This page contains affiliate links. Please read our disclosure for more info.
Bali is one of our favourite digital nomad destinations and we’ve visited twice for stays of five months. Here’s our experience of how to get a 60-day Indonesian tourist visa in Singapore, which is extendable up to six months.
Many nationalities (including the UK and US) can enter Indonesia without a visa for stays of up to 30 days, but this can’t be extended.
If you want to stay in the country longer, it’s best to get a visa in advance. On our last visit we applied for a visa in London, which has stricter requirements than most embassies in Asia.
Singapore is a good place to get your Indonesian visa as it’s close by, and if you are flying from Europe (or South Africa as we did), you might pass through here anyway. There’s lots to do in the city while you wait for your visa—see our 3 day Singapore itinerary for ideas.
We found the visa application process easy and it only took a few days (if you don’t have time, there are agents that can process it in a day, but you’ll pay a lot more).
This post is based on our experience in 2017, but I updated it in 2019 with changes to the process. In 2021 Indonesia are not currently issuing tourist visas as their borders are closed for the foreseeable future.
Contents
Preparing the Documents
As with any visa application, you’ll save time and stress by preparing your documents before you visit the embassy.
You can check the website of the Indonesian Embassy in Singapore for the required documents for a 60-day tourist visa.
These are the documents needed:
- Completed visa application form – You can download the form from their website. It’s only one page and is fairly straightforward. We left blank the sections for “Name of Firm in Singapore” and question 7 which asks for a reference (you only need this if applying for a social visa). For the address in Singapore we used Simon’s brother’s address where we were staying. I am sure you could use a hotel address instead.
- Original passport, with more than 6 months validity
- One copy of the passport
- One copy of return e-ticket – This is the trickiest requirement as we didn’t know when we’d be leaving Bali. The ticket also needs to be dated within 60 days even if you are planning to extend your visa. We chose to buy a Premium Flex ticket from Bali to Singapore with Air Asia which allows you to change the date twice for free (so we’ll change the date and hopefully use it when we leave). It was quite expensive at £94 ($121) per person. A cheaper option is to buy a cheap ticket from anywhere in Indonesia to anywhere in Malaysia and don’t use it. You can find the best fare by searching from Indonesia to Malaysia on Skyscanner. Choose whole month (the month your visa will expire) to find the cheapest date. I found fares from £15 ($19).
- One passport size recent colour photograph – You can find photo booths at shopping malls and some MRT stations in Singapore. We used one in Bukit Junction mall which cost S$7.
- One copy of Singapore ID Card (Work permit, Employment Pass, S-Pass, Dependant Pass, Student Pass, Permanent Resident) or Embarkation card – We didn’t have this and it was no problem.
- Fee of S$75 in cash only – This is equivalent to US$53 or £41.
- NEW: Declaration Letter – Since we got our visa they have added a requirement for a printed and signed letter from you stating that you are visiting Indonesia for tourism only and not to work.
We also brought a copy of our flight ticket from Singapore to Bali, just to be on the safe side.
You will also need a photo ID (we used our driving licences) to enter the embassy. You exchange your ID for a visitor pass and they return it to you when you leave.
There is an office inside the embassy where you can get photocopies and passport photos done, but you’ll save time if you do them in advance.
Applying for the Visa
The Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia is located at 7 Chatsworth Road, Singapore. We got a taxi there, but you could also get the MRT to Orchard and walk for 15 minutes through pleasant residential streets. Or use Google Maps to get public transport directions from your hotel.
The embassy opening times are:
- Submission: 9am – 12pm Monday – Friday
- Collection: 3pm – 4pm Monday – Friday (two working days later)
They are closed on both Indonesian and Singapore public holidays, so check these in advance.
Note that there is a strict dress code: no shorts, short skirts, tank tops or flip flops.
We arrived at 9.10am on a Tuesday after a public holiday. There was a long queue outside the embassy which we waited in for 15 minutes. At the entrance gate we exchanged our photo ID for the visitor pass.
Inside the embassy there are offices for photocopies and photos straight ahead as well as vending machines. We followed the crowd left to the first floor of the application building. As you enter a staff member checks your documents and gives you a queue number if everything is in order (we did hear someone being asked for their return ticket).
We took a seat and waited for our number to come up on the screen. Visas are processed at counters 4 and 5. We didn’t have to wait too long. At the counter we gave over our documents, the woman cut down our photos and glued them to the forms, and we were told they’d be ready the next day at 3pm. We had expected it to take two working days.
We were given a receipt which we took to the cash counter (no queue) to pay our S$75 fee.
We were out 40 minutes after we arrived and it was all very easy. Although the crowds had looked bad, not everyone is applying for a visa so it doesn’t take too long.
Collecting the Visa
We had plans the next day so we returned two days later at 3pm and collected our passports within 15 minutes—just make sure you join the queue at counters 4/5 (there are no queue numbers for collection).
The visa is single entry and is valid for 90 days, which means you have to enter Indonesia within that time. You can stay in Indonesia for 60 days once you enter.
