attending seminars, continuing travel to other countries and joining conveyances that are in Indonesian territory.
  • Multiple Trip Visit Visa
    Multiple-Trip Visit Visa is a type of visit visa granted to foreigners with a validity period of 5 years to stay in Indonesia for a maximum of 60 days or 180 days for government duties, pre-investment, business, and family needs.
  • Visa on Arrival
    Visa On Arrival is granted to foreigners of countries, governments of special administrative regions of a country, and certain entities subject to a Visa On Arrival to stay in the territory of Indonesia for a maximum of 30 days.

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Visa and Passport, What’s the Difference?

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Countries with Visa-Free Visits to Indonesia

Visas are needed to maintain the security and stability of a country. However, many countries do not require a specific visa to visit their countries, such as Indonesia, based on a good bilateral relationship.

As an additional reference, Presidential Regulation No. 21/2016 on Visa-Free Visits provides further information. The following list includes countries allowed to visit Indonesia without a visa as of 11 June 2024, provided that a visit stay permit is granted for a specified period (not given for journalism visits).