How to Choose e-VOA vs VOA in Indonesia (2026)

Last verified 23 Oct 2026 against imigrasi.go.id and our Indonesia e-VOA pages

"Should I get my Indonesia visa online before I fly, or just buy it at the airport?" Short answer: it's the same visa either way. Indonesia's B1 visa on arrival costs Rp500.000 and gives you up to 30 days, extendable once. The e-VOA lets you apply and pay online before you leave. The physical VOA means paying and queuing for it after you land.

Below is a side-by-side comparison of the three ways to get it, followed by a verdict for each.

Same visa, three routes

Indonesia's Directorate General of Immigration describes the B1 as a visa on arrival for a single entry, open to citizens of listed countries. It covers tourism, visiting family or friends, meetings and events, and transit. The stay is up to 30 days, counted from the day you arrive, and it can be extended once for another 30 days. The government fee is Rp500.000 for 30 days.

The rules and fee are the same whichever route you pick. The differences are where you apply, when you pay, and what happens at the airport:

1. e-VOA direct: you apply yourself on the government portal, evisa.imigrasi.go.id.
2. e-VOA through us: we check your documents and file the same e-VOA for you.
3. Physical VOA: you buy the visa at the port of entry after you land.

Before you choose, check that your passport is on the list. The immigration FAQ's e-VOA country list includes the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Japan. Some nationalities can enter Indonesia without a visa, and others need a visa issued before travel, so start with your own passport.

e-VOA vs VOA side by side

	e-VOA direct (government portal)	e-VOA through us	Physical VOA at the airport
Where you apply	evisa.imigrasi.go.id	indonesiaevisa.id	At the port of entry, after landing
When	Before you travel	Before you travel	On arrival
What you pay	Rp500.000 government fee	USD 99 / 139 / 179, government fee included	Rp500.000 government fee
Processing	Immigration says the e-VOA is sent within 1x24 hours	Standard 72, Priority 48 or Express 12 business hours	Issued at the counter
How you pay	Debit or credit card	Card, Apple Pay or Google Pay, in USD	At a designated bank counter in the immigration area
At the airport	Show your e-VOA at immigration	Show your e-VOA at immigration	Pay at the bank counter, collect a voucher, then queue at the VOA counter for a sticker
Documents	Passport, photo and return or onward ticket, uploaded online	Passport, photo, hotel booking and flights, checked before filing	Passport, photo and return or onward ticket, shown on arrival
Extending	Once, for 30 days, online at evisa.imigrasi.go.id	Once, for 30 days, starting online	Once, for 30 days, at an immigration office

Notes on the table:

• Prices. Our prices come from our UK and Australia nationality pages. Our processing times run Monday to Friday during Indonesian government working hours. All three of our speeds include the Rp500.000 fee.
• A fourth route. The immigration page describes one more option: apply on evisa.imigrasi.go.id and pay through SIMPONI, the government payment system, then collect the e-VOA at the visa counter on arrival.

Queues: what changes when you land

Your queue at the airport depends on the route.

With an e-VOA, the visa is already in your email as a PDF. You go to immigration, show your passport and e-VOA, and that's it. Our nationality pages say the e-VOA is fully active at Ngurah Rai in Bali (DPS) and Soekarno-Hatta in Jakarta (CGK). It is also accepted at other authorised airports, seaports and land crossings, such as Yogyakarta, Surabaya, Lombok and Manado. If you're arriving somewhere smaller, check that your port is on the authorised list before you book.

With a physical VOA, the immigration page lists three steps before you reach the immigration check:

1. Pay at a designated bank counter in the immigration inspection area and collect a visa voucher.
2. Take the voucher to the VOA counter.
3. Receive a VOA sticker in your passport and an electronic entry mark.

Each step can mean another line, especially when several long-haul flights land together. We can't tell you how long the lines will be on your day, and nobody can promise that. It's also worth checking before travel that your arrival airport or seaport actually runs a physical VOA counter. The government pages we checked don't list which ones do.

Every route ends at the same immigration desk. An officer still checks your passport, visa and travel plans, and none of the three options guarantees entry.

Pick this if…

Pick the e-VOA direct on the government portal if you're confident with online forms and your passport, photo and tickets are already in order. You'll pay only Rp500.000, and you'll land with the visa already issued.

Pick the e-VOA through us if you'd rather have someone check your documents before anything goes to immigration. You might be travelling with family, booking on short notice, or unsure whether a name or date matches across your passport and bookings. Choose a speed to fit your flight: Standard (72 business hours), Priority (48) or Express (12). See the US page for a full document list.

Pick the physical VOA if you're happy to queue after a long flight and you've checked before travel that your arrival point runs a VOA counter. It costs the same Rp500.000. The trade-off is time spent on arrival, and you'll have to extend in person at an immigration office if you stay longer than 30 days.

The bill, explained

Here is how the costs break down.

• Government fee: Rp500.000 for a 30-day B1 visa on arrival. You pay it on evisa.imigrasi.go.id or at the arrival counter. This figure is from the immigration page (check before travel).
• Our price: USD 99 (Standard), USD 139 (Priority) or USD 179 (Express). Each one includes the Rp500.000 government fee and payment processing, and you won't pay anything else for the visa on arrival.

What the difference pays for:

• an expert check of your passport, photo, hotel booking and flight bookings before we file
• catching mismatched names, dates or passport validity that can cause delays
• support until immigration makes its decision
• one payment in USD

We are a private service, not the Government of Indonesia, and approval is always up to Indonesian immigration. You can apply directly on evisa.imigrasi.go.id and pay only the government fee.

Two other arrival tasks cost you nothing extra:

• The All Indonesia arrival card at allindonesia.imigrasi.go.id is free to submit.
• The Bali tourism levy is paid on the Love Bali portal, which is free to use. Foreign tourists pay Rp150.000 per person. That levy is separate from the visa, and we don't collect it.

What travellers ask

Is the e-VOA the same visa as the visa on arrival?

Yes. Both are the B1 visa on arrival, with the same Rp500.000 fee, the same stay of up to 30 days, and the same single extension. The e-VOA is applied for and paid online before you travel. The physical VOA is bought at the port of entry.

Is the e-VOA cheaper than the visa on arrival?

Not on the government side. The fee is Rp500.000 either way. Going through us costs more (from USD 99, with the government fee included) because the price also covers a document check before filing and support until the decision.

How long is the e-VOA valid before I enter Indonesia?

Our nationality pages, and the immigration page, give 90 days from issue to enter. Your stay of up to 30 days starts on the day you arrive.

Can I extend my e-VOA?

Yes, once, for another 30 days. Immigration says e-VOA holders can extend online at evisa.imigrasi.go.id. People who bought a physical VOA extend at an immigration office.

Does the e-VOA cover the Bali levy or the arrival card?

No. The All Indonesia arrival card is a free form on allindonesia.imigrasi.go.id. The Bali tourism levy, Rp150.000 per foreign tourist, is paid on the Love Bali portal. Neither one is part of the visa fee.

Your next step

To skip the airport visa queue, have these ready before you apply:

• a passport with at least six months of validity and two blank pages
• a recent photo
• your hotel booking
• your flights

Then find your country on our Indonesia visa list to check that you need an e-VOA, and see what your passport page asks for.