How to Apply & Extend Indonesia eVOA + Fix Problems
Indonesia has a visa on arrival that costs 500.000 IDR (~33$). It is a simple and convenient option to enter the country.
But did you know that you can obtain it online, even before you arrive? This is what’s known as the eVoA.
The Indonesia eVOA is simple to apply for, is issued instantly and you can extend it online without a visit to an immigration office.
Unfortunately, the website has seen its fair share of problems after launch. Travelers report errors, failures, and general confusion. I have had a few problems to deal with myself too!
After it got a major overhaul in October 2023, it somehow became even more glitchy. Then in January 2024, Indonesian Immigration added more requirements and options to the online application.
Here, you will read about my experience applying for 6 eVoAs and then extending 4 of them, including the problems I’ve faced. I’ve also added information from countless reports about glitches and solutions concerning the eVoA.
Who is eligible for an Indonesia eVOA or VOA
Passport holders from 93 countries are eligible for Indonesia eVOA online or visa on arrival paid at the airport.
Check the full list of countries.
The difference between eVoA and VoA
VoA stands for Visa on Arrival and is exactly what the name suggests – you receive a visa for Indonesia upon your arrival in the country. You will pay for it at the border.
Indonesia eVoA on the other hand can be paid for and received online BEFORE you arrive in the country.
Both are only issued and/or accepted at certain airports, seaports, and land borders. See the full list of eligible borders here. Big airports like Jakarta, Bali, Surabaya, Yogyakarta, Makassar, and Lombok are on the list and so are some land borders, for example, the Mota’ain border with Timor Leste.
The VoA and eVoA are equivalent permits and allow you to stay in Indonesia for 30 days, extendable once for another 30 days. Any entry into Indonesia is subject to an immigration check and potentially a few simple questions.
The two main differences between the VOA and eVOA are:
- You can proceed directly to immigration with an eVOA. With VOA you must queue to pay for your visa first, then proceed to the immigration desks;
- You can extend eVOA online in less than 5 minutes. VOA received after landing can only be extended in person with 3 visits to the closest immigration department or with the paid help of an agency and 1 visit to immigration.
Official website to apply for an eVOA for Indonesia
There are two official, reputable, and trusted websites to get your Indonesian eVOA:
They are identical and both belong to the Indonesian Directorate General of Immigration. You can use the same account for both.
There are so many travel agents, visa agents, Bali agents, etc agents that claim to help or facilitate visas for Indonesia.
They will either charge you more (for something you can easily do yourself) or even worse – steal your sensitive identity data and do who-knows-what with it (okay, probably not, but why risk it?).
I’ve only ever used Molina for my applications. It works, although there are glitches (more on that later).
How to apply for Indonesian eVOA online
If you’re reading this section, I will assume you qualify for a Visa on Arrival for Indonesia and want to get it online from the Molina website (or Evisa Imigrasi) before your flight (or ferry, or even bus from Dili to Kupang).
Step 1: Register an account in Molina/Evisa
Many people skip this step and then run into problems accessing their visa confirmation or extending it onshore.
Register first, then make an application! (EDIT February 2024: It’s no longer necessary to make an account, although I still recommend it as you never know when they will change the system again)
This is the link to register on Molina. Choose the option “foreigner“, then fill in all information (Personal, Document, Account) on the next screen, click submit, then go back and log in through the big orange button in the top right corner of the main page.
Step 2: Make a new visa application
After signing in with your account, navigate to “SERVICES” and pick “E-Visa”. You can also use the button “Apply” on the home page regardless if you’re logged in or not.
- Then select the country where your passport is from;
- Select your purpose to visit Indonesia. If you’re going as a tourist, pick “General, Family or Social“;
- Select a sub-purpose for your visit: Tourism, family visit, transit;
- Select “Visa on Arrival 30 Days”;
- On “I’m planning to stay” the only option is 30 days. Don’t worry, you can extend it later to up to 60 in total;
If Molina loads the visa suggestion as “Type of Visa B1“, you’ve done it correctly.
- Click “Detail & Apply”;
- Scan the requirements and conditions;
- Click “Apply”.
If you get “INTERNAL SERVER ERROR 500” or similar, just try again. The Molina website is known to spit out errors all the time. Wait a few minutes and restart. Sometimes getting the eVoA is super easy, but sometimes it’s an annoying hassle.
Step 3: Personal Information
On the next screen, you’ll have to upload your passport bio page and a face picture. A few things to note:
- Keep your passport pic as small as possible but clear and without glare; Compress it down to under 200 kb;
- Carefully follow the requirements for the face picture.
Step 4: Form Application
The system will automatically read the MRZ from your passport and populate most of the information.
Important: Double-check EVERYTHING. Sometimes the automatic information is wrong. It’s ALWAYS WRONG for the passport’s date of issue (it puts the current date instead).
Step 5: Attach Onward Flight
That’s a new step as of January 2024. You are now required to attach a PDF of your return or onward flight out of Indonesia.
Thankfully, the eVoA remains completely automated, which means that you can submit any ticket and you will be approved no matter what. Nobody checks the applications, the actual checks for onward tickets happen at flight check-in and immigration.
This means that you can attach an onward ticket for up to 60 days after the date of entry if you intend to extend the eVoA. If prompted at check-in or immigration, explain that you will extend – they know about that option and will accept your ticket.
Step 5: Validation and Submit
Before the October 2023 overhaul of the online portal, I hadn’t had any problems with the eVoA.
Then in December 2023, I kept trying to submit only to get hit with the dreaded HTTP 500 Error. Five times in a row.
I gave up and went to sleep. Tried again the next day. Same error twice.
Then the following day it finally worked and the application was submitted.
But now what, I hadn’t paid for it!?
Step 6: Retrieve the eVisa
After submitting your application the portal just does nothing. But you’re not finished.
Go back to the home screen of the Molina portal and click ‘Retrieve E-visa”.
