Officials in Bali have confirmed that the newly installed auto-gates will make it easier and quicker than ever for tourists to pass through immigration.
The news comes as the airport edges closer to its pre-pandemic norm.
The Director General of Immigration for Indonesia, Silmy Karim, has spoken to reporters now that the auto-gates are up and running across the arrivals and departures terminals.
Karim said “Immigration checks use autogate integrated facial recognition and border control management technology.”
He added that the new facilities will help speed up processing times across Bali’s I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport, in turn reducing queues to a minimum.
Karim explained that the combination of facial recognition technology and the border control management system means that immigration inspections at the autogates take between 15-25 seconds.
However, not all travelers arriving and departing through Bali Airport are eligible to use the autogates. Only tourists who have an electronic passport and a valid visa prior to arriving in Bali can use the facilities.
This includes tourists who have secured an eVisa-on-Arrival prior to touching down on the Island of the Gods.
Tourists carrying an ASEAN passport will also be able to use the autogates based on their visa-exempt status in Indonesia.
However, they must first register their passport at evisa.immigration.go.id – all Indonesian passport holders can use the autogates without needing to take any extra steps before travel.
Using the autogates is very straightforward. Before entering the gates, travelers must ensure that their face is clearly visible and unobstructed. This requires the removal of hats, headphones, sunglasses, hoods, and facemasks.
Travelers must place the biodata page of their passport facedown on the scanner, and look directly into the facial recognition camera. The biodata page of a passport is the main page with the travelers details on.
Karim told reporters “the autogate system immediately verifies foreigners when scanning their passports so they immediately match their passport data with their e-VoA e-Visa or visa-free data.”
He confirmed that the system not only makes passport inspection easier but that it helps streamline operations for state security. The system automatically links to Interpol, and data is cross-referenced to prevent wanted criminals crossing borders.
The Head of the Ngurah Rai Immigration Office, Suhendra, said that the average number of arrivals in Bali Airport is ranging between 14,000 and 16,000 people at the moment.
He confirmed that the installation of the autogates has already made a big difference to travelers arriving and departing and to the day-to-day operations of immigration staff.
Between February 1st and March 4th, 112,939 tourists used the new autogates to seamlessly travel through the airport.
He noted that the vast majority of autogate users are foreigners with 23,000 Australians, 10,600 Chinese tourists and up to 7,000 tourists each from South Korea, the USA, Japan, the UK, Malaysia and Singapore all using the new facilities so far.
The installation of the first thirty autogates is proving to be a success in the eyes of Bali Airport and Ngurah Rai Immigration.
This means that the plans to install 80 autogates overall will be moving ahead as planned. As it stands, 30 more autogates will be installed at the arrivals terminal and 20 in the departures terminal.
Throughout 2024 and beyond, tourists will be increasingly encouraged to apply for the e-Visa on Arrival before touching down in Bali to help speed up the arrivals process and support the new digitized Immigration system across Indonesia.
The eVoA costs IR 500,000 and is valid for 30 days. It can be extended online for a further 30 days.
The eVoA can be applied for up to 48 hours before arrival in Indonesia, though it is advisable to apply as early as possible.
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Jens R.
Thursday 7th of March 2024
I think the main Problem is the long waiting time for the luggage. After waiting in the long customer queue there is an additional long waiting time for the baggage..
Exp
Thursday 7th of March 2024
Pay "tourist tax" in "23 seconds" and now immigration clearance in another "25 seconds"? Who come up with this disinformation as they very well know most time is wasted waiting in the long lines.
When I arrived this week I could even find any desk for paying or checking pre-paid tourist tax? So how can tourists do this payment in "23 seconds"?
Shorty
Thursday 7th of March 2024
@Exp,
My son came in on Monday (4) night. Bought VOA and Tourist Tax online, used the auto gate and was thru in 10 minutes.
Exp
Thursday 7th of March 2024
@Exp, Correction: "When I arrived this week I DID NOT SPOT any desk for paying or checking pre-paid tourist tax? So how can tourists do this payment in “23 seconds”?"
Exp
Thursday 7th of March 2024
This article do not reflect reality: I arrived earlier this week (early morning):
All automated gates were closed. Only 3-4 immigration officers at work.
No personnel manning KITAS/KITAP desk.
No personnel around to provide guidance on which line to queue at.
After a long wait in one of the "foreign passport" lines I was told I was in the "wrong" line and sent to queue at a desk hidden behind the (closed) autogates!
At this 3rd desk they did not have a stamp, so I had to visit a 4th desk before cleared!
Just unbelievable compared to my experience breezing through Tokyo and Hong Kong immigration days before. These countries use use automated gates that take less than 15-30 seconds to process.
Julie
Thursday 7th of March 2024
Yay great news....progress with the visa money we are paying
James
Friday 8th of March 2024
@Julie, not sure where you are from, but for an Indonesian to travel to Australia, they must pay AUD $140, as an Australian, $50 is pretty good when viewed from the other side. The gates worked a treat for me on March 1.