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신청 도움받기Indonesia Arrival Card vs Visa on Arrival: The Difference (2026)
Updated 2026-10-09
Key Takeaways
- The arrival card and the Visa on Arrival are two different requirements. The card is a free registration that everyone entering Indonesia must submit; the VoA is a paid entry permit, Rp 500,000, for nationalities without visa-free access.
- Most non-ASEAN tourists, including US, UK, Australian, and Canadian travelers, need both: the free card plus the paid VoA or e-VOA.
- ASEAN nationals and other visa-exempt travelers need only the free arrival card.
- The Bali tourist levy, Rp 150,000, is a third separate thing, paid through the Love Bali system by foreign tourists entering Bali.
- Check your nationality's current status at evisa.imigrasi.go.id; visa lists change, and a 2026 VoA fee increase proposal has no confirmed start date.
The short answer
The Indonesia arrival card and the Visa on Arrival are not the same thing, not alternatives, and not interchangeable. The arrival card is a free registration that records who is entering, on which flight, staying where, with what health status and what goods. The Visa on Arrival is a paid permit, Rp 500,000, that decides whether certain nationalities may enter and stay at all. You can need both, and most non-ASEAN tourists do.
The names cause the confusion, so fix the mapping now: the card lives at allindonesia.imigrasi.go.id, is free, and is required of everyone entering Indonesia, Indonesian citizens included. The VoA is bought at the airport counter or in advance as an e-VOA at evisa.imigrasi.go.id, and only nationalities without visa-free access need it. We are an independent filing service for the card, $15 with QR code delivery in as little as 10 minutes; both official forms can always be done yourself, and the card one is free.
The decisive table: card vs VoA vs visa-free
Three ways travelers enter Indonesia, side by side. Find your column before you plan anything else.
| All Indonesia Arrival Card | Visa on Arrival (VoA / e-VOA) | Visa-free entry | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | Entry registration: identity, health, customs | Paid entry permit, bought on arrival or online as e-VOA | Entry without a visa for exempt nationalities, mostly ASEAN |
| Who needs it | Everyone entering Indonesia, Indonesians and children included | About 90+ nationalities without visa-free access, incl. US, UK, Australia, Canada | Nationals of visa-exempt countries, e.g. Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand |
| Cost | Free | Rp 500,000, about US$30-35, per person; increase proposed but unconfirmed | Nothing |
| When to get it | Within 3 days before arrival | At the airport counter, or in advance as e-VOA | Nothing to buy |
| Stay length | Not a stay permit | 30 days, extendable once for 30 more | Typically 30 days, no extension |
| Does it replace the card? | It is the card | No; VoA holders still submit the card | No; visa-free travelers still submit the card |
Worked examples by nationality
The abstract table becomes obvious with real travelers. Read the row that matches your passport, then double-check against the official list at evisa.imigrasi.go.id, because eligibility lists shift and our examples are a map, not the law.
| Traveler | Arrival card | Visa side | Bali levy if flying to Bali |
|---|---|---|---|
| US passport, 2-week Bali holiday | Yes, free, within 3 days | VoA Rp 500,000 or e-VOA in advance | Rp 150,000 via Love Bali |
| UK passport, Jakarta business week | Yes, free | VoA Rp 500,000 or e-VOA | Not applicable |
| Australian family of 4 to Bali | 4 cards, free, one per passport | 4 VoA fees | 4 levies |
| Singapore passport, weekend in Bali | Yes, free | None; visa-free entry | Levy applies to foreign tourists; check Love Bali exemptions |
| Indonesian citizen flying home to Jakarta | Yes, via the Indonesian Citizen stream | None | Not applicable |
Why the card never substitutes for the visa
The two documents answer different questions, and neither system reads the other as a substitute. The visa answers: may this person enter and stay, and for how long? The card answers: who exactly is arriving, on which flight, staying where, healthy or symptomatic, carrying what? Buying a Rp 500,000 VoA does not register your address or customs goods; filing a free card does not grant one minute of stay. That is why the e-visa portal itself tells e-VOA applicants that the arrival card is still required.
The reverse confusion costs money: travelers assume that because they hold an e-VOA receipt, no form remains, and they land with no card on record. The fix at the airport is filling the form on the spot while the queue waits. The cheap fix is filing inside the 3-day window, which costs nothing. Who exactly needs the card is untangled in do I need an Indonesia arrival card.
The Bali levy: the third separate thing
Bali adds one more charge that travelers fold into the same mental folder: the Bali tourist levy, Rp 150,000 per foreign tourist, collected by the provincial government through its Love Bali system. It is not the arrival card, not the VoA, and not a federal fee. It applies on top: a US traveler to Bali pays the free card, the Rp 500,000 VoA, and the Rp 150,000 levy, three distinct line items to three distinct systems.
Pay the levy through the official Love Bali channels before you fly or at the airport's payment points, and keep the receipt with your QR code. Travelers entering anywhere other than Bali, Jakarta, Surabaya, Lombok, pay no levy at all. The money picture, including the unconfirmed 2026 proposal to raise the VoA fee toward Rp 750,000 or Rp 1,000,000, is detailed in our fees and processing time guide.
The order of operations before you fly
Sequence the paperwork and nothing collides. First, settle the visa question for your nationality: visa-free, nothing to buy; VoA nationalities, ideally buy the e-VOA at evisa.imigrasi.go.id in advance to skip the counter queue. Second, once flights and hotels are final and your arrival falls within 3 days, submit the arrival card, one per traveler, children included, free. Third, if Bali is the destination, pay the levy and save the receipt. Then fly.
The full system guide, including what each of the card's six form blocks asks, is our complete Indonesia arrival card guide, and we will file the card side of this stack for $15, verified and delivered in as little as 10 minutes, if you would rather not touch the portal yourself.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Indonesia arrival card the same as the Visa on Arrival?
No. The card is a free entry registration required of everyone. The VoA is a paid permit, Rp 500,000, needed by nationalities without visa-free access. Most non-ASEAN tourists need both.
Do US citizens need the Visa on Arrival and the arrival card?
Yes to both. The card is free and filed within 3 days before arrival; the VoA is Rp 500,000 at the counter or bought in advance as an e-VOA.
I am from an ASEAN country and enter visa-free. Do I still need the arrival card?
Yes. Visa-free entry removes the visa, not the card. Every person entering Indonesia submits the card, whatever their visa status.
Does buying the e-VOA replace the arrival card?
No. Indonesia's own e-visa portal tells e-VOA applicants that the arrival card is still required. The two cover different things and stack on top of each other.
How much is the Visa on Arrival in 2026?
Rp 500,000 remains the listed price, but a 2026 proposal would raise it to Rp 750,000 for the e-VOA and Rp 1,000,000 at the counter, with no confirmed start date. Confirm at evisa.imigrasi.go.id close to travel.
Is the Bali tourist levy part of the arrival card or the VoA?
Neither. The Rp 150,000 levy is separate, charged by the Bali provincial government through the Love Bali system, on top of the free card and any visa.
Which nationalities need only the free arrival card?
Nationals of visa-exempt countries, mostly ASEAN members, plus Indonesian citizens returning home. Everyone else generally needs the card plus the VoA or another visa; check the official list at evisa.imigrasi.go.id.
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