Alternatively, navigate directly to this link for “find batch”. You will also receive an email with a link to retrieve the application.
Input your passport number, nationality, and date of birth.
You should now be able to see your application. And if you got many Error 500s like me, also see all the draft applications there too.
Pick your application (or the most recent one) and follow the procedure. When you open your application, look for the orange button “Submit” underneath. The payment option will appear afterwards.
Do the payment within 2 hours after you submit the application.
Note: Your card must support 3D Secure payments (aka 3DS or 3D Secure System). Revolut does and works fine for eVoA payments. Learn more about what personal finance apps I use.
The Indonesia eVoA costs 500.000 IDR (~33$) and you will pay 19.500 IDR (~1.3$) as a card transaction fee.
In total, the eVOA payment screen will show 519.500 IDR.
Yes, this means that the VOA at the airport is slightly cheaper, but considering you might end up paying in a different currency (at an unfavorable rate), you might have to extend via the lengthy in-person procedure and you could end up waiting in queue for up to an hour to pay for the VOA (especially at Bali’s Denpasar Airport), the eVOA is a bargain.
Download the receipt at the end just in case there are technical issues with your eVOA.
Step 7: Receive eVoA in your email and save it
Shortly after you pay, you should receive a confirmation of the payment. In a separate email, you should receive the eVoA in a PDF file. Download it on your phone and you’re good to go.
You don’t need to print out the Indonesia eVoA. Simply show the PDF file at immigration.
How long does getting an eVOA take?
Once you pay, eVOA is issued immediately.
The system in place does not include any human verification and is fully automated. Think of it more like a payment portal for the entry permit (stamp) you will receive at the border.
It’s quite different to how, say, the Vietnam e-visa works where your application is checked and approved before you get your visa.
If you follow all the steps correctly, Indonesia eVoA is instant. You can even do it an hour before your flight (not that I recommend that).
How to extend the eVoA
Extending eVoA is simple, and takes less than 5 minutes and a few clicks on the Molina website.
Make sure you extend your eVoA at least a week before its date of expiry. This way if there are any unsolvable issues you can go to an immigration office and salvage the situation.
Note that you cannot extend the eVoA before you enter Indonesia! Upon entry, the immigration officer will register your eVoA in the system and you should receive an automated email from “DIREKTORAT JENDERAL IMIGRASI REPUBLIK INDONESIA” with your “Stay Permit” confirmation.
Only then will you be able to extend it. I suspect many officers don’t register this properly and this is why many travelers are unable to find their eVoA on the system and extend. As time goes by, this should be less and less of an issue.
Step 1: Log in to your account on Molina.
That’s why it was important to register an account, even though Molina says it’s not necessary. Yeah, it isn’t, until you want to extend it, then it most certainly is.
If you didn’t sign up for an account, do so now. It’s easier, especially if you intend to ever get another eVOA online.
Edit February 2024: You no longer need an account to extend. You don’t need to be logged in to do the next steps. If you’re logged in, you will NOT see the eVoA in the “Extend” section.
Step 2: PANIC because you don’t see your application in the EXTEND section
Step 3: Go back to the home screen and retrieve the eVoA
Follow the same procedure as when you had to pay.
Go back to the home screen of Molina (or directly to this ‘find batch’ link), click “Extend My Visa”, fill in your info, and see the applications you have made.
Alternatively, look at the bottom of the PDF file of your eVoA. There should be a QR code in the middle with a kind nudge from Indonesian authorities to visit the country, and then scan the code to extend.
After you retrieve the eVoA, pick the ACTIVE ONE. This is the one that has a green “PAID” note next to it and is the last on the list if you’ve had more than 1.
Once there, the process becomes straightforward.
- Fill in the information required;
- Pay! It’s 519.500 IDR too.
- Receive PDF confirmation on your email;
It’s so simple actually. No need to visit the immigration and no need to pay an agent to do it for you.
Option 2: Scan the QR code
If you do NOT see an “Extend” button next to your eVoA after you retrieve it in the system, there’s another way to extend it still.
Find the original file for the eVoA – the one that Immigration sent you via email when you paid for it.
At the bottom, there will be a small QR code, and underneath it the sentence: “If you want to extend this visa, please come to Indonesia and scan the QR code above.“
Simply scan the QR code and open the link in your browser. You will see your current eVoA with the extend button on the right.
Option 3: Scan the QR code but paste the link in an incognito window
The last time I tried to extend my eVoA, I scanned the QR code and…nothing.
I tried and tried. Error messages, missing eVoA, no extend button. I was close to giving up for the day.
Then I had the brilliant idea to paste the link from scanning the extend QR code (bottom of the original eVoA) into an incognito window (ctrl+shift+N on Chrome).
It worked! It brought me to a page with my eVoA and a dropdown menu “Options” with the option to Extend sitting there.
The process from then is straightforward.
Common problems with the Indonesian eVOA
The reason I wrote this guide is because I read countless questions and complaints about it daily from fellow travelers struggling to make it work.
I’ve had problems with it too, but have always been able to fix them and eventually get the visa. Let’s look at the most commonly experienced problems and what you can do to fix them.
HTTP 500 internal server error
This error means that there’s a problem with the server. Not yours, the website’s. There is a long list of potential reasons, but we don’t care about it, we just want our eVoAs!!!
Unfortunately, this is not within your control. If you get this error, the best you can do is:
- Clear your cache and cookies and refresh the page;
- Try a different browser;
- Try using a VPN;
- Try a different network (e.g. switch from wifi to mobile data);
- Try with a different device type (e.g. smartphone instead of PC)
- Go get coffee and try again later.
That’s about it. I’ve had this error pop up for me trying to complete the Indonesian eVOA journey and it always fixes eventually. Just try again later.
I don’t see where to pay
I didn’t either for a while and I scratched my head figuring it out.
