Indonesia offers most nationalities a 30 Day Visa Exemption which means you do not need a visa to enter Indonesia and you do not need to do anything before you arrive, this includes a visa for Lombok.
If you’re wondering how to stay in Indonesia for longer than 1 month, Indonesia does offer a 60 day visa for tourists but you have to do a few things differently when you land in order to extend your 30 days into a 60 day visa in Indonesia.
Visa Extension Lombok
In this Indonesia travel blog, I am going to tell you how to extend a visa on arrival in Lombok and information about a visa for Lombok.
There are a lot of places to visit in Lombok, therefore, if you plan to spend a lot of time on the Gili Islands or on Lombok Island on your Indonesia itinerary, it is best to do your visa extension in Lombok rather than in Bali.
How to Get a 60 Day Visa for Indonesia?
Whichever airport you land in Indonesia you must go to the Visa on Arrival Desk (VOA Desk) which is different to the general immigration line, because you need to get a Visa on Arrival which is valid for 30 days in order to extend your 30 days to 60 days.
If you do not get a visa and you simply go on the visa exemption stay by going through the normal immigration line you cannot extend it and must leave Indonesia after 30 days.
How Much Does a VOA in Indonesia Cost?
The VOA is not free. The price is roughly $35.00 USD or 500,00 Indonesian Rupiah and you must have the cash in USD or IDR when you land as it’s unlikely there will be an ATM to get cash out at before you need to get your visa. (This price might have increased recently)
The next step, once you are in Indonesia, is to extend your 30 Day VOA to a 60 Day visa at an immigration office in Indonesia. This must be done and completed within your 30 day visa and it can take up to 10 days to complete the process, so do it as early as possible.
Note that the immigration office you extend at does not need to be in the same place you flew into. You could fly into Jakarta and extend at the immigration office in Bali, or land in Bali and extend at the immigration office in Lombok, as long as it’s within 30 days.
This post is about Lombok so let’s get into the details how to extend a VOA in Lombok.
How to Get a VOA in Lombok Airport?
Although you do not need to land into Lombok Airport to extend your visa in Lombok, you may have decided that your first stop in Indonesia is Lombok and/or the Gili Islands so this is how to get the VOA in Lombok Airport.
Lombok Airport is very small, when you land, as you approach immigration on the escalator, you will see a window to the left of the immigration line and a sign saying ‘Visa on Arrival’.
Tell them you want to get a visa on arrival as you want to stay in Indonesia for up to 2 months, they may ask you when you plan to leave, you can say you don’t know but confirm to them that it will be within 2 months.
You need to have the correct cash on you. When I was there a couple did not have USD or IDR on them, the lady at the counter let them go through to an ATM and come back whilst accompanied by a staff member, it was very quiet in the airport at that time so I wouldn’t trust this is always the case, bring the correct cash if you can but if you don’t have it, ask if you can use the ATM as they may let you.
The staff member will take your money and give you 2 purple receipts. Next, you will go through immigration as everyone else has done, they will stamp your passport, take one of the purple receipts and you must hold onto the other one.
- Now you know how to stay in Indonesia for 2 months, here are my MUST-READ Indonesia blog posts to help you plan your stay!
- The BEST 2 Week Itinerary for Bali, Gili Islands and Lombok!
- The BEST Places to Visit in Lombok!
- 30 Things To Do On Gili Trawangan!
- Where to Stay in Gili Trawangan!
Lombok Immigration Office
Lombok Immigration office is in the capital city of Mataram (Google Maps Location here) in North West Lombok. Note that Lombok Airport is in Praya which is a different city to Mataram and further South.
There are a few steps to the process of a visa extension in Lombok, and in all of Indonesia:
Step 1
Within the 30 days, you must go to Immigration office in Mataram, fill in some forms, give them your passport and the purple receipt you were given at the airport.
Step 2
Your finger prints and photo will need to be taken at the immigration office. Sometimes this can be done on the same day that you drop off your passport and fill in the forms, sometimes you need to do this a few days later.
Step 3
Pick up your passport from immigration. This cannot be done at the same time as your finger prints as the office needs a few days to process your prints before you can take your passport.
