alovesa

I've heard it recommended to get a visa prior to your arrival in Bali to expedite the arrival process. Has anyone done this? How did you get the visa?
One of our hotels recommended Bali fast forward, http://www.balifastforward.com
Has anyone used this service?

Thanks!

rhkkmk

it assures that your arrival process will be quick.. i have waited in line for as long as 1.5 hours...ugh!!

send your passport and embassy documents to the indonedian embassy or consulate in your country.. in the usa that would be washington, dc or nyc, depending on where you live... consult the embassy web site for rules..

mohan

As a general rule i don't give away my personal info to a third party.
I agree waiting in line is no fun but considering the alternatives visa on arrival is the safest and cheapest way.
The other way would be dropping your passport at the Indonesian embassy, paying the more expensive fee than Visa-on-arrival. they don't stamp your passport immediately which means you have to make another trip to go back for pick up.
Making 2 trips and paying more is not time and cost effective. Unless your apartment is right in front of the Indonesian embassy i would not recommend doing it that way.
My entry point is usually Jakarta, less tourist means shorter line.
Hope this helps.

Smeagol

I must have bee lucky when we went at Christmas, took all of 5 minutes to get the visa on arrival! And then maybe another 10 minutes at immigration. The luggage took a bit longer but waaaaay quicker than when I get home to Heathrow!

marmot

Visa on arrival lines are unpredictable. Airplane arrivals are staggered, but delays happen which cause overloads. Plus Balinese have a lot of religious holidays resulting in understaffing at government posts.

You can get a tourist visa at the Indonesian Consulate in New York, on East 68th Street, by mail or in person. Like everything in Indonesia the rules are confusing and inconsistent and the process of clarifying takes a long time.
http://www.kemlu.go.id/newyork/Pages/default.aspx?l=en

I don't know Bali Fastforward, but there are many services like that. I believe the cost would be more or less the same as getting the visa in the US.

Be sure that your passports are valid for at least 6 months after arrival. I don't know why they require this as they will only give you a 30 day visa, but immigration is quite picky on this point.

rhkkmk

i see nothing unsafe about sending your passport by mail, ups, fed-ex or hand carrying it..

MichaelBKK

I have to disagree with marmot about flights being staggered. At least, if you arrive around noon to 1 pm there are quite a few flights that arrive at that time - big ones too (A330 and B747 planes). I know locals in Bali who say that is the worst time to be at the airport, and that's when the lines can be really long. Outside this time, lines can be quite manageable.

bombayteddy

I would say: GET YOUR VISA IN ADVANCE!! The lines at Denpasar airport can be really long and slow....and the so-called "fast-track" services offered by some agents and hotels is iffy, at best.