You have to go to the home screen and retrieve your application. After you click on “details”, then on “submit application” and then it will allow you to pay. You’re good to go!
I don’t see my application in the Extend Section
You don’t and nobody else does because the Molina/Evisa Imigrasi website is bad.
Instead, go to the homepage and click on the button “Extend My Visa”. Then follow the procedure. It’s explained in detail in the “How to Extend” section of this article.
I don’t see the extend button
That’s a new one. I recently got it too!
Try scanning the QR code at the bottom of your eVoA PDF file. This should bring up your visa with the extend button on the right. Then just follow the extension process.
Status stuck at “waiting for payment”
Retrieve your application from the Molina Home Page option. Then click “Submit” and the payment process will be initiated.
If this process doesn’t work, you can start a fresh application and pay immediately after you submit it. There is no penalty for having an unpaid application.
Passport not accepted
If when trying to create a new account you get the error that your passport picture is invalid, it’s probably two possible reasons:
- Your passport picture is too large;
- Your passport picture is in a format that’s not accepted.
There’s a hidden size limit of 200 kb for passport pictures on Molina. If your picture is bigger than that, resize and compress your image.
In the application process, you will have to submit your passport twice – once in JPG file format and once more as a PDF.
Do you need to complete biometrics to extend eVOA?
When extending your VOA, you will make at least 1 visit to immigration (if done with an agent, independently it’s 3) where they will take down your biometrics.
If you’re extending an eVOA online, you don’t need to do this. You don’t need to visit an immigration office at all if you extend online.
Other documents needed to enter Indonesia
Apart from a visa, when entering Indonesia you also officially need:
- Passport valid for at least 6 months;
- Return or onward ticket;
- Proof of sufficient funds to cover your stay in Indonesia;
In reality, the passport requirement is strictly mandatory (it’s unlikely you’ll even be allowed to board your flight), the onward ticket is enforced only 50% of the time (but then stubbornly required despite objections) and the proof of funds is never asked for.
Since June 2023, there are no longer any COVID-related entry requirements for Indonesia.
What happens if you don’t extend and overstay?
Overstaying a visa is one of the worst things you can do as a traveler. It can potentially lead to massive problems and a lot of headaches.
The penalty is 1.000.000 IDR (~65$) per day per day of overstay. This is up to 60 days. It is unclear what happens if you overstay longer than 60 days but we can assume nothing good.
Immigration will NOT care about technical issues with the Molina website. You cannot use this excuse.
If for some reason you cannot extend online, go in person to the nearest Kantor Imigrasi or leave the country and reenter.
My experience with eVOA for Indonesia
Honestly, what an absolutely massive time-saver the eVOA has been! I’ve entered Indonesia 5 times on an eVOA and every time it’s been easy at the border.
The first 4 times I didn’t have any problems whatsoever. Neither with the application nor with the extension.
The last time I did it I couldn’t get past the Error 500s until I tried once more the day after. Then I couldn’t figure out where the extension button was for hours until I found the “retrieve” option on the home screen. Talk about a user-unfriendly experience!
If you’re experiencing problems with the eVOA application or extension, write a comment below or send me a message on Facebook or Instagram.
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Hi everybody, today I have a “403-Forbidden” error…
I got a new error that I haven’t seen before when trying to extend evoa:
“Error Processing Request. Code: 021938”
Have you seen it before?
No, haven’t. This seems like an internal code, so you have to contact Immigration directly.
Hi Simon, i am traveling to Sulawesi with my two sons end of July, and have a return ticket for after 38 days, so aiming to go for the 30 days e-visa and extend. I think you said in the article that at check-in and immigration they are aware that you can extend, so this ticket is accepted? No need for a ticket out of indonesia within the 30 days? Also am I correct that i can already request extension in the first week after we arrive (at that point we’ll still be near a town with an immigration office in case things go wrong, later on it will be more complicated)? Thanks!
Hi there Ineke,
Yeah, tickets within 60 days are accepted, no worries.
As to when you can do the extension – last time I did it within a few days of entering Indonesia but I hear they’ve made it so you can only do it after at least 14 days have passed. Please if you do extend, inform me either way, so I can update the article accordingly.
-S.
Thanks Simon, I will do that!
Hi Simon When I click on Extend-tab it says No data available in table. I’m going to Bali next week. But is it normal that it says no data available? Did you also have that before you arrived in Indonesia? I understand that you must first arrive in Indonesia before you can extend your stay. But I don’t know if it is normal that there is no date available when you click on extend. I hear from you!
Hi there,
The Extend tab is useless currently. Use the “Retrieve” button (may be “Extend”) on the Home Page instead.
Alternatively, scan the QR code of the eVoA you have AFTER you arrive in Indonesia. This should bring up the extend screen.
-S.
Hello! I have got my E voa, but my uploaded photo is not exactly like the requirements (it’s closer), will I have problem in immigration because of it? Thank you very much for the reply!
That’s fine. Once you get the eVOA it’s all good.
I have mistake in 1 letter of my surname in my evoa. What to do now ? Rest all information is correct.
I’d really like to distance myself from such queries as any advice I give may potentially turn out to be wrong.
You have 2 options: pretend you never saw it and go with it (if they don’t accept it, worst case is you get a visa on arrival) or get a new eVoA with correct name now.
-S.
Thank you for this extensive guide, it was helpful. The only issue is that on the official evisa account my passport expiry date is correct 11/01/2034 but the visa shows 11/12/2034.
Why would it be incorrect if its pulling info off the application and how do I correct this? Pay to do it again which isn’t ideal and could still run the risk of it being incorrect
Hi Kit,
You can’t correct it. My guess is that it will be alright at the border. If this happened to me, I’d just ignore it. The alternative is to either message visa support or submit a new application.
-S.
