Free stamp on arrival
Russians arriving for tourist purposes for a period of up to 30 days do not require a visa .
An entry stamp into Indonesia is affixed to your passport directly at the airport upon arrival and does not cost any money .
However, in this case it is impossible to extend your stay in Bali. If you think that 30 days is not enough, you need to get a visa on arrival.
It opens for 30 days, with the possibility of extension for the same amount. The cost of such a visa, as well as its extension, is $35 .
Documentation
For entry you will need the following documents:
- International passport. It must have at least one blank page. Validity period is at least 6 months from the date of entry into the country.
- Return ticket or ticket to a third country (in case of transit).
- Confirmation of hotel reservation.
- Customs declaration. It is only needed if the tourist has something to declare: large sums of money, expensive personal items.
Migration card
Before passport control, you must fill out a migration card, which is issued on the plane .
It consists of two parts:
- the first (arrival card) is given to the airport employee at passport control;
- The tourist should carefully keep the second (departure card) with him. You will need it to go home or to extend your visa to Bali.
The card is filled out in neat, legible block letters using a black or blue pen. In the “Full name” item, only the first name is indicated in the first line, the last name is indicated in the second, and there is no need to indicate the patronymic. Dates must be written in the format “dd-mm-yyyy”.
A migration card is filled out for each tourist, this also applies to children of any age.
Visa-free entry to Indonesia
Tourists from Russia enjoy the right to free visa-free entry into Indonesia for a period of up to 30 days. However, the coveted stamp for foreign travel can only be obtained at the airports of Jakarta, Medan, Surabaya, Batam and Bali. Those arriving in Indonesia by sea will receive this stamp at the ports of Bintan, Sekupang, Batam and Tanjung Uban. At border control you must present:
- a passport with one blank page, valid for more than 6 months from the date of entry into Indonesia;
- paid return ticket.
There is no need to fill out a migration card, but if the border guard has any doubts, he may inquire about the availability of a hotel reservation and means of accommodation. The date of arrival in Indonesia is indicated on the stamp in the passport. Within 30 days, its owner is obliged to leave the territory of the country, and he can do this only through air or sea ports intended for visa-free entry.
Visa-free stay cannot be extended. If necessary, you can go for 1-2 days to any neighboring country in order to receive 30 visa-free days upon return. Every day you stay in Indonesia beyond the permitted period is punishable by a fine of 300,000 IDR (payable upon departure). Prices on the page are for May 2019.
Exceeding the permitted period of stay in the country by more than 60 days is considered a criminal offense and carries a fine of up to IDR 500,000,000 or a prison term of up to 5 years.
Obtaining a visa at the airport
Obtaining a Bali visa for Russians at Ngurah Rai Airport is a simple procedure. At the first window they charge a fee, at the second they stick the visa into the passport.
In order to save time, tourists traveling together are better off splitting up and standing in both queues at once . True, the counters with these windows are located at a distance from each other: the payment is in the center of the hall, the inset is on the left side.
The average time you should expect when going through security at the airport is up to an hour.
Customs regulations
In Bali you are allowed to import duty free:
- foreign currency in unlimited quantities, amounts over 11 thousand dollars must be declared;
- cigarettes – up to 200 pieces, cigars – up to 50 pieces, tobacco – up to 100 g;
- alcoholic drinks – up to 1 l;
- coffee – up to 500 g, tea – up to 100 g;
- perfume – up to 50 ml, eau de toilette – up to 250 ml;
- personal items with a total value of up to $250 per person and up to $1,000 per family;
- cameras, video cameras and other electronics.
Import prohibited:
- firearms and explosive materials;
- drugs;
- pornography in any form;
- printed literature in Chinese;
- medications without a doctor's prescription in English;
- handicrafts and rare collectibles;
- wireless radiotelephones;
- Chinese-made medicines.
There is a ban on the import of fresh fruits, vegetables and fruits (with the exception of hand luggage), as well as meat and fish.
You can export fruits and fruits (except durian) from Bali, up to 2 liters of alcohol of any strength.
But products with wood carvings, shells and corals in unprocessed form are strictly prohibited for export .
This also applies to:
- rare animals and birds, their stuffed animals;
- items of historical or cultural value.
Transportation of animals
an international veterinary certificate must be present
The animal itself must be over 3 months old, not pregnant or lactating. The import of any birds is prohibited.
