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Tourist Information for Travel in Indonesia

British passport holders should have at least 6 months validity left on their passports, beyond their intended departure date. Entry to Indonesia will be refused and airlines may not carry passengers holding passports with less than six months validity. You are required to retain you arrival card for presentation to Immigration upon your departure.
For more information on UK passports please refer to www.ukpa.gov.uk.

All British passport holders require a short stay Indonesian tourist visa of either 7 or 30 days, which are easily arranged on arrival at the main international airports or seaports. The 7 day visa costs US$10, and the 30 day visa costs US $25, please note these can not be extended without leaving the country. Your passport must have one clear page available, as the visa takes up an entire page, and you must possess an onward ticket out of Indonesia. You may also be required to show proof of funds for your stay (up to US $1000 or a valid credit card).

You can build your own Indonesia trip using our range of bite-sized Indonesia tours. If you'd rather leave the planning to us, you can also choose from our suggested holidays in Indonesia. For any further questions regarding travel in Indonesia, feel free to conact our Indonesia travel specialists.

Travel in Indonesia: Passport and Visa details

These details can change suddenly, so for the most up to date information please contact the Indonesian Embassy in London, their details are as follows:

Indonesian Embassy
Consular Section
38 A Adams Row
London W1K

Tel: 020 7499 7661
Fax: 020 7491 4993
Email: consular@indonesian-embassy.org.uk
(Closed on Indonesian and British Public Holiday )

Overstaying a visitors visa incurs to pay a penalty of US$20. per day/person (for under 60 days stay) whilst over 60 days stay will be a 5 (five) year prison sentence or a fine of IDR25.000.000 (local currency).

Travel in Indonesia: Money and cash machines

The currency in Indonesia is the Indonesian rupiah (IDRP). The exchange rate to the £ depends on economical and political circumstances but you can request the current exchange rate at any Indonesian bank or independent exchange bureau (money changer), or check Yahoo for the most up-to-date exchange rates. The exchange rate is currently around £1 to IDR 16.5000. You can also exchange money at the airport, which is useful for your first few expenses. There are plenty of cash machines in Indonesia, though mostly in the larger cities. On Bali it’s usually not a problem withdrawing or exchanging money, but it’s a lot more difficult on the smaller or less touristy islands like Flores where the only cash machines on the island are in Maumere and Labuhan Bajo, and these are often broken or empty so make sure you have sufficient cash when you’re travelling to more remote areas. Also keep in mind that smaller shops and restaurants don’t have much change in the till, so it’s a good idea to keep some smaller change in your wallet. For tips (usually around 0.25p) and for when you’re on the road it’s useful to keep some loose change in your pocket. That way you don’t need to pull out your big fat wallet every time you want to give someone a small tip or a couple of coins. Note that credit cards are not commonly accepted outside the major cities.

Travel in Indonesia: Transport

On our trips you’ll usually travel by private transport, but you can also use the typical Indonesian bemos, small minibuses that are used for short(er) distances. There are several bus connections between the larger cities and villages and boat connections between the islands, either by catamaran (fast) or ferry (not so fast). In the major cities you can use a taxi or one of the many private minibuses with driver; make sure they have a proper licence though. If you want to really immerse yourself in the Indonesian traffic you can hire a moped or car (on Bali), but again make sure the vehicles are adequately licensed. You’ll also need an international driver’s licence.
Domestic flight routes between the various islands in the archipelago are served by several different airlines for which ticket prices can vary tremendously, but so can the service.

Travel in Indonesia: Food and hygiene

Indonesia is renowned for its cuisine, especially the rice table, the fried rice (nasi goring) and the satay. You’ll find lots of dishes that you may recognise from your local Chinese takeaway, but they’re usually prepared with a lot more heat than what you’re used to back home, so beware before you set your mouth on fire.

Hygiene in Indonesia is fair, which means that you can drink boiled water or bottled water (with a sealed cap), but steer clear of drinking tap water. Food should be thoroughly cooked to kill any nasty bacteria, and fresh fruit should be washed (in clean water!) before eating if you want to avoid a severe case of diarrhea. For more information on staying healthy in Indonesia, click on our Indonesia travel health page.

Travel in Indonesia: Practical information

Time zones: The Indonesian archipelago is so stretched out, it actually has three different time zones. In our summer it’s GMT+ 6 hours in western Indonesia (Java and Sumatra), GMT+ 7 hours in central Indonesia (Bali, Nusa Tenggara, Sulawesi and Kalimantan) and GMT+8 hours in eastern Indonesia (Moluccas and Iran Jaya). Indonesia doesn’t use daylight saving time, so in winter time difference is GMT+7, GMT+8 and GMT+9 hours respectively.

Communication: Check with your provider before you leave whether you can use your mobile phone in Indonesia. To minimise your call costs you could also buy a prepaid card in Indonesia. They usually cost no more than a couple of pounds and you can buy an additional calling card. These days phone reception is a lot better and calls to Europe and the UK are a lot cheaper. You can call the UK from most of the phone centres like Wartel, Telkom or Perumtel in most of the (larger) towns. To call the UK you’ll need to dial 001 44, followed by the UK phone number, but without the initial zero.
Internet cafes are popping up everywhere so you’ll find plenty of places to check your email or surf the internet. It’s cheap and easy, but connections can be poor and rather slow.

Language: Bahasa Indonesia is the official language on all the islands, though each of the islands (or regions) has its own dialect. Many Indonesians speak a bit of English, especially in the larger tourist areas.
Tips: Tips are often considered a supplement to a person’s salary. You can tip a porter 25p – 50p per bag, for taxi rides just round off the amount. In hotels and restaurants use the 10% rule.
Haggling: Bargaining is customary for most everyday purchases in shops but also on the market. Decide what price you’re willing to pay before you enter the game of offer and counter offer. Once you agree on a price everyone’s happy. Remember though, once your price is accepted you have to buy it. Haggling is part of the purchasing process, so only do it if you ‘re really interested, and not just for the fun of it.
Departure tax: On your last day you’ll be saying goodbye to Indonesia and boarding the plane back home. Before you blow all your rupiahs in a last-minute souvenir-shopping spree, remember to save some cash for the airport departure tax (150,000 IDRP, approx £10) which you’ll need to pay after check-in. Departure tax also applies for domestic flights, though the fees are considerably lower, between 50,000 – 80,000 IDRP (approx £3-6) depending on the airport.

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