Entering Bali As A Tourist – Feb 2022

Update 15/02/2022:

• At the end of March, quarantine will be reduced to 3 nights for those who have received 3 doses of vaccines.

Indonesia is opening its doors for tourists – but it’s added a few extra layers of security to get through to its beautiful beaches. With our visas granted and our trip to beautiful Bali imminent, I though I would share the process of entering Bali for those who want to plan their own trips.

First I want to give a little shout out to @beccagillen, @mrsnadineburton, and @siobh.ohagan,  from whom I got lots of advice for planning our own trip.

So let’s get into it!

Our Trip To Bali

When checking in for our flight to Jakarta, we needed to show the following to get our boarding passes:

• A booked flight leaving Indonesia (we didn’t realise this, and had to book it at the desk)
• Our negative PCR test results
• Covid vaccine certificates
• A QR code which our hotel in Jakarta sent us to confirm our stay
• Our Indonesia visas

Checking in took a good 10-15 minutes while they checked everything, so arrive early to avoid queuing for a long time.

When we landed in Jakarta airport, everything was super efficiently handled and we had 4 layers of checks to go through.

• At the first counter they checked our passport and handed us a QR code
• At the next, they checked our vaccine passes and PCR tests
• At the third counter they checked our hotel QR code, which your hotel will send you when you book your package. Then we were sent to a room to get a PCR test (double swab)
• Finally, we got our visas checked by immigration and we were through to arrivals

At arrivals, we met our driver who brought us to our hotel where we checked in. Our hotel QR code was checked quite a few times at this point, so have that ready on your phone when you land. The driver also took our passports from us, and they will be handed back when our quarantine is over in 7 days.

All in all, it was a very easy journey with super thorough checks. We mostly had digital paperwork (QR codes and test results on our phones) rather than print outs, and it was all fine. Once they can scan your codes or take a photo of your paperwork, you don’t need a printed copy.

We stayed at Grand Mecure Harmoni and had a great stay. The food was excellent, they brought us weights to work out with in the room, we could order wine, and the room was cleaned regularly. One issue was that the wifi wasn’t super strong, so my Zoom calls for work cut out a few times. But it’s strong enough for regular use and streaming.

Current Entry Rules

Under the current restrictions, to enter Indonesia as a tourist you need the following:

• A Visit Visa (explained below)
• Travel insurance which covers Covid treatment, and covers you up to $50,000
• Negative PCR test taken within 72  hours prior to departure
  • Test result must have a BarCode/QRCode
• Proof of double vaccination or Medical Health Exemption Letter
• Download the Peduli Lindungi App and complete the eHAC (electronic health alert card). Once the eHAC is complete, you will receive a QR code which you must present at arrival using the app.
• Have booked a flight arriving at one of the ports of entry into Indonesia (Bali, Jakarta, Medan, Surabaya and Manado).
• Upon arrival in Indonesia, you must complete 3 nights quarantine at an approved hotel if you arrive after Feb 4th (explained below)
• You must take a PCR test when you arrive at your hotel (explained below)
• You may leave quarantine once you have taken a negative PCR test on the 6th day (explained below)

How to get a tourist visa to enter Indonesia

Indonesia has suspended its Visa On Arrival process, so you can no longer fly in and get a tourist visa at immigration. Instead tourists must apply for a Visit Visa (also called a B211A visa). This visa requires a guarantor / sponsor, so you will need to apply for the visa through an Indonesian agent who will act as your visa guarantor. They will also take care of every bit of paperwork, so you just fill in a form and your visa will be sent to you by email.

We applied for our visas on Bali.com. We applied for the ‘Standard e-visa’ which cost £220 per person and took 14 days (not working days) to come through. They also offer an express service for £325 per person which takes 7 working days to come through.

This was our only experience applying for a visa with Bali.com, and we have no affiliation with them. The service was fast and easy, and I would definitely recommend them.

To apply for your visa you need the following:

• A photo or photocopy of your passport with at least 6 months validity after entry
• A passport photo
• A photo or photocopy of your full vaccination certificates

With Bali.com the process is as follows:

• Fill out an application form, supplying the above information
• You will then receive an email requesting payment for the visa
• Once you have paid, you will receive a confirmation email to say the processing has started
• You won’t hear anything until your visa is ready, and once it’s ready you will receive it by email

Can I fly directly to Bali?

