Bali is a long way from the US, and you'll connect at least once. Getting in is simple enough, but there are three separate online steps, and Bali now checks all of them. Each one is covered below, followed by flights, packing and arrival.
For all nationalities, extensions and the longer-stay C1 visa, see the Bali visa and entry requirements guide.
The Bali visa for US citizens
The USA is on Indonesia's official list of Visa on Arrival countries. US passport holders don't qualify for visa-free entry. The visa facts here match our Bali visa guide, which we re-checked against the official portals on 6 October 2026.
| Bali visa for US citizens (2026) | |
|---|---|
| Visa | Visa on Arrival, index B1 (e-VOA online or VOA at the airport) |
| Cost | IDR 500,000 (about US$28 at September 2026 rates) |
| Stay | 30 days from arrival |
| Validity | Use within 90 days of issue. Single entry |
| Extension | Once, for 30 more days (60 days total), about IDR 500,000 |
| Overstay | IDR 1,000,000 per day, and possible deportation |
The VOA is for tourism, meetings, family visits and transit. You can't work on it, and that includes paid content creation or remote work for Indonesian clients. Working on a tourist visa can lead to prosecution and detention.
For more than 60 days, you need a C1 visa, which you have to apply for before you go because it isn't available on arrival. The main guide explains how.
The US State Department publishes a travel advisory for Indonesia, including warnings for some regions far from Bali. Read the current text and level on travel.state.gov before you book.
How to apply for the e-VOA
The online e-VOA costs the same as the airport VOA. Applying early means you skip the payment line and can use the automated immigration gates at Bali airport. Indonesian Immigration opens the autogates to any foreign visitor with an e-VOA (or another e-visa) and an electronic passport, the kind with a chip symbol on the cover. Airport VOA holders go to the desks.
Apply only at evisa.imigrasi.go.id. There are lookalike sites, and UK government advice says visa scams are on the rise.
- Create an account at https://evisa.imigrasi.go.id and verify your email within one hour.
- Upload your passport photo page and a passport-style photo. Both must be JPG, JPEG or PNG and under 200 KB.
- Choose the Visitor Visa / e-VOA and enter your arrival date, port (DPS for Bali) and flight.
- Pay IDR 500,000 by Visa, Mastercard or JCB within 120 minutes. Your card issuer may add a foreign transaction fee.
- Download the visa PDF. Save it to your phone and print a copy.
Apply no more than 14 days before your trip and at least 48 hours before departure. The official tourism board quotes 3-5 working days, and UK government advice suggests allowing a week, so I'd apply about a week out.
The fee is IDR 500,000 on the official portal. On 12 August 2026 Immigration announced IDR 750,000 for an e-VOA and IDR 1,000,000 for a VOA bought on arrival, with no start date given (see the visa guide for sources). Check the portal on the day you apply.
You can't change anything once you submit, a mismatch with your passport makes the visa invalid, and there are no refunds. Everyone needs their own e-VOA, kids included.
Entry checklist
- Passport valid for at least 6 months from arrival, with 2 blank pages (the figure in UK government advice)
- e-VOA approved, PDF saved and printed
- Return or onward ticket, which the VOA requires and your airline may ask for at check-in
- All Indonesia arrival card (free), submitted within 72 hours before landing at allindonesia.imigrasi.go.id or the official app. Keep the QR code
- Bali tourist levy of IDR 150,000, paid at lovebali.baliprov.go.id or the Love Bali app. Keep the voucher QR code
- Travel insurance with medical evacuation cover
- Driving permit, if you plan to ride a scooter (see below)
The arrival card and the levy are separate forms on separate websites. The card handles immigration, customs and health for the whole of Indonesia, while the levy is Bali's own tourist tax. Officials spot-check the levy at places like Uluwatu, Tanah Lot, Tegallalang and the Nusa Penida crossings. If you can't show the QR code, you pay on the spot.
Flights from the US to Bali
There are no nonstop flights between the US and Bali, so the choice is which hub to connect through. These are airlines that fly into Bali (DPS) from a hub, and the hub airlines that also fly from US cities:
| Via | Airline for the Bali leg | US cities served from that hub |
|---|---|---|
| Singapore | Singapore Airlines | Several US cities, including New York, Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles |
| Seoul | Korean Air | About 20 US destinations, including Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles |
| Taipei | EVA Air, China Airlines | EVA: Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco and Seattle. China Airlines: New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle |
| Hong Kong | Cathay Pacific | Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco and Seattle |
| Manila | Philippine Airlines | Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York and Honolulu; Chicago from 9 November 2026 |
| The Gulf | Qatar Airways (Doha), Emirates (Dubai), Etihad (Abu Dhabi) | Check each airline's route map |
Route lists change, so treat the table as a starting point and check the airline's own route map for your departure airport.