I just had the same issue with the ‘date of issue’ and only noticed it on the approved B1 document after I had paid for it. I too have emailed them but I have not heard back. I am not sure if I should just ignore it or keep chasing them to amend it. Any thoughts?
Hello there, I followed all the steps on this helpful link, however it all went through ok except my DOB – it has issued my Visa with the wrong DOB on it. I have tried to email them on evoa@imigrasi.go.id and it keep bouncing back – is there a CORRECT email address I can email my edit request to?
Try this email: humas@imigrasi.go.id
You can also try a live chat at https://www.imigrasi.go.id/
Hi Simon
Don’t doubt this will all be very helpful IF I could get an Account.
Have spent 2 days on various browsers, clearing caches, adjusting file sizes and cant even complete the registration process.
fwiw, the Create Account process seems to the uninitiated like a Visa application process given that you have to upload passport, photo, your mother’s name etc – that is much more than a normal create account process asks for.
You can get to the Create Account process directly or going through a series of multiple drop downs to identify what type/length visa you want (and it implies that the default tourist visa is now 60 days which is great if true!). Have used both routes with the same result – X Error with no further insight as to why.
(24th April 2024)
Having same issue.. So frustrating!!!
2 weeks ago I was waiting for the response from them but never received. Today April 29th, 2024 just only 2 days before I leave I tried again to get E-VOA and it’s successful.
When you are at “submit” button click it then it takes you to “login” page.
Please do create an account that is helpful to apply the E-VOA and then go back to your email to “activate” your account. After you signed up, start over again to apply visa from page 1 and the rest will be easier. Don’t forget to scroll down the visa confirmation then click “pay”.
Check your email again and download the visa into your phone.
It’s done.
How to use the egates with eVOA? Do we still need to stop by an immigration officer for checking and registration?
As far as I know, the eGates are only for Indonesians. With eVOA you will have to go through the standard Immigration desks.
Not true at all.
May not be true, but not “at all” either. I tried to use the gates in late March and was directed to a manned kiosk. Hence my comment.
It would be more helpful to other travelers if you add some personal experience or insights.
I cant even complete the registration process. It’s saying account not activated.
I can get to the Create Account, submit all documents then go to log into accountand says not activated. I didn’t receive a code or email activation. We did this for my hubby, and same issue on his device. ). Have used other devices and same result –
(28th April 2024)
Hi Simon.
You said before that it ALWAYS auto-fills the passport date of issue with todays date. I am having this issue when applying for my visa extension except it’s not todays date, I believe it’s the visa issue date. Anyway, basically that information is incorrect and I am concerned that the extension will get rejected because of this and I will have to do it through an immigration office and pay even more for it. After reading your wonderful guide I am now thinking that it will probably be ok as it ALWAYS does this, would you agree? Or should I play it “safe” and just do it at an immigration office?
Have you already gotten an eVoA extension with wrong information? Or not yet? Because even though it auto-fills it wrong, you can manually change it.
The extension cannot get rejected – it’s issued automatically and instantly. If you extend – you’ve extended. There is no “not acceptable” or anything – it should be linked to your current stay permit, so there is no way to f. it up.
No, I have not gotten the extension yet due to the reason stated above. It won’t let me manually change it though. I did think it a bit odd that it doesn’t allow me to after asking; “Please ensure that the fields you have declared are corrects. All the information and documents that you provide will be used in verifying your request and your Visa issuance.”. Everything is greyed out except for phone number and place of birth. These I can edit but they are correct anyway. All of the “document” information cannot be edited and on ones which has a drop down menu, such as nationality, the prohibited sign shows (red circle with line). Any suggestions on how I can edit it or I should just be able to and this is some kind of bug with the system?
Many thanks
So I just checked my original visa and the date it was issued is the date that is being auto filled into document issue date when i try to renew and on the visa where it has the document details it doesn’t show the passport issue date, only expiry.
Apart from creating a fresh new application, I have no other ideas.
I will go on a hunch here and say that as long as your passport number is correct, the eVOA is valid.
Hi, I applied for the EVOA visa and the website showed it was approved, but I haven’t received any confirmation email. Is that ok?
Go to Retrieve and see if it shows up. Then download the file by clicking the button.
Hi Simon,
I applied for the EVOA visa and the website showed it was approved, but I haven’t received any confirmation email. Also, in my documents, there are no pictures showing up, and the system said I need to update the profile picture. Does this mean my visa is approved or rejected? Should I re-apply for the EVOA again?
Thank you so much.
Go to Retrieve, enter your details and see if it comes up. If yes – you have it. Download and don’t stress.
I was having problems extending the visa as my evoa showed “not active” status therefore not link to extension, from both the QR code and the Batch application. So I find a way that might help, you need to go login to imigrasi site and go to SERVICES> CLAIM or click this url (you need to be logged in) https://evisa.imigrasi.go.id/front/applications/stay-permit/claim there they will ask for PERMIT NUMBER and PASSPORT NUMBER, you will get the permit number only by scanning the top right QR in your ITK pdf, the one you receive by email after entering the country, it is an alphanumeric code starting with visa type (B1XXXXXXXXXXXXXX), once you input this and the passport you can see the extension option, click there, follow the steps and that’s it, it worked for me when everything else failed.
Yes. This is the same link that scanning the QR code on the eVoA brings you to. It appears that for some it’s the only way to extend the visa (for now).
I am trying to extend my visa and fet the following error after following the above steps:
You cant extend this stay permit. Limit Reached
Anyone else received this before? And how to resolve?
Thanks
No idea. Any chance you’ve already extended? If not, it’s a bug and you should contact Immigration directly.
Do you still fill in hotel address with postcode, province , addtress etc?
Yes.
Copy the Post Code of any hotel in Indonesia and paste it. The rest will populate.
In the last box, paste the entire address as found on Google Maps or Booking or whatever.
We got the 30 day tourist evisa and have extended for another 30 days on the official website but we have received no confirmation that it has worked but they have taken payment. How long does it usually take to receive please?
