Wander Atlas

Essentials · Indonesia

Know before you go: Indonesia

Visa & entry, getting around, money, best time, and emergencies — with official sources.

This is a plain-English summary, not legal or medical advice. Entry and visa rules change — always confirm on the official sources linked below before you book or fly. Last reviewed: July 23, 2026.

Quick answer: Most nationalities need a paid e-Visa on Arrival (about IDR 500,000, roughly US$32) applied for online before flying, valid for 30 days; a much shorter visa-free list still exists for about 13 countries/territories. Indonesia runs on the Rupiah (cash is still king outside Bali/Jakarta), the general emergency number is 112, and April–October (dry season) is the best window to visit.

Visa & entry

Indonesia’s entry rules have tightened and gone digital in 2026, so treat any blog (including this one) as a starting point, not the final word. Indonesia has overhauled its entry and visa systems for 2026, introducing a centralized e-visa platform, mandatory pre-arrival registration via the All Indonesia app, and stricter compliance checks, with travelers from 97 countries able to obtain a 30-day Visa on Arrival or e-VoA, while limited visa-free access covers only 13 nations. Previously Indonesia granted visa-free entry to 169 countries, but a major policy shift narrowed this considerably. Most Western passport holders (US, UK, EU, Australia, Canada, etc.) will now need the paid e-VOA rather than a free visa-free stamp.

Key practical points:

  • The eVOA (B1) is valid for 30 days, extendable once for another 30 days — giving up to 60 days — and costs about IDR 500,000 per person, roughly $32 USD.
  • Extending your visa requires a personal visit to a local immigration office.
  • Visa processing is now centralized through the evisa.imigrasi.go.id platform, replacing older fragmented systems. Only use that official domain — the prominence of the e-visa system has spawned scam websites that mimic the look of the official government site and charge exorbitant fees or steal personal data.
  • Effective October 2025, all international passengers are required to declare their arrival through the All Indonesia platform at allindonesia.imigrasi.go.id.
  • Flying directly into Bali? A mandatory Bali Tourist Levy of IDR 150,000 (~USD 10) applies to all international arrivals flying directly into Bali since February 2024.
  • To enter Indonesia visa-free or on arrival, you must hold a valid passport with at least six months of validity from the date of arrival.
  • Overstaying is costly: overstaying a visa-free entry incurs fines of IDR 1,000,000 per day and can lead to deportation.

Always confirm your specific nationality’s requirements directly on the official Directorate General of Immigration site before booking flights — the rules have changed multiple times in the past two years and can change again.

Getting around

Indonesia is a vast archipelago, so plan for a mix of flying, ferries, and city transit.

  • Jakarta: The city has a genuinely modern multi-modal system. Jakarta operates the MRT (Mass Rapid Transit), TransJakarta BRT (Bus Rapid Transit), and KRL Commuterline. TransJakarta BRT fare is a flat IDR 3,500, and TransJakarta buses operate almost all day, from 5:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m., with 7 routes running 24/7. Payment is now largely cashless: Transjakarta payment uses Kartu Uang Elektronik, Kartu JakLingko or the JakLingko app.
  • Ride-hailing apps are the easiest way to get around almost anywhere in the country. Gojek and Grab are widely used for ride-hailing, motorcycle taxis (ojek), and food delivery; Uber is not available.
  • Between islands and cities: Main domestic airlines include Garuda Indonesia, Lion Air, Batik Air, and Citilink, connecting Jakarta, Bali (Denpasar), Surabaya, Medan, and Makassar, while PT Kereta Api Indonesia operates trains on Java and Sumatra (e.g., Jakarta–Yogyakarta, Jakarta–Surabaya). Ferries connect major islands (e.g., Java–Bali, Sumatra–Java).
  • Traffic warning: Traffic congestion tends to be famously severe in major cities such as Jakarta and parts of Bali, and it is particularly intense during major holidays like Eid, when journeys that normally take a few hours can last more than 10 hours. Build slack into your itinerary, especially around Idul Fitri.
  • Bali has no rail system; renting a scooter, hiring a private driver, or using Gojek/Grab are the norm outside walkable tourist strips.