Airport tax
When departing from the international terminal of Ngurah Rai Airport, each tourist is required to pay an airport tax in the amount of 200,000 rupees - almost $15.
The price is the same for both adults and infants. Payment is in cash only and in rupees only.
Overstay
If the visa expires while in Bali, the tourist begins to experience overage.
The fine per day is one million rupees ($70). The permissible overstay limit is 60 days.
If the visa is not renewed, then the tourist faces up to 5 years in prison and a huge fine.
Quarantine restrictions are planned to be completely lifted no earlier than 2022
The Thai authorities plan to completely lift quarantine restrictions in January 2022.
In the meantime, only those tourists who have been vaccinated will be allowed to travel. Just being sick is not enough. It is necessary to be vaccinated with a drug approved by WHO.
Today, 29 thousand diseases have been recorded among almost 70 million people. The country's authorities plan to complete vaccination of 60-70% of its citizens and only after that allow tourists to enter.
The conditions for entry of guests of the country are as follows. Those who have been vaccinated are exempt from undergoing isolation for 14 days. But after arriving at the resort, the tourist must undergo a PCR test and not leave the place of intended deployment for 7 days. Then it will be possible, if desired, to leave the hotel and travel around the country without restrictions.
To monitor tourists' compliance with this rule, a virtual tracking system has been developed. Arrivals download a special application to their smartphone and the authorities see how accurately isolation regulations are being followed and whether they are being violated.
But Phuket will be opened for a small flow of tourists in July 2021.
If the visitor confirms that he has been vaccinated against Covid with a drug approved by WHO, he will be released from quarantine.
Thus, in total, the guest will be required to perform the following procedures:
- Vaccination with a WHO approved vaccine.
- PCR test, valid at the time of arrival, and done no earlier than 72 hours.
- Certificate of Entry (COE).
- Availability of insurance that includes coverage in case of COVID-19 infection.
Looking ahead, I will say that the Russian Sputnik V is not on the WHO list of approved devices for use.
Consequently, those Russians who are vaccinated with Sputnik will be considered unvaccinated, with all the ensuing consequences. This means going through quarantine for 14 or 10 days and taking a test at the beginning and end of the isolation period. The tourist undergoes quarantine at his own expense.
Tourist visa
Now about what kind of visa is needed in Bali for those Russians who are going there for a longer period, or not for tourism purposes.
The most common is the tourist visa. It opens up the opportunity to stay on the island for up to 60 days , with the right to extend for another 6 months.
This type of visa is ideal for those who do not intend to do business in Bali, but want to stay longer.
A tourist visa is issued through the Indonesian consulate.
The package of documents may vary depending on the city, but in general terms it looks like this:
- a foreign passport valid for at least another 6 months from the date of entry into Indonesia;
- 2 photocopies of the main page of the passport;
- 2 photos 3.5x4.5 cm;
- completed tourist application form in 2 copies;
- ticket to Indonesia;
- return ticket or confirmation of its reservation;
- receipt of payment of the consular fee.
The consulate may additionally require a certificate from the bank about the financial security of the trip and confirmation of a hotel reservation in Bali.
The cost of a single-entry tourist visa is $50 .
It can be extended 4 times, each time for 30 days. The cost of renewal is up to 1.05 million rupees ($75).
Extensions are usually carried out through visa agents. You can find out more about how to extend a visa to Bali on the consulate website.
How to extend your Bali visa yourself
The independent renewal process consists of three stages:
1. Submission of documents (from 08:00 to 12:00), payment of the fee; 2. Photography and prints (from 08:00 to 11:00); 3. Passport return (from 14:00 to 15:00).
The interval between each stage, in our case, was exactly 7 days (that is, the whole process took a little more than 2 weeks).
We recommend arriving at the opening to submit documents to avoid queues. The daily limit is 100 coupons (one coupon for each passport).
Step by step how to extend your visa:
1. At the reception, take the form and fill it out with a black pen (only the fields translated into English), the block about the sponsor remains empty. An example of filling out a Bali visa application form:
2. Take the coupon from the terminal (button A). While you wait for your number to appear on the board, you give the documents to the employee. You wait about 20 minutes, everyone is called by name, given a notice with the date of the next visit and a receipt for payment.
