Indonesia Immigration for Yacht Crew
Passports must be valid for more than six months after the date of entry.
Do I need a Visa?
Everyone arriving into Indonesia, whether by sea or air, must have a visa - either the Visa on Arrival (valid for 30 days and obtainable as an eVOA) or the C1 60 day visa.
Indonesia has halted its visa-free travel arrangements for over 159 countries as part of the country’s tourism shakeup. Only nationals of ASEAN countries - Brunei, Philippines, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam - remain exempt from visa requirements.
- For details of all visas available for Indonesia and who is eligible - see the Indonesia Government Immigration website. [Note: The website may be slow to respond or even down for periods of time so be patient and keep trying.]
- The Bali.com website has useful information on obtaining visas for Indonesia.
Types of Visa
Visa on Arrival (VOA) and e-VOA
Visa on Arrival (VOA) is available at a number of entry points and online at the Indonesian Immigration Department e-VOA website. The cost is IDR 500,000 per person and the Visa is valid for 30 days. Ensure you get a QR code which must be scanned by Immigration officials on entry.
The Visa on Arrival cannot be converted into another type of stay permit, but can be extended (online) once for an additional 30-day period. However, from May 29, 2025, all travelers wishing to extend their stay beyond 30 days must now process their extension in person at an immigration office in Indonesia, regardless of whether the initial visa was obtained online (or at the airport.)
- For a list of nationalities which can get a VOA/e-VOA see this link.
- See the Indonesian Government Immigration website for ports where VOAs are available. [Note: The website may be slow to respond or even down for periods of time so be patient and keep trying. Also, there may be frequent changes to information.]
C1 Visa (formerly the B211A Visit Visa)
This is a 60-day visa with two 60 day extensions. It is possible to apply for this visa yourself, online, but the application must be made while you are outside the country. Give yourself plenty of time in advance of arrival to do your application, as the system is still "clunky" to use and it may take several attempts to upload the required information. If you can't manage to do the application yourself, then you will need to use an agent. If the agent has to expediate your application due to limited time, they will charge a high fee for this, so start the application early - at least five to six working days before you are entering the country.
To apply online go to
The Official E-Visa Website for Indonesia. You must create an account first (which requires a high quality scan [jpg] of your passport plus a passport photo of yourself) and select "60 day tourist visa". You will need financial proof for funding your stay in Indonesia of at least US$2000 [3 months of bank statements], insurance and an address in Indonesia (a marina address will suffice).
Retirement Visas (Golden Visas)
Indonesia also offers retirement visas for 12 months, so people can stay in the country, fly home and re-enter Indonesia whenever they like. These visas are still difficult to obtain for those wishing to spend their retirement cruising the waters of Indonesia. However, Noonsite understands that efforts are being made to simplify the process and make it easier for yachters to apply for a retirement visa.
Visa Extensions
Visa on Arrival (VOA/eVOA)
This can be extended once for an additional period of 30 (thirty) days, giving a total stay in Indonesia of 60 days. However, from May 29, 2025, all travelers wishing to extend their stay beyond 30 days must now process their extension in person at an immigration office in Indonesia, regardless of whether the initial visa was obtained online (or at the airport.)
There is a fee of IDR 500,000 for the extension. It is advisable to start the process up to 14 days before the expirty date. In Bali, the process has been reported to take seven working days. Ambon, Tual and Belitung immigration offices have reported being effective however, processing extensions in 24 to 48 hours. If you ask nicely and explain that you are in a hurry to leave because of the weather forecast, you may be lucky and find an Immigration office who can process the extension the same or next day.
You cannot get another Visa after you have extended the Visa on Arrival ONCE (max. 60 days in total), while you are in Indonesia. You will have to leave the country and come back.
C1 Visa Extension
This visa can be extended for two additional periods of 60 days each, giving a total stay in Indonesia of 180 days.
It is advisable to start the extension process at least 14 days before the initial 60 day visa expires. The extension can done online yourself or processed by your agent if you are using one. Payment is all taken care of online as well, so no more in-person visits to the Immigration office or bank required. The agent will send proof of the extension by e-mail. Visa extension costs range from 500K to 1M IDR, depending on the agent used.
Immigration Fees
For details of all Visa fees and charges, see the
Indonesia Immigration website.
Notes:
- Indonesian Embassies in Malaysia tend to be very customer friendly.
- Even with a tourist visa, some nationalities may only be granted a 30-day visa (some South American countries).
- If you don't renew a VOA before the 30 days have expired (so overstay the 30 days), you will be charged a hefty fine. So if you see 30 days printed on the visa, renew it 7 days before the 30 days is up, to avoid any problems. Your day or arrival and departure are counted in the 30 days.
- See this helpful Compendium from SY SoggyPaws for a complete list of immigration offices throughout Indonesia. The original source is on the Indonesia Immigration website.
Crew Changes
From July 1, 2024, Indonesia officials in some parts of the country started to enforce a regulation that yachts were no longer permitted to change crew or add new crew members (i.e. crew lists from the port of entry have to be the same at the port of departure). The rule was being actively enforced by officials in western Indonesia in the Anambas Islands, due to a vessel engaged in illegal chartering.
For many cruisers, crew changes are needed for delivery crew or family/friends that are visiting. According to the regulations, a crew change is not allowed “except in an emergency or for safety reasons”. However, there is no official definition of what an “emergency or safety reason” is – just that there needs to be an emergency or a safety reason for a crew change to be allowed.
Agents have indicated that should a captain/skipper want to effect a crew change – this can be done if the crew change is necessary because the crew member has a family emergency and has to return to their home country immediately. It also may be that your insurance company requires that another crew member joins the vessel – for safety reasons – to replace the crew member that had to return home due to their “family emergency”.
A letter stating the reasons for the emergency crew change, or the safety reason why the crew change is being made, should be prepared by the skipper/captain and provided to officials as required. If any cruisers have face problems with this regulation, please get in touch at noonsite@noonsite.com. and we can put you in touch with officials who will assist.
The Immigration regulation from the Minister of Law and Human Rights Regulation No. 9/2024 (see the file attached) article no: 67, states:
- (1 ). Yachts are not permitted to change, add, and/or reduce passengers except in emergency situations.
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(2 ). Changes, additions, and/or reductions in passengers in emergency situations as referred to in paragraph (1) may be made after obtaining approval from the immigration officer at the TPI based on an emergency statement from the relevant government agency.
Tips:
- Carry a large number of photocopies of documents, especially the Vessel Declaration Form (from the online system), the Port Clearance form for Indonesia (SPB) and the yacht registration document - enough to be given to officials at all ports of call if asked for. Note however that many offices are now becoming "paperless" and scanning documents, which is a good thing.
- There is a one million rupiah (1,000,000)/day fine for a visa overstays (65 Euros per day)
Last updated: August 2025