Money & costs

Indonesia’s currency is the Indonesian Rupiah (IDR/Rp), and its large denominations take some getting used to.

  • The Indonesian Rupiah features many zeros, which can be confusing for first-time visitors; locals often simplify prices by dropping the last three zeros (a coffee listed as “50k” means 50,000 IDR), and banknotes range from 1,000 to 100,000 IDR, with the 100k (red) and 50k (blue) notes most common.
  • Cards vs. cash: While cards are accepted in high-end hotels and urban malls, cash still dominates local markets, taxis, ferries, and rural towns. More broadly, Indonesia is still a heavily cash-based country, though Bali and Jakarta are becoming more card-friendly — outside major tourist areas, cash is king.
  • ATMs: ATMs are widespread throughout Indonesia, with Cirrus/Maestro among the most prevalent networks accepted, though ATM limits are typically Rp 1,250,000–2,500,000 per transaction, and some remote areas of the archipelago have few or no ATMs, so carry sufficient Rupiah when travelling to smaller towns or outer provinces.
  • Rough daily budget guide: a street meal costs Rp 25,000–50,000, a mid-range restaurant meal Rp 100,000–250,000, and a hotel night Rp 500,000–2,000,000.
  • Notify your bank before departure, since some banks will automatically cancel your card after withdrawals from exotic destinations as a fraud prevention method. Bringing some USD cash as backup is also wise, since money changers are found all over Indonesia, and US dollars are the most useful foreign currency to bring.

Best time to visit

Indonesia’s tropical climate is generally split into two seasons. The dry season (April–October) is ideal for travel, with sunny weather suitable for beaches and outdoor activities, while the rainy season (November–March) brings more rain but fewer tourists and lower prices, making it ideal for cultural exploration. For beach-focused trips to Bali, Lombok, or the Gili Islands, aim for the dry-season months; for volcano hikes (like Bromo or Batur) or diving, visibility and trail conditions are also generally best in the dry months. Shoulder months (April, May, September, October) often combine decent weather with smaller crowds. Note that peak domestic travel periods around Idul Fitri (Eid) bring intense congestion and fully booked transport — avoid this period unless you specifically want to experience it.

Emergencies & safety

Indonesia has consolidated its emergency response under one nationwide number, though sector-specific numbers still work too.

  • General emergency (police, fire, ambulance dispatch): 112 — Indonesia has a general emergency call center at 112, which can be used for any urgent situation requiring immediate attention, such as fires, accidents, security breaches, or health emergencies, and the operator will connect you to the appropriate specific service center.
  • Police: 110 — according to the official Indonesian National Police (POLRI) website, you can dial 110 for a wide range of emergencies, especially crime cases, including accidents, disasters, riots, and acts of violence.
  • Ambulance: 118 / 119, Fire: 113, Search and Rescue (Basarnas): 115 — Basarnas emergency number is 115; the fire department can also be reached at 113 or 1131; and ambulance service is reachable at 118 and 119.
  • In Bali specifically, there’s also a Tourist Police line (155): Bali’s universal emergency number is 112 (for all emergencies), plus Police 110, Ambulance 118, Fire 113, and Tourist Police 155.
  • If dialing from a foreign SIM/roaming line, remember the country code: follow with Indonesia’s country code 62, and dial the emergency number without the leading zero.
  • Because of traffic and infrastructure limits, it might be faster to use local transportation to get to the nearest medical facility rather than waiting for an ambulance — in Bali or Jakarta, a Gojek/Grab car can sometimes beat an ambulance to the hospital. Save these numbers in your phone before you land, and note down the address of a private international-standard hospital or clinic near where you’re staying (e.g., BIMC or Siloam in Bali) in case English-speaking staff are needed.
  • General safety: stick to registered dive operators and boat charters, wear a helmet on scooters (police checks are common), and only work on the visa purpose you were granted — if you are caught working on a visit visa, the penalty is deportation and a re-entry ban.

Official sources

AI-assisted and web-researched, reviewed against official sources on July 23, 2026. Rules and prices change — verify on the official links above. See our Editorial policy.