Extending A Tourist Visa in Bali
A 60-day tourist visa can be extended four times for 30 days at a time allowing a total stay of 180 days. It’s easiest to use a visa agent to extend it for you. Otherwise, it involves three trips to the immigration office in Denpasar each month.
When we stayed in Bali for five months in 2015/16 we used Elizabeth who has an office opposite Alchemy in Penestanan, Ubud and in 2017 we used Bali Viza. Read our guide to getting an Indonesia visa extension in Bali.
Applying for an Indonesian tourist visa in Singapore was quick and easy, so we recommend it if you are in the area.
As tourist visas have not been issued by the Indonesian sieve march 2020, how is this even possible??
Sorry, this is an old post last updated in 2019.
Hey, Erin, thanks for the nice article.
One question though, this only applicable in Singapore? I’m currently in Malaysia and they have an embassy too here. Do you think it works the same? Or should I go to Singapore to apply this 60 days visa?
The process will be similar but not entirely the same in other countries. I don’t have any experience in Malaysia but here are a few posts from other bloggers:
In Penang (but a few years out of date): https://lifeinbigtent.com/how-to-get-indonesian-visa-in-penang/
In KL:
Hi guys, Thanks for the great article! One Question on a 60 day visa can you apply for the extra 30 days at anytime or do you have to wait 60 days. Thanks in advance
David
I believe you have to wait until towards the end of the 60 days but a couple of weeks before is ok.
Hi Erin thank you so much for your concise and detailed explanation. We went to apply for the visa today and collection will be tomorrow. What a breeze!
I’m glad it all went well for you Michelle! They are very efficient in Singapore.
Thanks for a very useful post!
I’m wondering if you have a recommendation for a trustworthy agent that can do the 1-day visa turnaround. I have been in contact with one, but am nervous about sending all of my personal info via email. Many thanks!
I’m afraid I don’t know of any. Good luck with it!
Hi erin,
I have a question im going to singapore for a couple of days but i want to go to indonesia, for like 9 days and its my first time, i know that i need a tourist visa.. do you think they can give to me even though im not a singapore citizen?
It depends where you are from, but visitors from the US/EU and many other countries can get a 30-day tourist visa in Indonesia on arrival. You don’t need to get a visa in advance for a 9 day trip.
But if you did need a 60 day visa for Indonesia you can get it in Singapore even without being a citizen, as we did.
Hello this is great infomation. I have 2 questions of which you may or may not know the answers. Is it the same process in Jakarta, Indonesia? (I would imagine so). But the immigration offices are quite different to Bali, I havent heard of anyone or seen someone using an agent in Jakarta for tourist visa purposes. Is an agent essential for this process? Can you do it all yourself? Also, Do you know of other locations in South East Asia where we can apply for this (Thailand or Kuala Lumpur perhaps?) I have looked on the Indonesian consulate websites but they arent very forthcoming with infomation, but the Singapore Consulate website does provide some infomation. Thanks.
You can’t get the Indonesian tourist visa in Jakarta – it needs to be done outside of the country. I would imagine you can get the visa in other SE Asia cities but I don’t have any experience.
We didn’t use an agent to get the tourist visa, but we used one to extend the visa beyond the initial 60 days. An agent saved us three visits to the immigration office (per extension i.e every month) so it was worth it for us, but you can do it yourself.
I’m sure you can extend the visa in Jakarta but I’m not sure if there are agents.
Good luck!
Thank you for being the only place I can find links to the application to print ahead of time! What is the difference in applying for 60 day tourist visa that is extendable up to 180 days and the 60 day social visa, also extendable up to 180 days? I didn’t know there was a 60 day extendable for that much time that wasn’t the social visa. Do you have a link or info on the tourist visa? The one I found above in the article says its a 60 day tourist visa that can be extended for 30 days but there is nothing that says up to 180 days. My husband and I are currently in Bali with tickets to Singapore on the 30th to get a longer Indo visa. My plan was to get the 60 day social because I didn’t know there was a 60 day tourist that is basically the same thing. We have a sponsor if we need it but I can’t find info on the paperwork requirements for what the sponsor letter needs to contain. In the past we have purchased a 30 day indo visa in the airport that we extended for 30 but we want to stay longer without having to leave every 2 months. I will take all the info you have on this as the more I read the more nervous I am getting about not feeling prepared to get everything properly done in the 3 days we will be in Singapore.
I think what actually happens is that the agent changes the tourist visa to a social visa as part of the extension (and acts as our sponsor). We don’t have to do anything as they take care of it all (we didn’t even realise that was what happened).
It’s easier to get a tourist visa as you don’t need a sponsor so that’s what we do. We’ve done it twice now with no issues extending multiple times. Many people do get the social visa originally but I can’t see any advantages to it.
Hi thx for this info. In here you said a copy of the passport is needed. Does that mean I need to copy every single page of the passport? Or only that pages that are stamped?
Just the photo page.
Is there a new link for the visa form? The Link is not working :-(
Here’s the new one: https://kemlu.go.id/download/L1NoYXJlZCUyMERvY3VtZW50cy9WSVNBZi5wZGY=
and you can read the latest requirements here: https://kemlu.go.id/singapore/en/pages/visa_kunjungan_wisata__vkw_/160/about-service
It looks like they are asking for an additional letter now.
