Before you start

Passport valid at least 6 months with blank pages
Proof of remote employment or a contract with a company registered OUTSIDE Indonesia (E33G) — your income must be 100% foreign-sourced
Evidence of income of at least USD 60,000/year plus a personal bank statement showing roughly USD 2,000 over the last 3 months (E33G)
A credit card for the official portal payment, and an email you check (the e-visa PDF arrives by email)

Step-by-step

1
Pick the right visa for how long you'll actually stay
Short trip or scouting: visa-on-arrival (B1, IDR 500,000, 30 days, extendable once to 60). Up to ~6 months of tourism/meetings without working: the C1 single-entry visit e-visa (60 days, extendable twice to 180). To live here for a year and work remotely: the E33G Remote Worker KITAS. The catch-all 'B211A' label is retired (now the C1/C2 index), though agents still say it colloquially.
OnlineWho: You (or your visa agent)
2
Apply for the E33G offshore on the official e-visa portal
Create an account at evisa.imigrasi.go.id, choose the E33G Remote Worker Visa, upload passport, photo, CV, itinerary, the foreign-company contract and the income/bank proof, then pay the fee. The E33G is issued offshore as an electronic visa, NOT the physical stay permit. Approval typically lands in about 7 business days from outside Indonesia; budget longer in practice.
OnlineWho: You or an agent acting as sponsor~1-2 weeks (offshore); 3-5 weeks if converting onshoreIDR 7,000,000 (~USD 430) official
3
Enter Indonesia within 90 days and clear immigration
The approved E33G must be used to ENTER the country within 90 days of issue, or it lapses. Carry the e-visa PDF; you'll be admitted as a limited-stay entrant. Don't assume the card is already in hand at this point — you only hold the visa, not the activated permit.
In personWho: YouMust enter within 90 days of visa issue
4
Activate the stay permit (ITAS) and do biometrics in Bali
After arrival, report to the local immigration office (Kantor Imigrasi Ngurah Rai for Bali), generally within about a week, to give fingerprints and a facial scan and finalise the ITAS. The permit is largely digital; a physical KITAS card is optional but worth getting so you can leave your passport in the safe. A multiple re-entry permit (MERP) is bundled in, so you can fly in and out for the year.
In personWho: You, often with your agent presentWithin ~7 days of arrivalOn-arrival permit/registration ~IDR 2.7M (~USD 165)
5
Stay compliant, then renew or close out properly
The E33G is capped at 1 year. As of mid-2025, every extension requires an in-person visit to immigration — no more fully remote renewals. When you leave for good you must file an Exit Permit Only (EPO) to close the permit cleanly; skipping it leaves your status open and causes problems on re-entry. A plain overstay is fined IDR 1,000,000 per day, with deportation and a blacklist risk for long overstays.
In personWho: You or your agentOverstay penalty IDR 1,000,000/day if you slip

Documents you’ll need

Passport valid 6+ months (with blank pages) and a recent passport-style photo
Employment contract or engagement letter from a company registered outside Indonesia (proof of remote work)
Proof of income of at least USD 60,000/year and a 3-month bank statement showing ~USD 2,000 balance
Curriculum vitae and a travel itinerary (both explicitly required on the E33G application)

Things most newcomers don’t know

The E33G is strictly for foreign-sourced income — it does NOT let you work for, invoice, or take a salary from any Indonesian company or client.

People assume a 'remote worker' visa means they can freelance for local businesses. It doesn't — the permit explicitly prohibits compensation from anyone in Indonesia, so anyone with Indonesian clients needs an Investor/Work KITAS instead. Getting this wrong is a status violation, not a grey area.

Source: evisa.imigrasi.go.id (official E33G FAQ)

The visa you receive offshore is not the stay permit you activate on arrival — you're not 'done' when the e-visa PDF lands.

The E33G is issued as an electronic visa; the actual ITAS is only finalised after you enter Indonesia and complete biometrics. Treating the PDF as the finished permit leads people to skip the mandatory in-person step and fall out of status.

Source: evisa.imigrasi.go.id; Bali Business Consulting

Almost everyone uses a licensed visa agent, and it's a rational choice rather than laziness.

Indonesian visa rules change frequently (the index system was overhauled in 2024; in-person extensions became mandatory in mid-2025), and the agent acts as your sponsor and handles the immigration-office appointment. Agent fees of ~USD 300-600 are small next to a rejected application or an overstay.

Source: Knowmads Bali; Bali Business Consulting

A KITAS can make you an Indonesian tax resident from day one — independent of the usual 183-day rule.

Holding a long-stay permit can trigger tax residency on a 'substance/intent' basis rather than a simple day-count. Nomads who assume they're tax-free for the first six months can be caught out — take tax advice before you commit to the year.

Source: shareuhack.com E33G 2026 guide

Common mistakes to avoid

Overstaying any visa costs IDR 1,000,000 per day, and beyond ~60 days you risk detention, deportation and an entry blacklist — set a calendar alert well before expiry.
Letting the E33G lapse: the approved visa must be used to ENTER within 90 days of issue, and extensions now require showing up in person — you can't renew from a beach in Thailand.
Confusing visa codes: 'B211A' is retired (now C1/C2), and a C1 visit visa is single-entry — leave the country and it dies even with days left.
Leaving without filing an Exit Permit Only (EPO) — this leaves your KITAS/ITAS technically open and creates headaches and possible penalties on your next entry.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.