3. You can pay for your visa extension (500,000 IDR in cash) on the orange bus, to the left of the entrance to the immigration office. If there is no bus, then go to the nearest bank. It is important to pay on the day of submission! Photos of the bus and prices for immigration center services
4. Second visit: you take the coupon not from the machine, but from the window where you handed over the documents. You wait your turn and get your photo and fingerprints taken. The second visit turned out to be the fastest - literally five minutes (we were not the first in line).
5. Third visit - passport collection. You hand over the paid receipt and the notice that you received on your first visit to the window to the right of the reception. Then you wait, they will call you (by name).
Everything is very simple, and most importantly much cheaper than through an agency.
In total, we spent 1 hour of time in three visits (45+5+10).
Extension through an agency costs 800,000–1,050,000 IDR , including visa fee (depending on the deadline for submitting documents to the agency). In this case, the documents are collected by a courier, and you only need to go to the immigration center in person once (for photos and fingerprints).
Social visa
The opening of a social visa to Bali for Russians in 2020 will, in general, be similar to a tourist one.
The main difference is that a social visa requires a sponsor. It must be an Indonesian citizen with a passport registered in Bali or a company.
The sponsor, in this case, is the one who invites you to his place; he is not at all obliged to pay for accommodation there.
If you cannot find a sponsor, you should contact a visa agency for help.
The list of documents for applying for a social visa is identical to the list for a tourist visa, plus you also need a letter from the sponsor with an invitation to visit and a copy of the sponsor’s identity document.
How much does a social visa cost for Bali? Its duration, cost of registration and extension are completely the same as the tourist one .
You must renew your visa with the same sponsor, but if for some reason you want to change it, you will need to pay an additional fee for re-registration of sponsorship.
If you want to extend your social visa on your own with a sponsor, you will have to come to the agency office three times for each extension:
- Submit documents. The presence of the sponsor and all family members for whom he vouches is necessary;
- Submit biometrics. Again, all family members must be present;
- Pick up your passport. One family member is enough.
The processing time for a tourist or social visa usually ranges from 1-4 working days .
Child visa
Many tourists are interested in whether children need a visa to Bali. Yes, a visa is issued for each child over 1 month old.
Children under 9 years are included in the parents' passport, and visa issuance is free.
For all children over 9 years of age, the visa fee is paid in full, regardless of whether they are included in their parents’ passport or have their own passport.
When traveling with a minor you must have:
- original birth certificate;
- a completed migration card for the child;
- insurance;
- a certificate from school (if the child is a school student).
If a child is traveling with a third party , there must be a notarized permission for export from at least one of the parents.
Also, if a child goes to Bali with only one parent , permission from the second is required.
Business visa
The best option for those who are going to Indonesia for business purposes, but not as an employee or employer (business negotiations, seminars, conferences), is a business visa.
The validity period of such a visa is from 6 months to a year , but a single period of stay cannot exceed 60 days.
An unlimited number of entries and exits are allowed during the validity of the visa.
The Indonesian company must provide an invitation letter and a list of other documents.
The cost of a business visa to Bali is up to $300 for visa agency services plus $115 consular fee.
When will the borders with Thailand open – July 1 or October 1, 2021
Different sources give different dates for when Thailand's borders may be opened in 2021.
The most common version is that the reception of tourists will begin in July 2021. But it is not exactly. The date is also called October 1, 2021.
The Thai authorities explained that entry will be allowed to those who have been vaccinated against coronavirus. Vaccinated travelers will not have to go into quarantine, but will immediately go sunbathing and swimming. Phuket will be the first to open to tourists: from July 1. At the same time, the rainy season begins and lasts until September. But this will have almost no effect on your vacation. The weather is warm and comfortable; it rains mostly at night. The water temperature in the ocean off the coast of Thailand is not lower than +25°C all year round.
KITAS and KITAP
To work and study in Bali, you will need a KITAS visa (residence permit). It will cost about 2000 dollars .
There are also family, student and retirement visas that do not involve working in Indonesia.
The features of obtaining a family residence permit (Family KITAS) are described in detail in the following video:
Those who want to settle on the island need a KITAP visa. It is issued for 5 years and is subject to renewal every year.
Health insurance policy
Employees of the Consular Section, like passport control officers, do not require visitors to have insurance, but experts recommend not saving money and taking out medical insurance for the entire duration of your stay in the country.
Local climatic features, exotic cuisine, and a long flight can affect your health and force you to go to the hospital. Indonesia is one of the countries where medical services are quite expensive, so a medical policy will allow you to save a lot in case of any problems.
