Bali Airport is one of the busiest airports in Indonesia, with over 2.2 million passengers passing through the terminals each month; leaders have been working to make things easier and more efficient for travelers on the go.
Indonesian Ministers are also investigating ways to make flights more affordable for both domestic and international travellers.
![Tourists Use Autogates At Airport.jpg](https://thebalisun.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Travel-At-Bali-Airport-Just-Got-Quicker-As-Leaders-Back-Calls-To-Scrap-Flight-Tax-.jpg)
I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport has just opened a new set of autogates that will help speed up the arrivals and departures process for tourists.
The first round of autogates was opened to the public earlier this year in the international arrivals and departures terminals; there have been plans to expand the rollout of autogates to ensure that Bali’s immigration services are world-class.
Speaking to reporters, the Head of the TPI Class I Immigration Office, Ngurah Rai Suhendra, said, “With 60 units, it means that more than 120 people can be cleared per minute at the same time.”
The airport has just opened a further 30 gates, bringing the total across terminals to 60.
By the end of this month a further 20 autogates will be in operations bringing the total to 80 automates between the departure and arrivals terminals.
The autogates can be used by international travelers who have an electronic passport and are entering the country on an e-visa on arrival, any e-visa category, anyone on a KITAS or KITAP, as well as those traveling from visa-except countries such as ASEAN passport holders.
Moving forward, all tourists traveling to Bali and Indonesia more broadly are encouraged to apply for their e-VOA prior to their arrival in the country.
The visa is valid for 30 days and can be extended one time for a further 30 days, and this whole process can be completed online.
The e-VOA and VOA cost IDR 500,000 and are available to travelers from 97 nations.
The autogates enable travelers to complete standard immigration checks, essentially being stamped in and out of the country, within 20-30 seconds.
This whole process ensures that even at the busiest travel times, Bali Airport will be able to reduce queue times to a bare minimum.
Officers from Bali Airport have always maintained that the autogates are tools to be used by the immigration service and are not replacing immigration officers at their desks.
The rollout of more digitalized immigration and travel services for tourists to Bali is making travel even easier, but leaders want to go one step further and help ensure that travel to the province remains affordable for as many people as possible.
![Autogates-at-Airport](https://thebalisun.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Autogates-at-Airport.jpg)
The Indonesian Minister for Tourism and Creative Economies, Sandiaga Uno, has been in Bali this week and has given his support to a proposed policy change that would scrap specific flight taxes to help reduce overall costs.
Speaking to the press, Minister Uno said, “Super agree, yes. Because if we look, one of the contributors to the expensive ticket price is the tax.”
He was clear that the high flight taxes were limited options for travelers taking international flights in and out of Bali, as well as domestic flights. Minister Uno is keen to see Bali lovers explore other regions of the country while on vacation too.
![Komodo-National-Park-in-Indonesia](https://thebalisun.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Komodo-National-Park-in-Indoneisa.jpg)
Minister Uno was clear, however, that scrapping flight taxes would result in lost funds having to be recuperated elsewhere.
He added, “So, we have to find a policy mix that can patch the loss of taxes from plane tickets, but state income actually increases from the movement of Indonesian tourists.”
![Outside-of-Bali-Airport](https://thebalisun.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Outside-of-Bali-Airport.jpg)
Last month the Minister for Investment and Maritime Affairs, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, confirmed that he would be working with his teams, airlines and other transportation authorities to find ways in which to reduce flight costs or create subsidises to help tackle rising flight costs.
He told reporters, “We are preparing several steps for flight efficiency and reducing ticket prices, for example, evaluating aircraft operating costs.”
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Paul
Sunday 11th of August 2024
Everyone is quite clear that a 30 day visa is 500k but on the Indonesian web site it's 1.5 mill so no wonder people get the voa in the airport
Passing Bye
Tuesday 20th of August 2024
@Paul, 1.5 million is for the 60day visa. This visa is extendable for a further 2x60days, (180 days in total)
Wim
Tuesday 13th of August 2024
@wp There is a Dutch visa help site (Traveldocs) that asks €69.95 per person for the Visa on Arrival for Indonesia or 1,220,000 Rp. That company is a big scammer. Don't do business with them, just take 500,000 Rp per person and join, because applying for an E-visa is complicated and a lot of work and if you can't scan it's impossible.
Shorty
Monday 12th of August 2024
@Paul,
These sites are a problem for the search engines. The genuine, in this case the RI visa portal, can do nothing to prevent it.
Shorty
Monday 12th of August 2024
@Paul,
It isn't 1.5 on the official site. Perhaps if you are too lazy or incompetent to find and use it you deserve to be fleeced. It's not a Balicentric problem. Worldwide, there's hitchhikers on many visa and other financial portals.
Randy
Monday 12th of August 2024
@Paul, that’s not true!! Which site? Go to a legit site instead of cutting corners. Friends from Europe traveling to Bali soon applied through an only Indonesian immigration website paid only $35. They are a pro now how to navigate the site. LOL.
The frequent Bali traveller
Saturday 10th of August 2024
The issue is that automate are there but either tourists are not aware they need a e-voa. Second the e-voa is same price like the manual one where people que almost an hour or one and half hour for at the immigration process. But the e-voa must be applied online and requires some documents and picture with specific specifications like special background colour. Some more it takes up to an week to get approved. Nothing with I can quick apply to use automate. Coming to the next point that only some gates at arrival are functioning but at the departure the all off line and blocked. Waiting time here is average 1 1/2 hours after check in. Coming to the last. Immigration officers are quack quack to long with people during the process. On average a passenger takes 3 - 5 minutes at arrival to pass. Somemore only a view counters are engaged and other counters are empty or someone sits there but not do anything. I experience this frequently since years as I'm frequently travel to Bali (monthly). This will never get better as it is a culture and mindset problem.
Randy
Monday 12th of August 2024
@The frequent Bali traveller, cultural and mindset problems?? If you are that bothered with the cultural mindset, why come here at all and many times over for that matter. Have you ever traveled to the US, where there maybe less manpower working during certain shift to process people through. And would you call that a cultural mindset if you are in line 30 minutes or more for non US citizens or residents? Just saying...
Shorty
Sunday 11th of August 2024
@The frequent Bali traveller,
Or multi entry.
Shorty
Sunday 11th of August 2024
@The frequent Bali traveller,
If you're such a frequent traveller why are you relying on VOA. Most agents could easily switch you to KITAS
Randy
Sunday 11th of August 2024
@The frequent Bali traveller, try traveling to the US...You will have to wait longer than residents or US citizens to pass through.
Exp
Sunday 11th of August 2024
@The frequent Bali traveller, "At the departure all (the autogates) off line and blocked."
True. I noticed that too.
Mr Bear Snr
Saturday 10th of August 2024
eVisa? not if your previous used visa was issued less than 3 months ago. 100's of regular visitors now have to get Visa at the airport.
Randy
Saturday 10th of August 2024
Rising air fare from airline worldwide can happen during the high tourist season. The shoulder season may be a slight better option. However traveling during the low tourist season or kids are in school is even a better option. The same goes for hotel during peak season and low season. That has always been the cardinal rule. So reducing tax won’t affect much. Oh well...
Nigel
Saturday 10th of August 2024
Yes you need to do something, flights getting to expensive, and need to do something about e-visa with the uploading of documents, if you can't convert to PDF you can't upload, making it more difficult to do online
Randy
Monday 12th of August 2024
@Nigel, French and American nationalities seem to be able to do them online. It may be a couple of times, they have succeeded. They have said to follow instructions carefully. But it helps if you are also computer savvy.