A business visa for Indonesia lets you enter the country for commercial activities like meetings, negotiations, site inspections, and trade events without taking a local job. Three options cover almost every scenario: the single-entry B211A (up to 60 days, extendable to 180), the multiple-entry business visa for people who travel to Indonesia regularly, and the Electronic Visa on Arrival (e-VoA) for short trips under 30 days. Which one you need depends on how long you’ll stay, how often you’ll return, and what exactly you plan to do while you’re there.
Which Business Visa Fits Your Trip
For a single trip of up to two months, the B211A single-entry business visa is the standard choice. It gives you 60 days of stay from entry and can be extended twice for 60 days each, up to 180 days total.1Directorate General of Immigration. General Information and FAQ2Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia. Single Entry Visit Visa via the Indonesian Embassy in The Hague You must have an Indonesian sponsor (usually a company or an individual) and apply through the official e-visa portal. The government fee is around IDR 3,700,000 (roughly $250 USD). Once you leave Indonesia, the visa is spent, even if you had stay days remaining.
If your work brings you to Indonesia repeatedly, the multiple-entry business visa is more practical. It allows unlimited entries across its validity window, with the one-year option priced at IDR 4,000,000, and each entry gives up to 60 days of stay.3Directorate General of Immigration. a href=”https://evisa.imigrasi.go.id/front/faq/e3375daa-1af6-4f1b-941e-b238eaf3e433″ target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”>General Information and FAQ Recent regulatory updates allow each entry to be extended by up to 60 days at a time (up to 180 days per entry), though the extension rules differ from the single-entry variant.
For a short trip of 30 days or less, the Electronic Visa on Arrival is the fastest route. Nationals from 86 eligible countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Japan, China, and most of the EU, can apply online before departure.4Consular Office of the Republic of Indonesia in the United States of America. Visa Exemption and Visa On Arrival The fee is IDR 500,000 (roughly $30 USD), paid by credit card.5Directorate General of Immigration Ministry of Law and Human Rights. User Guide of molina.imigrasi.go.id It covers business meetings, purchasing goods, and business discussions, and can be extended once for another 30 days, giving up to 60 days total. Anyone planning sustained work in Indonesia should apply for the B211A from the start rather than stretch a VoA.
What You Can and Cannot Do
Indonesian immigration law draws a sharp line between commercial visits and employment. On a business visa you may:
- Hold meetings, negotiate deals, and sign contracts
- Inspect offices, factories, or production facilities
- Purchase goods for export
- Attend trade shows, seminars, and conferences
- Conduct market research and evaluate investment opportunities
You cannot receive wages, salary, or any compensation from an Indonesian company or individual, and you cannot sell goods or services inside Indonesia.6Directorate General of Immigration. General Information and FAQ Managing local staff, doing routine production work, or filling a role that an Indonesian employee would otherwise hold puts you in violation. Penalties range from administrative sanctions to deportation and a potential entry ban.
Technical Work and After-Sales Service
If your company sold machinery or equipment to a buyer in Indonesia and you’re flying in to install, repair, or service it, the standard B211A may not cover that work. Indonesia has specialized single-entry subcategories: the C20 visa covers initial installation, commissioning, and corrective repairs on machinery supplied by a foreign company, and the C19 visa covers after-sales service, warranty visits, scheduled maintenance, and post-delivery technical support. Both still prohibit anything resembling ongoing employment. If your trip involves hands-on technical work rather than only meetings, confirm the correct category with your sponsor or the immigration portal before you apply.
Documents You’ll Need
Requirements are strict, and a missing or low-quality upload will stall the application:
- Passport valid for at least six months from your planned entry date, or 12 months if you hold a non-standard travel document like an emergency passport1Directorate General of Immigration. General Information and FAQ
- Personal bank statement showing at least $2,000 USD (or equivalent) over the most recent three months, with your name, balance, and dates visible7Ministry of Immigration and Corrections. General Information and FAQ
- Sponsor invitation letter from an Indonesian company or individual explaining the purpose of the visit
- Sponsor’s Business Identification Number (NIB), which the portal checks against government records in real time
- Digital color photograph with a plain background, meeting portal specifications
- Full-color scan of your passport bio page
Travel health insurance is no longer a mandatory entry requirement, but carrying medical and evacuation coverage for the trip is worth the small cost against Indonesian hospital bills.
How to Apply
All business visa applications go through the official e-visa portal at evisa.imigrasi.go.id.8Directorate General of Immigration. The Official eVisa Website for Indonesia Create an account, enter your details and your sponsor’s information, and upload the documents. If the sponsoring company’s NIB is entered incorrectly or its registration has lapsed, the application won’t proceed.
Fees are paid through SIMPONI (the government’s revenue system) or by Mastercard, Visa, or JCB.8Directorate General of Immigration. The Official eVisa Website for Indonesia Your card needs to be enabled for international transactions and 3D Secure. Once approved, the visa is emailed to you. Print a copy for the immigration counter. Many applicants see approval within a few business days, though times fluctuate with volume and aren’t formally guaranteed.
Stay Length and Extensions
The B211A gives 60 days from entry, extendable twice for 60 days each, up to 180 days total.1Directorate General of Immigration. General Information and FAQ Each extension has two steps: register and upload documents online through the e-visa portal, then attend the local immigration office in person for a photograph and interview.2Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia. Single Entry Visit Visa via the Indonesian Embassy in The Hague Both steps must be complete before your current stay permit expires. Start at least two weeks out; offices in Bali and Jakarta can be crowded.
The e-VoA’s initial 30 days can be extended once for another 30 days. After that, you either leave or apply for a different visa from outside Indonesia.
Overstay Penalties
Overstaying any Indonesian visa carries a fine of IDR 1,000,000 (about $60 USD) for each day past your authorized stay, up to 60 days.9GOV.UK. Indonesia: Visa Overstay and Deportation Beyond 60 days, you face detention, deportation, and a potential re-entry ban. An overstay on your record also complicates future applications, which matters if you rely on regular access to the Indonesian market.
The clock starts the day after your stay permit expires, and immigration officials check your status at departure. There is no grace period and no airport discretion. If business wraps up early, leave before the permit expires. If you need more time, file for an extension well before the deadline.
Tax Residency Risk for Long Stays
Anyone who takes full advantage of the 180-day maximum needs to watch Indonesian tax residency rules. Spending more than 183 days in Indonesia within any rolling 12-month period makes you a domestic tax resident. Because the window is rolling rather than calendar-year, multiple trips add up faster than people expect.
Once you cross that line, Indonesia taxes your worldwide income at progressive rates from 5 percent on the first IDR 60 million up to 35 percent on income above IDR 5 billion. Non-residents face a flat 20 percent withholding tax on Indonesian-sourced income only, often reduced by a double taxation agreement with your home country.
The Indonesian tax authority syncs with immigration data, so the day count is tracked automatically. Residency can also be triggered before 183 days on intent-based grounds, such as the visa type you hold, whether your family lives in Indonesia, or whether you own property there. Foreigners with qualifying specialized skills may be eligible for a concession limiting tax liability to Indonesian-sourced income for the first four years of residency, but the eligibility criteria are narrow. If your stay is heading toward 150 days, talk to an Indonesian tax advisor before extending again.