You won’t receive it. They stopped sending it anymore for some unknown reason.
Go to the retrieve section and get the extension file manually. Good news is that if you’ve paid successfully, the visa is extended successfully.
I had a visa issued and used at the end of 2023. It expired in early March 2024. I am now planning a new trip to go to Indonesia and thought that I would just request a new visa, but it is telling I have an active visa. When retrieving my visa on the portal, it gives me the option of extension, but it is charging me IDR 78.500.000 for it. Is this correct?!
Hi Beatriz,
I cannot answer your question without more details.
Also, keep in mind that I am in no way affiliated with the Indonesian Immigration and cannot fix problems. Neither can I advise about any other visas. All this article claims to do is share what has worked for me for the eVoA ONLY.
Hello, where do you enter your entry/departure dates to Bali?
Nowhere, not necessary.
The eVoA has a 90 day validity during which you must enter Indonesia, otherwise it expires.
Simon here,
I just extended my eVoA. This time it was confusing, even for me.
Scanning the QR code sent me to the extend section where after entering my details I got error messages telling me to log in first.
I logged in, but the extend section always only showed the current visa and never a button to extend.
Frustrating.
Then I took the link from the QR code on the original eVoA and put it in an incognito browser window.
Voila, that worked! The extend button was there under “options”.
After completing the form and paying, I got the “Extension of Easy Visitor Permit”. Downloaded it and sent it to my email for safekeeping.
On the Molina website, the extension shows under “Extend” but there is no link to download it from there.
Tl;dr: Extending is frustrating, overly complicated, and confusing but it works, and once you know what to do – relatively easy.
Thanks for the very helpful guide! I am having a problem with extending eVOAs for my family. I have managed to submit the application and make the online payments for all four of us (separately – it wouldn’t do them as one batch). I have the confirmation email that the payment went through, but nothing yet from the government to say the visas have been approved. When I try to log in to Molina to check the status (using passport number, DOB and nationality) I am now getting a popup saying “failed” for all four of us – as if we have disappeared from the system completely! Any ideas? Hopefully just a case of waiting a few hours then trying again? It will be annoying if it has failed as the payments have been taken!
I have never experienced that issue and haven’t read any reports about it.
All I can say is there are instances of people turning up at the airport with just payment confirmation and all was okay.
I guess you could try again tomorrow and see if anything has changed. Message Immigration ASAP if you want to have any chance of them responding as everyone will go on holiday starting 6.04 until 16.04 due to Idul Fitri.
Thanks Simon! Strangely one of them has now come through, but not the other three. I will write to them asap to ask for help
Hi Simon – an update on my situation. We only ever managed to download one of our visas, even though the payment went through successfully for all four. I have tried every which way to contact immigration (whatsapp, insta, email) but we never got any reply other than the office in Denpasar telling us they couldn’t help because they don’t deal with eVoAs. We are leaving Bali on 30th April, which is within the 30 day extension. I will take with me a whole pile of evidence that we applied and paid successfully, including the one visa that did come through, and all the times I have tried to contact them but got no response. Still, I am very nervous that they are going to say we have overstayed by 3+ weeks and try to charge us a very large amount of money. Do you have any advice on what to do other than what I have already said?
I take it all back! Just looked at the imigrasi page for the millionth time and…. our visas came through! Such a relief. What a weird system!
Glad it all worked all at the end!
Hi Simon,
Thanks for all the info.
I am having a problem with “You already had stay permit active” error. I had an eVoa last summer but the status is on stay permit is still active. Any idea how to deal with this? I want to stay 60 days, that’s why I want to get eVoa
Thanks
I’ve never had that error show up. Email them, can’t think of how to fix it as I’ve never faced it myself, sorry 🙁
Getting the same issue :(. How did you end up resolving this?
Agent. However, this created another problem and I cannot extend my visa online. I will wait for 2 weeks after entry and try again, but I am not optimistic. So, probably agent again for extension
Hi Simon, for the Tourist Visa Index C1… Do you know the latest information on..
How many extensions can I apply and how long is the maximum number of days can I stay in Indonesia?
Thanks so much!
C1 allows an initial 60 days of stay, extendable twice. Up to 180 days in total. It costs 1.5 jt + the same for each extension. As far as I know it’s still not possible to extend it online.
Thats a relief, Simon
With regards to extension of Tourist Visa Index C1, I thought it can be done online at the evisa website without the need to go to the Immigration office?
Thanks so much for your help!!!
As far as I know, that’s the plan but it’s not possible to extend C1 online yet.
Thanks Simon.. Great help..all the best!!!
And just to add, I did purchase my eVOA from their legit Molina immigration website. I just chatted with their immigration Livechat with all the receipts and they apologized for the inconvenience and asked me to email their relevant team for help asap.
Glad you got through to Immigration via the Livechat. Only they can solve otherwise unsolvable issues with visas. Good luck 🙂
I just encountered the same issue of not having the extend button. Upon checking the sticker on my passport, I realized that the immigration issued me the free 30 day exemption visa which is not extendable. I am unsure how they could make such a big error when I already paid for the eVOA online, received the confirmation and approval of my visa along with the pdf of the B1 visa before I even entered Bali. I do not understand how that was not in their system?
I have no idea what to do now because my visa is expiring in 2 days.
Just to point out to other readers: you can only get the free 30 days visa exemption if you’re from one of the ASEAN countries. You’ve clearly bought a VoA thinking you’d be able to extend to 60 days (which you can’t with the extension) but Immigration somehow overlooked this.
Hey man, you saved me hours trying to figure it out. I have got my visa sorted!!!!
Thanksssss
Hi Simon, what a great site you created! I’ve spent over 12 hours spread over 10 days and still can’t get it to work. I’ve run into tons of glitches (e.g., same photo downloads one moment and doesn’t minutes later, data entry fields won’t validate correct information, autofill address fields won’t autopopulate). After going through the application process>50 times, I can generally complete the entire form with all associated download, but after submitting I get an error code ERR_UPLOAD_FILE_CHANGED. Any ideas how to get past it?
