Indonesia's Director General of Immigration has proposed a two-tier increase in Visa on Arrival (VOA) fees, with travellers paying 750,000 rupiah (about $42) for an electronic visa obtained before departure and 1 million rupiah (about $56) for a visa purchased at the airport upon arrival. The proposal was presented by Hendarsam Marantoko, Director General of Indonesian Immigration, during a briefing at the Directorate General of Immigration headquarters in Jakarta on Wednesday, August 12, 2026.
According to ANTARA, Indonesia's national news agency, the current flat fee of 500,000 rupiah (about $28) for a 30-day stay remains unchanged, but the new structure would raise the e-VOA fee by 50% and double the cost of an airport-issued visa. No effective date has been set, and the official Immigration portal still lists the VOA fee at 500,000 rupiah as of the time of writing.
Reasons Behind the Proposed Fee Hike
Immigration officials cited two main reasons for the change. First, Marantoko said the current fee no longer reflects the rupiah's exchange rate or the revenue demands placed on immigration services. Second, authorities aim to ease congestion at visa counters, particularly at Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, by incentivising travellers to complete the process before they fly.
The proposal comes as the Directorate General works to grow its non-tax government income. As of Monday, August 10, 2026, the agency had collected 6.54 trillion rupiah in non-tax state revenue for the year, reaching 76.81% of its annual target. Visa services contributed 54.9% of that total, equivalent to roughly 3.6 trillion rupiah.
Visa Issuance Data Highlights Scale
The scale of the VOA programme makes the financial stakes considerable. Between January and July 2026, the Directorate General issued 4,879,160 e-Visas in total, of which 4,323,319 were e-VOAs, making it the most widely used entry document for foreign visitors. In the first six months of the year alone, Indonesian Immigration recorded 3,481,490 Visas on Arrival, compared with 113,323 C1 visitor visas and 83,852 C20 visas.
Despite the announcement, the Directorate General has not set a date for when the new fees would take effect. The proposed figures of 750,000 rupiah and 1 million rupiah should be treated as planned changes that still require formal regulatory approval before they come into force.
Context and Next Steps
Foreign nationals must meet Indonesia's immigration requirements, including having a valid visa or residence permit, before entry. The proposal is part of broader efforts to adjust fees and improve efficiency at entry points.
In related news, Legit.ng recently reported that the Republic of South Sudan released official visa fees for Nigerians, with costs depending on visa type and validity period, offering single-entry and multiple-entry options. The Indonesian proposal, if approved, would mark a significant change for travellers, but travellers are advised to rely on the official Immigration portal for current fees until formal approval is granted.
