Visas and border crossings forum

The two most popular visas for Indonesia with foreign tourists are the 30-day visa on arrival and the tourist visa.

Visa on arrival
Over 60 nationalities are eligible for visa on arrival which is good for 30-days, costs US$25 (payable on arrival) and, in some cases, can be extended for a second 30 days for an additional $25, or via an agent (which should cost 500,000 - 600,000 rupiah depending on the agent).

The visa on arrival is available at most popular international airports (for example, Jakarta, Bali, Medan, Padang, Palembang, Surabaya, Yogyakarta, Mataram and Kupang) and also at many seaports which accept international visitors. Contact your closest Indonesian embassy for a full list - the Indonesian Embassy in Washington has a solid list.

Smaller crossings may only accept payment in US dollars while other more popular arrival points may accept multiple currencies, or, as in the case of Bali, accept credit cards. Just don't expect the best exchange rate in town!

Tourist visa
The Tourist Visa is available at most Indonesian embassies and consulates and is valid for either one month or two months. Not all Indonesian diplomatic missions will issue the two month version. Costs and processing time varies tremendously depending on the overseas mission, but prices are generally most competitive at missions within Southeast Asia

From the Travelfish blogs
Getting an Indonesian visa in Cambodia
Getting an Indonesian visa in Singapore

Extensions
The Indonesian visa on arrival can (in theory) be extended for an additional 30-day period for an extra US$25. We suggest this be done at a popular immigration centre, for example Bali, as in less touristic centres you may be turned away or the process may be unduly complicated/time consuming.

The two month tourist visa cannot *legally* be extended. Some visa agents, especially in Bali and Jakarta, offer to extend these visas, but what they actually do is convert it into a different type of visa called a social visa (which can then be extended for up to six months total stay). A social visa requires a sponsor (which the visa agent will often arrange for an additional fee). In practise the end result is you get a longer stay in country, but what you're actually getting is a different visa. There is an interesting conversation on the Travelfish forum regarding Indonesian visa extensions (note, it is a little confusing!)

Validity issues
The main issue facing tourists is that visa on arrival can only be extended once. The Indonesian tourist visa may be a full page sticker or a third of a page sticker -- it varies, the third of the page sticker is the new version.

Overstays
While it isn't a big deal to overstay a visa in Indonesia, it does get expensive very quickly. The base fine is US$20 per day of overstay.