Indonesia arrival card requirements: who must file, what you need, when

Who must file

The card applies to all international arrivals, with no exemption by nationality, age or visa type.

• Foreign visitors of every nationality, whether visa-free, on a visa on arrival, an e-VOA or a visa issued in advance.
• Indonesian citizens returning from abroad, in the Indonesian citizen category with their NIK.
• Children and infants who hold a passport: one card each, filled in by a parent.
• Arrivals by sea (Batam, Bintan, Benoa and other international ports) and by land (Motaain and other crossings), not only by air.

The only people who do not file are transit passengers who stay in the international transit area and never pass immigration.

Documents and details to have ready

The form takes about fifteen minutes if everything is on the table. You will need:

• Passport, open at the photo page. Name, passport number, date of birth, nationality and expiry date must be typed exactly as printed; the machine-readable zone is the safest source.
• Flight, ferry or vessel number, the local arrival date in Indonesia and the airport or port where you first clear immigration.
• Planned departure date (approximate is accepted) and your visa type: visa-free, visa on arrival, e-VOA or other.
• Purpose of visit and the name and address of your first accommodation. A hotel name and city is accepted.
• An email address you can open on your phone. The verification code and the QR code go there.
• Countries visited in the previous 21 days, and whether you currently have symptoms such as fever or cough.
• What you carry: cash, alcohol, tobacco, goods bought abroad, animals, plants or fresh food, and the number of bags. Indonesian citizens also enter their NIK.

Timing: the 72-hour window

The official portal accepts a card only when the arrival date lies within the next 72 hours. There is no early filing and no card that covers several trips. Most travelers submit 24 to 48 hours before landing. The arrival date is the local calendar date you land in Indonesia; on an overnight flight from Europe or North America that is the day after departure. Airlines on many routes check the QR at check-in, so do not plan to file at the destination airport. Flying later than that? Set a free reminder.

What the card is not

The arrival card is a declaration. It does not by itself give you the right to enter Indonesia.

• It is not a visa. Depending on your nationality you enter visa-free (ASEAN), with a visa on arrival or e-VOA (IDR 500,000 government fee, 30 days, extendable once), or with a visa issued before travel.
• It is not the Bali tourist levy, which the Bali provincial government collects separately from foreign tourists.
• Our fee pays for preparing, checking and delivering it for you; the card itself carries no government fee.
• It is not a health pass. The health questions are a declaration; a truthful yes does not refuse entry.

What happens without it

Immigration checks for a valid card when you present your passport, at the autogate or the counter. Without one you are not sent home, but you are sent aside to complete the form on your phone, on airport Wi-Fi, while your queue moves on. Some airlines refuse to check in passengers who cannot show the QR, particularly on flights from Singapore, Australia and the Gulf, which is the more serious risk. After baggage claim the customs kiosk needs the same QR.

A card with wrong details is nearly as bad as no card: a name or passport number that does not match sends you to a manual counter, and a wrong arrival date may not be valid on the day. Submit a corrected card and show only that one.

Where the card is checked

The QR is checked up to three times between check-in and the exit door.

• At airline check-in, on many routes, before the boarding pass is issued.
• At immigration: autogates match the passport chip to the card automatically; counters scan the QR.
• At the customs kiosk after baggage claim: green or red channel. What to declare is on our customs page.

For a screen-by-screen walk through the form, see our complete guide.