Indonesia visa update in Bali... June 2006

Yes, you can still get the VOA (Visa On Arrival) with passports from most countries, and your best bet is to have US$25 dollars in new, clean bills in excellent condition, in whatever denomination you want. Be sure your passport will not expire for the next six months at least, and that you have a clean and empty page, as the visa is full sized and is placed in your passport with adhesive. An American couple who arrived recently without the necessary page (they imagined a quarter page visa stamp) were originally told they would not be able to stay in Indonesia, and after a lot of haggling were told they could - but they had to pay US$100 each for something they called a "document correction fee" or the like, since the authorities had to put the visa over some others (how do you say "baksheesh" or "mordida" in Bahasa Indonesia, anyway?)

You will still need 100,000 rupiah per person exit fee, and it must be in Indonesian rupiah - if you do not have it, you wil be required to exchange currency for rupiah. You also need some printed form of your ticket, e-ticket or itinerary - officers will demand it before you are allowed into the terminal building to check in for departure, and if you do not have it they may give you a hard time.

The ATMs in the arrivals are still work - we used CitiBank's as they give a larger amount of currency. For a taxi, we proceeded (right when you exit the terminal building) to the taxi booth, where you are given a paper ticket to give the driver; the price is destination-based. A tip is only in order if the driver helps you with your bags or is otherwise deserving.

US bills are generally NOT accepted if they are older, defaced, marked or torn; the easest way is to make sure they are "crispy" new with the new security features. Some people are not interested in accepting US$100 bills, as there have been rumors of counterfeit.



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