At this point I’m tempted to just get a visa at DPS airport but am concerned that my flight from Vietnam will require proof of visa or eVOA. Anybody have experience with that?
Hi there,
First of all, worry not – they won’t ask you for proof of visa IF you’re eligible for the Visa on Arrival. Which if you’re applying for the eVoA – you are. If they ever ask, you can say you will get it on arrival – that’s why it exists in the first place, am I right…
Now, as to your application.
I did mine literally yesterday and it was seamless. Ergo, it works, albeit a bit user-unfriendly.
You need to upload passport photo twice. The first time it takes it from your account files (if you’re logged in). It’s in JPEG. Then 2 screens later it asks for a PDF file. A simple transformation online (JPEG to PDF) does the job.
Beware of the date of expiry and issue of your passport – these seem to always populate wrong or not at all.
Photo: I took mine with a smartphone camera, then compressed so it’s as small as possible – 27 kb. Up to 200kb should be fine.
Address: pick the POST CODE of any hotel in Bali and enter that. The rest will populate automatically. Then copy the entire address from Google Maps and paste it in the address field above. Nobody checks for addresses, so just put whatever.
The error code – no idea, I’m not an expert in this. All I know is that if you do everything meticulously it works.
And once again – if you’re staying under 30 days without any intention of extending, then just take the VoA at the airport.
-S.
Hi Simon, you’re amazing! Great advice. I did figure out the error code. It pertained to the two pdf files. I uploaded from Google drive but the web application had trouble reading them. Offline I downloaded the files to my local device and them uploaded them in the application from there and it worked! The other workaround for autopopulate on address is to look up the hotel in Google maps and copy that text into address. Then put the zip code into the next field and gray address fields autopopulate just fine.
Unfortunately I am stuck again. I completed the application. Then got an email with a link. When I follow and login I don’t see any applications. Nor do I see a way to pay. Any suggestions?
Thanks for your input on not needing to do this ahead of time, but I’m so close I’d like to finish the application before leaving.
Thanks so much!
Congrats!
You’re almost done!
Go back to the homepage and click the “Retrive” or “Extend” (whichever it is, they keep changing it) and fill in your data. Then click the last application, scroll to the bottom, click submit (now officially) and then you’ll get to the payment screen.
It’s all explained either in the article or in my comment from yesterday.
Best of luck,
Simon
Wow, it finally worked! I can’t believe it was that involved. Thanks so much for your help. There is no way I could have done it without your help.
A few other notes:
1) the bottom was ‘Extend’ (at least on the non-Molina site I am using)
2) Even though I logged into my account, when I pressed extend, I didn’t see any applications until I entered my passport number, nationality, and birthday. Then only the one application came up. I was able to select that and pay as you’d described.
3) Have you tried contacting their help site with your learnings. They seemed to have worked hard to rebuild it and it has some nice features like automatically populating from passport photo, but it obviously needs a lot more work to make it efficient and robust.
Simon here, March 11, 2024.
Just applied for an eVoA again. It took me around 5 minutes.
What’s new:
1) I had to submit a jpeg of my passport AND a PDF file on the next screen. Redundant, but that’s how the system works today.
2) I got asked to submit proof of onward travel or return ticket. Anything works here – nobody checks. You can submit a PDF with a picture of your dog – it’s all for show.
3) After you “submit”, you get an email that you’ve submitted. Then you “retrieve” the application and “Submit” again. Then you get to pay. Confusing and unnecessary. Whoever created the process has no experience in UX design.
All this being said, the eVoA continues to be relatively easy and the better option for tourism visas for Indonesia.
Have you had any experience with the 60 day visa. I’m going on may and planning on spending 2 months (57 days) so seems less hassle to get 60 day one, even though more expensive. Also I’m older and not really good with online stuff and so many people seem to have trouble with these online visas. I know I can pay someone over there, but they charge so much more. Your information is very helpful thankyou
Hi Heather,
My advice is to go for the eVoA + extension.
The 60 day visa takes ages to be issued; some people didn’t even get it before their date of travel (check Cameron’s comment below). You also have to provide a bank statement and I’ve read a ton of travelers complaining that theirs got rejected for absurd reasons – wrong address, blurry picture (though it wasn’t), etc. There are no refunds and rejections for even the smallest mistakes is money down the drain – easy money for the Immigration.
The eVoA on the other hand is issued automatically, so it’s guaranteed in a way.
If there are any problems with extending the eVoA (there shouldn’t if all steps are followed), you can always ask an agent to help you extend it manually, i.e. with a visit to Imigrasi office. This service costs around 1.3-1.5 m. IDR including all the conveniences.
If you have particular questions, please email me 🙂
-S.
Thankyou for your reply. Yes have given away idea of a 60 day one. Didn’t really like the idea of putting all my bank account details onto the webpage. Going to try the evoa if that doesn’t work or have trouble extending will get VOA at arrival and extend with agent.
Hi Simon,
Do you have any experience with applying for an E-VOA twice in 1 month? The reason I need this is because I will be entering Indonesia 30 March, leave Indonesia 5 April for a short trip abroad and come back to Indonesia 8 April. As the E-VOA is for a single entry only, I would need an EVOA for 30 March and one for 8 April. Do you know more about applying for 2 E-VOA in such a short period? Thanks!!
Shoudn’t be a problem. If you’re apprehensive, get a VoA the first time, then after you leave on the 5th of April get the eVoA online.
Would you get the email when you enter the country immediately? Been in the country 5 days, and the extend visa option doesn’t show. Also, didn’t receive the email.
I got an email seconds after the officer stamped me in. I was later able to extend using the method outlined in the guide.
