Indonesia is the largest island nation in the world and has numerous ports to accommodate cruise ships. The archipelago is therefore perfect for a cruise holiday. Most cruise travellers can use the e-visa Indonesia that you can easily apply for online. Find out which visa is suitable for your cruise trip here.
Popular cruise destination
Indonesia is one of Asia's most popular cruise destinations. The country has a diverse flora and fauna, which means it has something to offer for everyone; from vast rainforests to temple complexes, rice terraces, volcanoes and bustling cities and from orang-utans to komodo dragons. Because the landscapes and sights on the islands are so different from each other, many travellers choose to visit different islands. A great way to do this is by going on a cruise and disembark at different Indonesian ports.
Cruise trip to Indonesia with an e-visa
Most travellers taking a cruise to Indonesia can use the electronic tourist visa. This visa is suited for visiting friends or family in Indonesia and for holidays, which includes going on a cruise. You can apply for the e-visa using a digital application form. The visa is sent by e-mail once granted. Travellers with a passport issued by the the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Ireland or another EU-country are eligible for the e-visa.
Besides having the right nationality, travellers must also meet certain conditions. These include having a regular passport valid for at least six months upon arrival in the country. Furthermore, travellers must be able to prove they have sufficient financial resources to cover their stay in Indonesia as well as their return trip. Lastly, travellers must be able to prove that they will leave the country before the visa expires. This can be done with the confirmation of the return flight or a booking confirmation of the cruise, by which the traveller leaves Indonesia.
Authorised ports of arrival in Indonesia
Another important condition for travelling with an e-visa is that the traveller has to arrive at a location that is authorised with an e-visa. This includes 16 airports, 95 seaports and 11 border crossings on land. A full list of these arrival locations can be found on the page about the e-visa conditions. Travellers who dock at a port that is not included in the list cannot use the e-visa. They can contact the embassy of Indonesia to determine which visa they need for their trip.
Filling in the application form
If you want to take a cruise to Indonesia, you can use the regular tourist visa application form. The e-visa application form should always include details of the first overnight stay in Indonesia. Many cruise travellers only go ashore during the day and spend the night on the cruise ship. If this also applies to you, you obviously have no details of a hotel or other accommodation in Indonesia to fill in. In such case, you can select ‘Other’ under ‘Type of accommodation’. Instead of the address and postcode of a hotel, you should enter the address details of the port in Indonesia where the cruise ship first docks.
After submitting the application form and paying the fee, some documents need to be provided. These include a digital passport photo, a copy of your passport and a booking confirmation of the return trip. If you are leaving Indonesia by cruise ship, you can provide a booking confirmation from the cruise line instead of an airline ticket. The confirmation should include your name and the date you leave Indonesia. The visa will be issued on average within 7 days after the documents have been submitted.