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.