Try with the “Retrieve”/”Extend” button on the homepage. If it still doesn’t show the extend option, I have bad news for you… 🙁
Hey Simon, super helpful info.
I successfully navigated the Extend scenario, based on your instructions. I successfully paid for the extension. I received in email both: a payment notification and a “State Revenue Receipt”.
I have *not* received an updated eVOA from Imigrasi with new “STAY PERMIT EXPIRY” date.
Should I expect to receive this? Or is it updated only in Imigrasi’s system? Is there no way to confirm the new date in any portal?
Hi Jon,
Try to retrieve the extension in all available ways and see if you can download the new file from anywhere.
As long as you’ve paid successfully, I wouldn’t worry too much about it.
With the previous system, I was a witness once how travelers hadn’t saved their evoa extensions and the border officials were scrambling to find it. But they ultimately did.
It should be fine either way 🙂
-S
Found it!
I repeated all the steps as if I were going to extend (again). I go to the page where I see my batch number with the “Detail” & “Extend” buttons in the Action field.
I had been thinking that I wouldn’t click on “Extend” since I already did that. But, I went ahead and clicked on it. Then I see my eVOA row with “Paid” and “e-ITK” in the Action field. I clicked on “e-ITK”, and it went to my eVOA document, with the new expiration date. So it seems I’m all set.
So unintuitive!
It might be useful to add this bit to your instructions, because not getting an email after paying for the extension can be nerve racking!
Yup, they’ve moved everything to the “extend/retrieve” section. Which given their history of constant change, will probably change once again in the near future.
I have experienced many of the problems listed here. My wife’s application for the eVOA went smoothly. I had lots of the Server500 messages until I found the draft folder (which is not visible on all computers/phones). I was rejected twice using the same info as my wife so the process is a lottery. I ultimately had to buy a VOA, so my 30 day visa cost Rp3.5m! I am trying to extend my wife’s eVOA and <two days before it expires no news and nowhere on the Molinari website is showing the application. Welcome to Indonesian bureaucracy! By the way extending my VOA at immigrasi was easy.
I agree!! Tried last year to do my evoa.. that worked ok.. but I could not do my husbands after that .. so we ended up with one evoa and one voa from the arrivals desk! So frustrating ! Much easier to just buy it at airport and extend with help of an agency ! Immigration visit with agent is 5 minute wait !!!
I’ve already received my EVOA and noticed the passport DATE OF ISSUE was reverted to the application date ? I did email them to notify of error. Will I be able to use this if I don’t get a reply before I travel
HELP
My guess is that it should be OK. Since the system automatically does this for everyone, I’m pretty sure you won’t be the first Immigration meet with the same problem.
Worst case scenario is that you get a VoA at the border. Not a massive deal.
I just had the same issue with the ‘date of issue’ and only noticed it on the approved B1 document after I had paid for it. I too have emailed them but I have not heard back. I am not sure if I should just ignore it or keep chasing them to amend it. Any thoughts?
I am almost a 100% sure they will NOT amend it and will ask you to do a new application.
If I were you, I’d wing it and go with the one you have issued already. They will probably not even notice. If anything happens, worst case scenario is you get a new one at the airport.
I keep getting an Error message that says Account not activated!!! How do I activate?
Should be a link in an email you received. Check your spam folder too.
If you haven’t, try to make a new account and/or on a different device/VPN.
Dear Simon,
Your article was the only thing that helped me.
If my EVOA B1 final copy says Passport Issue date as today’s date”20-FEB-2024″ but online history says “11-June-2015” —-what do I do?
You probably confirmed the date without checking. Passport date of expiry always comes out as today’s date in their system for some unknown reason.
My bet is it won’t be a problem at the border, but I would email immigration to see if they can confirm.
Thank you. I just wish they would answer their emails.
Is the e-VOA a single-entry visa?
If my eVOA has not expired and I am intending to visit Indonesia again, would I need to extend / apply for a new eVOA?
ps: yes I have already went once in November and planning to go again next week.
Yes, the eVoA is single-entry. It expires when you leave the country. Any new entry into Indonesia requires you to have a new visa.
This is great info – I”m having a problem you haven’t answered. I got my visa application information, but there is no extend button under the Action section. Only ‘e-visa’. Do you know how to fix this and find the extend button?
Hi!
I’m afraid I don’t know why there’s no extend.
The obvious reason may be that the visa hasn’t been used yet to enter. If the holder is inside Indonesia, my speculation is that the border officer didn’t register it properly. Did you receive an email from Imigrasi after you ENTERED Indonesia (not after the eVoA was granted)?
I am having this exact same issue. There is no extend button for my visa but there is for my partner’s evoa. Neither of us received an email from Imigrasi after we entered Indonesia, although he somehow received an Itas even though we didn’t apply for it. I will go talk with a visa support company tomorrow to see how to proceed because it looks like someone will have to go in-person to the office just to help me extend my evoa lol. I don’t know what else it could be other than as you said mine was not registered on arrival even though my partner’s was. This article is very helpful thank you.
The ITAS was a bug as I also received one a week or so ago even though I was outside of Indonesia at the time and had been for over a month.
Regardless, do try one more time with the “Extend” function from the home page.
Immigration is playtesting online extensions of standard VoAs but for now in-person extension of eVoAs remain somewhat more complicated. Good luck.
Hi Simon, I have scanned my QR code on evisa and completed the extension request & paid. I received Finpay payment confirmation immediately. As of yet, 4 days later, I have not received any notification ot update of my evisa. Do I receive anything, ot does it automatically update my evisa. Thanks Jenny
Hi Jenny,
You’re definitely not alone in this. Others have shared similar issues on forums and whatnot. Don’t worry – the payment notification is proof enough – I am pretty sure Immigration have a backend system that will show them your extension. And I am definitely sure that you won’t have problems at the border as other travelers with the same issues have reported none.