This means you need at least 2 visits to the immigration office, often 3 visits to you extend a VOA in Indonesia by yourself.
That’s where a visa extension agent comes in to make it easier for you!
Important Information for Visiting Lombok Immigration Office
1. When visiting the immigration office in Lombok, be sure to wear the correct clothing, unlike Bali, you will be turned away for not looking tidy. Flip Flops are not allowed and as a woman, you must have your shoulders covered and your legs covered to your knees. As a man, you should wear a t-shirt and nice shorts or trousers if possible.
2. It’s likely you will be asked for proof of a flight out of Indonesia after the 2 months, I found I didn’t need this when extending my visa in Bali but I did in Lombok immigration.
You can book cheap flights from Lombok to Singapore or Kuala Lumpur on Skyscanner, or you can see how to fake proof of a flight on this blog post of mine!
3. Sometimes the systems do not work in Lombok Immigration or there’s a public holiday so they are closed. Before you go, be sure to message them on WhatsApp the day before to confirm the date you plan to go and check the systems are working, the number for Lombok Immigration is: +62 819 9994 9000
My Recommended Visa Extension Agent in Lombok
By getting a visa agent in Lombok it reduces your trips to the immigration office in Lombok to extend your VOA to just 1 visit when you have to visit to get a photo take and your fingerprints taken.
Your visa agent for Lombok will meet you at immigration as they will know if you can get your fingerprints done that day, or they will come to you to pick up your passport, take it to immigration and then you will meet in immigration 3-7 days later.
If you are on the Gili Islands and looking for a visa extension from Gili Trawangan, for example, from my experience you will have to take the boat to Lombok to meet your agent, give them your passport and collect it afterwards. The town of Sengiggi is 30 minutes from Lombok Harbour is a place they may offer to meet you which is closer than Mataram.
I used a lovely visa agent in Lombok called Ismi, her Whatsapp number is +62 81238 281500 so feel free to message her to help you.
The cost of a visa extension in Indonesia using an agent is 900,000 IDR to 1 Million IDR depending on the agent and your location.
Extending VOA Yourself in Lombok
You do not need a visa agent in Lombok, you can do it yourself but like I said you will need to go 2 times, maybe 3 times to immigration and Immigration in Lombok is a lot less organised than Bali, for example.
Sometimes their systems for fingerprints do not work so they will tell you to come back, or there may be a public holiday you do not know about and you will arrive to a closed office, which is annoying if you took a long trip there.
Before you go to immigration, best way to get in contact with Lombok immigration is to send them a message on WhatsApp. I suggest asking them to confirm they will be open on the day you intend to visit and to check their systems are working, and double-check this again the day before you go. The WhatsApp number for Lombok immigration is +62 819 9994 9000.
It is also cheaper to extend your visa yourself in Indonesia because you remove the agent fee (however do take into account the transport costs if you need to go to the immigration office 3 times vs 1 time with an agent). The cost of visa extension in Indonesia is 500,00 IDR which you will pay in cash at the immigration office in Lombok.
I hope this helps you with your Lombok via extension and Lombok VOA
- More of my Indonesia blog posts to help you plan your stay!
- The BEST 2 Week Itinerary | Bali, Gili Islands and Lombok!
- The BEST Places to Visit in Lombok!
- 30 Things To Do On Gili Trawangan!
- Where to Stay in Gili Trawangan | Hotels, Hostels, Villas!
Bodine Stubbé
Monday 13th of November 2023
How far in advance can you apply for extensions?
X Marks
Thursday 7th of September 2023
I did my 30 day visa extension in Bali. They asked me to show my return flight ticket out of Indonesia so it is necessary. Also sounds like with an agent you do need to visit the immigration office not just once but twice.
Emma
Thursday 16th of March 2023
Thank you, this post was SO helpful! I have contacted Ismi and she is helping me and my boyfriend extend our visa whilst we are on the Gili islands. Thanks again :)
TheWanderingQuinn
Thursday 16th of March 2023
I'm so pleased! Thank you for letting me know!