Bali visa for UK citizens: Indonesia visa on arrival, e-VOA and fees

Yes, but you can get it on arrival. A British passport holder entering Bali or elsewhere in Indonesia for a holiday needs a visa, and the usual route is the 30-day visa on arrival (VOA), which costs IDR 500,000 (about £21) and can be paid by cash or card at the airport. You can also apply online beforehand for an electronic visa on arrival (e-VOA).

This guide is for travellers leaving the UK on a British passport and flying to Bali or elsewhere in Indonesia. It covers the two ways to get the visa, what each charge comes to in pounds, the separate Bali tourist levy, the free arrival form, the passport rules, extensions and the penalty for overstaying. It does not sell a visa and files nothing for you: the Indonesian immigration service sets the rules and makes the decision at the border.

Both routes give the same kind of permission, a 30-day tourist visa. GOV.UK says the visa on arrival is single entry and is available for tourism, visiting family or friends, some business and official meetings, buying goods and official government visits. The e-VOA is the version you apply for online before you fly.

GOV.UK says to apply for the e-VOA at least one week before you travel, and lists multiple-entry and 60-day options under it. The approval has to come through before you land, because a visa approved after you have entered Indonesia is not valid. The application is made on the Indonesian immigration e-VOA portal.

The visa on arrival is a counter at the airport, with your return ticket and IDR 500,000 ready. The e-VOA moves the paperwork to your sofa and is where GOV.UK places the longer and multiple-entry versions. We have not printed an e-VOA price: the portal did not load for us on 30 October 2026, so check the total on the portal before you pay.

The visa on arrival costs IDR 500,000, about £21 at the European Central Bank rate of 29 October 2026, which works out at roughly IDR 24,160 to £1. The fee is set in rupiah, so the pound figure moves with the exchange rate and is a guide, not a price.

The All Indonesia arrival form carries no fee. GOV.UK says the service is free and warns against any website or email link that asks you to pay for it.

It is a separate charge of IDR 150,000 (about £6) paid by foreign tourists for visiting Bali. GOV.UK says you pay it online or on arrival. The Bali Province site describes it as a levy for the protection of Balinese culture and the natural environment, and it is neither part of the visa fee nor a substitute for the visa.

On the Love Bali levy page you fill in your name, email address, passport number, country and arrival date, then pay by bank transfer, virtual account or QRIS. The levy voucher, a QR code, is emailed to you, so type the address carefully. The page offers single or group payment, and has a link to apply for an exemption whose criteria we could not read.

The page cites Regional Regulation No. 6 of 2023, as amended by No. 2 of 2025. It shows no start date for the levy, so we do not give one. GOV.UK puts the figure at about £8, which is its own conversion and slightly higher than ours.

It is the online customs and health declaration for people entering Indonesia. GOV.UK says to complete it within 72 hours before you arrive, and that it is free. The official service is on the All Indonesia site, whose own pages did not load for us on 30 October 2026, so what follows is GOV.UK's description.

• Timing. Within 72 hours before arrival, so not weeks ahead and not at the baggage belt.
• Cost. Nothing. A website or email link that asks for payment is not the official service.
• Purpose. It is a declaration, not a visa. The visa on arrival or e-VOA is a separate step.

Several deadlines sit around one trip, and they are easy to mix up. In date order, the steps run like this.

1. Check the passport. Six months of validity after your arrival date and two blank pages, before you pay for anything.
2. Choose the route. The e-VOA, applied for at least one week before departure, or the visa on arrival at the airport.
3. Pay the Bali levy. Online before you fly, or on arrival, if Bali is on your route.
4. Complete the All Indonesia form. Within 72 hours before you arrive.
5. Carry the proof. A return or onward ticket, for the visa on arrival, and cash or a card for IDR 500,000.
6. Diarise the extension. If you want a second month, it must be obtained within the first 30 days.

GOV.UK says your passport must have an expiry date at least six months after the day you arrive in Indonesia, and at least two blank pages. Both conditions are checked against the passport you travel on, so look at the document in your hand rather than at the date of your last trip.

• Six months after arrival. Count from the day you land, not from the day you book.
• Two blank pages. Visa stamps need room.
• A way out. GOV.UK says you need proof of an onward or return journey to get the visa on arrival.

The standard visa lasts 30 days. GOV.UK says it can be extended once, for 30 more days, at any Indonesian immigration office or online, and that the extension must be obtained within the initial 30 days.

That puts the ceiling on the single-entry route at 60 days. A longer trip, or one where you leave and come back, points to the 60-day and multiple-entry versions that GOV.UK lists under the e-VOA. We found no fee for the extension on any official page we could read, so none is quoted here.

Overstaying costs IDR 1,000,000 (about £41) for each day, according to GOV.UK, and can also lead to prosecution, detention or deportation. Five days late would therefore add up to IDR 5,000,000 (about £210) in fines at the daily rate, before any other consequence.

The date that matters is the end of your visa, not the date of your booked flight. If the two do not match, the extension is the tool, and it has to be obtained before the first 30 days are up.

The visa on arrival is a short-stay visa, and GOV.UK is specific about what it covers and what it does not.