Hi Erin….
Quick questions regarding your 60 Day visa from Singapore:
1) Was it truly a 60 day or was it a 30 day that you had the option extend once in country (Indonesia)?
2) If truly a 60 day visa, did you need a sponsor letter?
Thank you in advance! -Denise
1) Yes it’s a 60 day visa. You can then extend that once you are in Indonesia for an extra 30 days (90 days total) and keep extending that up to 180 days total.
2) We didn’t need a sponsor letter (that’s only needed for social not tourist visas).
Hi there,
i was wondering about the outbound ticket: i’d be flying into Singapore to get a 60 day visa but would leave Indonesia by boat and fly out again from Singapore, do you think i’d still need a ‘fake’ ticket from an Indonesian airport as proof for an outbound ticket if I can show them a flight confirmation from Singapore?
I’m not sure. You might get away with it but it depends on the date of the flight out of Singapore. They want to know that you’ll leave within 60 days. Good luck!
For those who are wondering about Bangkok. Just got mine hassle free. Requirements: Passport copy, onward ticket and bank statement showing a balance of $1,500 or more (they are not too fussy about it. Just your name and the amount will suffice). And that’s it.
Submission is between 9am-12pm. Pickup is 2pm-4pm Mon-Fri. You get your 60 days tourist visa the 3rd day (e.g Submit Mon, get visa on Wednesday). No Indonesian (or any) sponsor required.
Thanks for the info Dee!
Hi !
We’re a family of 4, wondering if we I get 60-day visas in Singapore, if we don’t have direct flights to Indonesia (i’ll be able to show flight tickets from Singapore to NZealand then Australia then Indonesia) and don’t come back to Singapore (i’ll be able to show flight tickets from Indonesia to Europe) ?
Additional question :
Does the whole family need to show up at the embassy, or is one person with the 4 passports enough ?
Thank you !!
They aren’t too bothered about the flight into Indonesia so that should be fine. It’s the ticket out of Indonesia that’s most important. Bear in mind you have to enter Indonesia within 90 days of getting the visa.
I don’t know for sure if one person can get the visas for the whole family, but you can pay an agent to get a visa on your behalf so that suggests you don’t need to be there in person.
Good luck!
Great, thanks !
Do they get annoyed when you show up for an extension more than twice? Making you feel like they were doing you a favor and now you’re overstating your welcome.
No, it’s just extra money for them! Plus we had an agent do it for us so we didn’t have to deal with it ourselves.
Penang – October 2018: You can get your 60day visa in Penang but you need a sponsor (indonesian citizen) and the following documents: copy of sponsor’s KTP (ID card) and sponsorhip letter with a verified signature (your sponsor buys a stamp for 6000 Rp) (a copy of the letter will suffice).
Singapore: I don’t know yet, will try next time.
Thanks for the info!
Just used this guide to get back to Indonesia. Many thanks! It still works exactly like written here. I got my paperwork together on Thursday night, submitted it at the embassy on Friday morning, and my passport with visa was ready on Monday.
However, there was a written letter needed of your intentions in Indonesia. When submitting my paperwork, the lady at the embassy gave me an example letter which I could follow. In the letter they want you to write down your arrival and departure dates from Indonesia, your intentions (travelling, visiting friends or family, etc.) corresponding to the type of visa you are applying for, and in my case a promise that I would not work or try to get a job. I wrote the letter in the weekend and handed it over at the counter when collecting my passport.
Thanks for the update!
Thanks for the information!
Does this still work in 2018?
Does anybody know if you can apply for the same visa in Cambodia?
Thanks for the Info, looks like same in Penang, which I did two times, also ready next afternoon.No onward(return ticket needed to show.(update: no more 60day visa as per August 1 2017: http://lifeinbigtent.com/how-to-get-indonesian-visa-in-penang/ .
I will stay at least two working days ,cause i will not count on your next day ready experience. It will be my first time that I will get a 60 day visa myself, I used an agent(at 170 S$) for a 1 day express visa. Visa extensions I do myself in Bali – Singaraja with my neighbor as sponsor :)
So there’s no different between a tourist visa and a social visa apart from the sponsor?
We haven’t found any difference. We’ve visited twice with a 60-day tourist visa and have been able to extend it four times. I think there’s a common misconception that you need the social visa to stay for longer.
Thank you so much for this. I was trying to find a place (other than Penang) that would issue 60-day Indonesian visas and this is so helpful! Looks like I’m going to Singapore in a few weeks :)
Penang:no more 60day visa as per August 1 2017: http://lifeinbigtent.com/how-to-get-indonesian-visa-in-penang/ .
Did you get your 60day visa in Singapore?
Thanks my correspondents from the world outside my window, you reminded me of the day I caught the ferry from Singapore to Tanjung Priok, magical days. Keep reminding me and I may get out there again one day.
Big smile…. Big Sigh… Big Hearts………..
I hope you make it there again Phil :)