A B211A Visa which is granted for Tourist purposes allows for arrival and quarantine in Bali. But only if you are on a direct flight from one of the 19 eligible countries on the official list.  (China, India, Japan, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, New Zealand, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Liechtenstein, Italy, France, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Poland, Hungary, and Norway)

Singapore airlines are running daily international flights into Bali, check SkyScanner to book your flight.  Lion Air have also announced that they will be resuming direct flights from Singapore to Bali. Singaporean citizens will get 21 days in the country without a visa.

Remember, to quarantine in Bali you must be entering Indonesia and flying directly to Denpasar airport in Bali – you cannot stop anywhere in Indonesia first.

How to book your flight to Indonesia

SkyScanner is the best place to find flights to Indonesia.

If you have any stopovers on your journey, make sure you check if they are ‘self-transfer’ or not. Self transfer flights involve collecting your baggage upon landing in a connecting country, then going through immigration, checking in again and going back through immigration a second time. Some countries may not allow you to do this, and it’s not something SkyScanner checks for you – so they may well recommend a self-transfer flight that you can’t actually take. So always check this – SkyScanner will mark the transfer very clearly if it is self-transfer.

How to book your quarantine hotel

At the moment, you must complete 3 nights quarantine in a designated hotel. You cannot just go online and book these hotels through Booking.com / Agoda, you must book a special quarantine package. Details on what you get in these packages and how to book them are below.

Average costs of quarantine packages

Quarantine packages start at around €400 for one person for the week, and €500 for two people for the cheapest rooms.

Mid-range rooms will run around €700 for a couple.

High end rooms start at €1,000 per couple.

What you get for your money is bigger rooms, better in-room facilities (kitchenette / balcony for example), and also better food. (Food is the biggest complaint of people in Indonesian Quarantine).

What you get with your quarantine package

Each hotel will detail their package on their website, but with almost all of them you get the following:

• 2 x PCR tests (one at the start and one at the end of your trip).
• 3 x meals per day (with the option of Western, Asian, or Arabic food in most places).
• Pickup from the airport upon arrival.
• 5 pieces of laundry per day per person.

Indonesia has a 21% government hotel fee, so also make sure this is included or you will end up paying this when you arrive.

Where to book your package

• For Jakarta, you can book your quarantine package on quarantinehotelsjakarta.com.
• For Bali, there is no dedicated website right now but Bali.com has a list of quarantine hotels.

Tips for finding a good hotel

As I mentioned above, food is the biggest complaint for those in hotel quarantine. Budget and mid-range hotels may not have the facilities to cook your meals on-site, so they will outsource this to a food delivery company – with varying degrees of edibility 🙂 High end hotels usually have these facilities and make your food fresh in-house, which means better quality food which is plated and not in a plastic box.

Budget & mid-range hotels will mostly offer Indonesian cuisine (sambal / gado gado / rice for breakfast etc). Higher end hotels will do better western food. So if eating high quality and / or familiar food is a priority for you then higher end hotels may be your preference. If you’re happy with local food and aren’t too picky then you can book budget or mid-range.

The refund policy is also important to check when booking your hotel. Ensure that your hotel offers a full refund if you test positive on the way, to avoid losing your money. This is detailed on their website- if you can’t see the information then contact them to ask.

Hotels that were recommended to me (in Jakarta where we are quarantining) are:

• Nuanza (€748 per couple for a standard room)
• Grand Mecure Harmoni (€756 for a standard room – we booked this one, so stay tuned to my stories to see what it’s like. I will update this post when our stay ends)
• Kristal (€842 per couple for a room with a balcony and kitchenette)
• Grand Mercure Jakarta Kemayoran (€923 per couple for a standard room)
• Ayana (€1097 per couple, the food is apparently great)

Where to find the most up to date information

The website Welcome Back To Bali has some great up to date information with a lot of detail. Also follow @balisolve on Instagram.

Likely upcoming changes

With the announcement of direct flights to Bali restarting, it’s likely that visitors to Indonesia will be able to quarantine in Bali from February onwards.

Recommendations for your trip to Bali

Here are some other posts I have written about Bali to help you to plan your trip!

• Read my Bali travel guide
• Check out my Nusa Penida travel guide
• A 3-day itinerary for Nusa Penida
• Best budget accommodation in Nusa Ceningan
• My favourite restaurants in Seminyak
• Monsoon Season Activities in Bali
• Make sure you have the right travel cards
• Make sure you’re up to date on your travel vaccines

And if you would like help planning your trip, I create custom travel itineraries for any type of trip! Click here for the details.

I hope this helped you with planning your trip to Bali! If you have any questions or would like to request posts on any other topic then leave your thoughts in the comments below!

Happy travelling!
Steph
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