Regardless, you have tried to retrieve the eVoA from all possible locations on the Molina / eVisa Imigrasi, right?
Hi, I applied and paid for a 60 day tourist E-VISA (211A) 2 weeks before coming to Indonesia (Lombok). Through no fault of my own and despite repeated unanswered emails and messages they didn’t issue the E-VISA for one month. As a result I had to pay for a 30 day Visa on Arrival at Lombok Airport and enter with that. Does anyone know if i can still say for 60 days based on my E-VISA even though I did not use it to enter?
Hi Cameron,
It’s unfortunate you didn’t get your 211A in time, but as locals sometimes say “That’s Indo!”
You CANNOT use the visa without entering with it. In other words, you’re currently in Indonesia on a VoA, which lasts 30 days. You can extend it for another 30, then you must leave.
If your 211A is now issued, you can THEN use it to reenter Indonesia.
Basically, think of any visa as “permission to travel” and then any stamp in your passport as the actual “permission to land/enter/stay”.
I hope that clears it up,
Best,
Simon
Hi Simon,
Thanks for quick reply and clarification.
It really does suck having wasted 1.5 million IDR and now to stay beyond 60 days having to fork out more money and time to fly out and in to country. If they want to charge so much money at least they should have the courtesy to issue the product and to reply to people instead of having us rely on pages like this haha.
I doubt i’ll have any luck but i’ve now asked them if there is any refund process, especially given they did at least admit fault and apologise when they eventually issued it so late. Don’t suppose you know if it is at all refundable?
Many Thanks,
Cameron
True. They aren’t the fastest to process visas. I’ve heard of people applying for a lot more expensive visas and waiting for months without a response. Only after they visited an embassy did they get any help.
As to the refund, I’m afraid your chances of getting any money back are slim to none.
it also says ‘type of visa: B1’, not B213 as it does on your screenshots.
The pictures are from before they changed the code. I think the change from B213 to B1 happened sometime in January.
As a followup; the answer seems to be: no. I only have the button to download the e-Visa, but not the button to extend it. I assume this will become available after entering the country?
Yes. You should receive an email when you enter Indonesia. After that follow the method described in the guide and you should be able to extend the eVoA.
Hi Simon,
Thank you for this guide! I was wondering if the 30-day eVoA can be extended to 60 days immediately after purchasing it?
Hi there Tim,
No, you cannot extend immediately after getting it.
As the system currently stands, once you enter, the immigration officer “registers” the eVoA and you should receive an email. Don’t freak out if you don’t receive an email, it prolly still works, but that’s what happened to me when I entered a month and a half ago.
After you enter Indonesia, extension should be possible via the method mentioned in the article.
Hi,
Trying to extend our EVOA and I have followed all tricks in this blog and others and still cannot get the Extend Button to appear. Any other ideas? Thanks!!
This is what worked for me. I’m afraid I don’t know how to force the Indo Immigration system to properly work. It could be that your eVoA wasn’t registered by the agent properly when you landed, it could be a technical issue with the online portal or something else entirely.
If you’ve tried multiple times, with VPN, on a different device and at a different time, the only thing left is to visit Imigrasi in person (or try to call them – I have never been able to get in touch, but some travelers report successful communication with them)
Good information. Thanks.
I’ve used the eVOA from the Molina website 6 times in the past year, never had problems extending until this trip. Visa was accepted at CGK, was issued an e-ITK (stay permit) for 30 days via email (so eVOA was valid and accepted), now trying to extend my eVOA but, unlike on previous trips, it does not appear on Molina’s EXTEND page. No data appears on the EXTEND page. I’ve been trying to contact various immigration numbers/live chats/WhatsApp chats to no avail. Trying to save myself a trip to the immigration office and the subsequent trip to pick up my passport. Everyone seems to just want to punt on this….
Hi there,
Check if you can retrieve the eVoA from the home page of Molina using the “Retrieve” function. That seems to work for most people (me included).
I’m on the home page but I do not see a “retrieve” function. I can locate my evoa by clicking on the extend button on the home page and filling in my passport number, birthday, etc. But there is still no extend button on the evoa details. This seems to be a common glitch I’m seeing from people commenting on this thread and it’s quite a shock to discover it after Nyepi yesterday with my visa expiring in 3 days on Friday. Never had any issue extending online before and I did not want to extend too early as it then takes time away from how long one can stay.
I agree that it’s glitchy. I also agree that the button’s name has been changed from Retrieve to Extend.
But your last statement is wrong – extending early does NOT take away time from the total – it ADDS 30 days after the end of the original visa, thus granting you 60 in total. That’s regardless of when you extend. That’s why I always advise people to extend as early as possible if they want to stay longer than 30 days.
-S
Thanks for this Simon, it’s very helpful
I don’t get a ‘Make a Payment’ option (the ‘big blue button’). The only thing I see is a ‘Waiting for payment’ status.
Try to retrieve the eVoA from the homepage. Then a payment button should appear. That’s what worked for me on my last extension (January 2024).
I saw the little extend button when I put in my information for the “batch visit” but when I put in my sons information it just shows “e-visa” with no button to extend!
Gary, Simon is definitely much more of an expert than me, but if you’re still stuck then try the following. If you’re in the window that lists your application and to the right of it you see ‘waiting for payment’as status, then try scrolling farther to the right and you will hopefully see `details` button. Click on it and you should eventually get to payment. Hope that helps
I ain’t no expert – just a regular traveler like everyone commenting/reading with a handful of successful eVoAs and a desire to help. I just don’t want people thinking I’m somehow affiliated with Indo immigration and can help them extend their visas beyond my advice in the article.
But I also follow a bunch of Indo travelers’ groups where people complain/enquire about tourist visas daily.
Simon is the expert, but if that doesn’t work then in the window that lists your application, slide over to right of status and you should see ‘details’. Click on that to enable payment. At least that worked for me.