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  Tourism: The holiday itself, the reason most British visitors travel.
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  Visiting family or friends: Listed by GOV.UK among the permitted purposes.
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  Some business and official meetings: Only some: the page says the visa is not suitable for all business activities.
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  Buying goods and official government visits: Both appear on the GOV.UK list.

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  Volunteering: GOV.UK says the visa on arrival is not suitable for it.
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  Influencer work: Named by GOV.UK as outside the visa.
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  Commercial online content: Also named by GOV.UK as outside the visa.
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  Business activities beyond meetings: If yours go further, the Indonesian authorities decide which permission applies, not this guide.

It depends on where you sleep. GOV.UK says hotel guests are registered automatically, while guests in private accommodation must register with the local police, with a fine of IDR 5,000,000 (about £210) for not doing so. That matters if you rent a villa or a room from a private host.

No. GOV.UK says you cannot drive in Indonesia on your UK driving licence, but you can drive with an International Driving Permit issued in the UK. The same page tells motorbike and moped riders to wear a helmet in good condition, and warns that foreign nationals involved in even minor traffic incidents may be vulnerable to extortion.

The entry rules are only half of the official advice. The GOV.UK safety and security page adds points that matter most in Bali and the islands around it.

• Drugs. GOV.UK describes zero tolerance of drugs, with long prison sentences or the death penalty possible. Cannabis and CBD products are illegal in any form.
• Methanol. Deaths and serious illness have followed drinks served in bars, shops and hotels in tourist areas. GOV.UK says even small amounts of methanol can kill and that it cannot be detected by taste or smell.
• Drink spiking. Spiking linked to sexual assault has been reported in Bali, Lombok and the Gili Islands. GOV.UK advises watching your drink being prepared.
• Volcanoes. Eruptions occur frequently across Indonesia. GOV.UK, updated on 18 September 2026, no longer advises against all travel to volcanoes and now carries local exclusion-zone information, which can change at short notice.
• Protests. GOV.UK advises avoiding all protests, demonstrations and rallies, which can become violent without warning.

A yellow fever certificate is required only if you arrive from a country listed as a transmission risk, according to GOV.UK. Its wording is about the country you arrive from, so look at the last leg of your route before you fly.

On the way out, GOV.UK says airport tax is included in domestic flights but may not be included in some international departure fares, and suggests checking with your airline.

Combining Bali with other Asian stops? Our Thailand guide, Sri Lanka ETA guide and India visa guide set out the neighbouring rules, and the entry requirements hub for British passport holders lists every destination we have written up.

We checked every rule above on 30 October 2026 against the GOV.UK entry requirements for Indonesia, the GOV.UK safety and security page and the Love Bali levy page. GOV.UK's main advice page was last updated on 18 September 2026. The e-VOA portal and the All Indonesia site did not load for us, so nothing on this page rests on their own pages.

The rule to remember fits in one line: a British passport holder needs a visa for Indonesia, the 30-day visa on arrival costs IDR 500,000 (about £21), and Bali adds a separate IDR 150,000 (about £6) levy.

• Do I need a visa for Bali with a British passport?

  Yes. A British passport holder needs a visa to enter Indonesia, and Bali is part of Indonesia. The usual route is the 30-day visa on arrival, or the e-VOA applied for online first.

• How much is the Bali visa in pounds?

  The 30-day visa on arrival costs IDR 500,000, about £21 at the European Central Bank rate of 29 October 2026. The pound amount moves with the exchange rate.

• Can I pay for the visa on arrival by card?

  GOV.UK says the fee can be paid by cash or card. Carry a card and some cash.

• How long can a UK tourist stay in Indonesia?

  The standard visa lasts 30 days. GOV.UK says it can be extended once, for 30 more days, within the first 30 days, at an immigration office or online.

• What is the difference between the visa on arrival and the e-VOA?

  The visa on arrival is bought at the airport. The e-VOA is applied for online before you travel, at least one week ahead according to GOV.UK, and its options include 60-day and multiple-entry versions.

• Is the Bali tourist levy the same as the visa fee?

  No. The levy is IDR 150,000 (about £6), paid by foreign tourists in Bali online or on arrival. The visa fee is separate and you pay both.

• Is the All Indonesia arrival form free?

  Yes. GOV.UK says the service is free and to complete it within 72 hours before arrival. Avoid sites or email links that ask for payment.

• How much passport validity do I need for Indonesia?

  The expiry date must be at least six months after the day you arrive, and the passport needs at least two blank pages, according to GOV.UK.

• Do I need a return ticket for Indonesia?

  You need proof of an onward or return journey to get the visa on arrival, according to GOV.UK.

• Can I volunteer or make paid online content on a visa on arrival?

  GOV.UK says the visa on arrival is not suitable for volunteering, influencer work or commercial online content, or for all business activities.

• Can I ride a scooter in Bali with my UK driving licence?

  No. GOV.UK says you cannot drive using your UK driving licence, but you can drive with an International Driving Permit issued in the UK.

• What is the fine for overstaying in Indonesia?

  IDR 1,000,000 (about £41) for each day, according to GOV.UK, and overstaying can also lead to prosecution, detention or deportation.