Tourists, digital nomads, and long-stay visitors to Bali and all regions of Indonesia are being reminded that new visa extension protocols took effect in May 2025.
The new policies have brought about significant changes in the way Indonesia’s socio-cultural visas can be extended to foreigners, and these changes are already causing confusion.
Effective from May 29, 2025, Indonesia’s Immigration made significant changes to the process of extending socio-cultural visas, including VoA and eVoA.
These two visa categories are used by the vast majority of tourists and holiday makers visiting Bali and entitle holders to stay in Indonesia for up to 30 days to conduct tourism, leisure, and a limited amount of business activities.
These visa categories are extendable once for an additional 30 days, but recent changes have started to cause problems for tourists who weren’t aware of the updates.
Indonesian Immigration is in the process of cracking down on foreigners who are found to be violating immigration laws, including those who do so with no ill intent.
The new Hybrid Application System requires individuals wishing to extend their visas to first register online for their extension application. Once complete, applicants will be contacted by their closest immigration office within a maximum of 2 working days after online registration. During their appointment at the Immigration Office, applicants will have their biometrics taken and their documents verified by an immigration officer.
The policy shift came as Indonesia’s Immigration teams recorded a sharp rise in the number of immigration violations by foreigners in the year to date. Between January and April 2025, 1,620 immigration violations were recorded, representing a more than 36% increase from the same period in 2024.
The policy change has started to catch out unsuspecting tourists who have endeavored to play by the rules, but who have been caught off guard when the changes came into effect, resulting in overstaying.
Overstaying a visa in Indonesia is considered a serious violation, even by a matter of days. As a Sydney-based freelance journalist and a return visitor to Bali, Troy Nankervis discovered in late June 2025. Describing his ordeal as ‘perhaps the biggest travel stuff up I’ve ever done.”
In a video recorded from Kuta Beach, Nankervis describes his immigration nightmare, issuing a warning for fellow tourists who have extended their visas in recent weeks and for those about to complete the process. Nankervis writes that he ‘missed the memo’ because he was already in Bali when the policy changes came into effect.
Nankervis offered to pay his overstay fine of approximately IDR 1 million per day, but reports that he was told by immigration officers at I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport that he was not allowed to do so and must instead go to an immigration office. However, Nankervis was due to leave Bali over the weekend when all immigration offices are closed.
Nankervis writes, “On June 2nd, four days after the new rules began, I paid the 519,500 IDR ($51) renewal fee via my laptop inside an Ubud cafe, smoothie bowl in one hand and a credit card in the other, but oblivious to these changes.”
Adding “Because I hadn’t followed up my extension application with the now-mandated, in-person visit to Denpasar’s Immigration office, I was about to pay the price, quite literally.”
He shared I’ve been to Bali more times than I can count and never had an issue like this before — that’s when the horror really began to unfold.”
Noting “The official explained to me that my visa extension was sitting in limbo until someone at an immigration office could physically process it.”
Up-to-date information from the Indonesian Immigration can be found at the Official Indonesian Immigration website.
Tourists in Indonesia and those traveling soon are highly advised to also follow the English language Indonesia Immigration Instagram account, where daily updates are shared, along with advice about applications, immigration rules, and how to avoid common errors in the immigration process.
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