Fares change daily and by season, so we don't quote any here. Bali's wet season runs roughly November to March, and July and August are busy. Check the date of Nyepi too, when Bali airport closes for 24 hours in March (Nyepi dates), and see best time to visit Bali for the weather.
If you're considering a Gulf routing, Middle East airspace closures in early 2026 led Qatar, Emirates and Etihad to cancel Bali flights for a while. Qatar Airways listed Doha to Bali twice daily in its April to June 2026 schedule (AeroRoutes), and UK government advice, updated on 18 September 2026, still warns of airspace closures, delays and cancellations in the region. The Asian hubs above sidestep the issue.
What to bring from the US
Bali uses Type C and Type F plugs (two round pins) at 230 V. US plugs need an adaptor, and anything that only takes 110 V needs a voltage converter too, so check the label on your chargers.
Pay in rupiah, cash or QRIS. Bali's 2025 Governor circular says not to pay in foreign currency, so bring dollars only to change. Stick to licensed money changers with the green "PVA Berizin" sticker, since the unlicensed ones are known for counting scams. ATMs are easy to find in Bali's towns but scarce on the Gilis and Nusa Penida. Use ones inside banks or malls, and when a machine offers to charge you in dollars, decline and pay in IDR.
Good medical care in Indonesia is expensive and evacuation can cost tens of thousands, so check your insurance covers scooters (with a licence), diving and volcano treks.
Bali hasn't banned tourists from renting scooters, but you do need a valid licence. The State Department's Indonesia page doesn't cover licences. The UK, Australian and several EU governments, though, all tell their citizens they need an International Driving Permit as well as their home licence to ride in Indonesia. In the US, only AAA and the American Automobile Touring Alliance (AATA) are authorised to issue IDPs, and the permit only covers what your state licence does, so you need a motorcycle endorsement. Police checks target foreigners, and insurance often won't pay out for unlicensed riding.
Carry prescription medicines in their original packaging, with a copy of the prescription and a doctor's letter. Ordinary medicines are allowed up to about a 3-month supply. ADHD stimulants are tightly controlled and Adderall is effectively prohibited, as are many benzodiazepines and strong opioids. If you take any of these, contact the Indonesian embassy before you travel. Cannabis in any form, CBD included, is illegal here even if it's legal in your state.
The CDC recommends hepatitis A, hepatitis B and typhoid vaccines for most travellers, on top of your routine vaccines, and says rabies and Japanese encephalitis vaccines are worth discussing with a doctor or travel clinic. Yellow fever vaccination is only required if you arrive from a country with yellow fever transmission, so it doesn't apply on a flight from the US. Mosquito-borne illness is the other thing to plan for: the CDC lists dengue and Zika as risks.
On 7 August 2026 the CDC issued a Level 2 travel health notice, "Practice Enhanced Precautions", for Zika in Indonesia, after cases in travellers returning from Bali. It advises preventing mosquito bites, and sexual transmission, during and after the trip. Pregnant travellers are told to avoid travel to Bali, and anyone planning a pregnancy is told to delay it after travelling. Bali's provincial health agency told RRI on 23 August 2026 that it had no reported Zika cases in Bali. Ask your doctor or a travel clinic what this means for you.
Drone rules conflict, and some guides report mandatory pre-registration for all drones entering Bali. We couldn't confirm that from an official source, so check with Indonesia's Directorate General of Civil Aviation (hubud.dephub.go.id) before you pack one. Don't fly near the airport zone, temples or crowds.
Also pack reef-safe sunscreen, repellent, rehydration salts, a refillable bottle, a dry bag and a sarong for temples. See our Southeast Asia packing list.
Arrival day at Bali airport
You land at I Gusti Ngurah Rai International (DPS), just south of Kuta.
- Immigration. With an e-VOA, use the automated gates if available, or the desks. Without one, first pay for the VOA (cash or card), then queue for immigration. Have your All Indonesia QR code and onward ticket ready.
- Customs. Show the All Indonesia QR code, and keep your medicine paperwork handy.
- Levy. If you haven't paid online, the official Love Bali FAQ says you can pay at the payment counter at the airport.
- SIM card. Telkomsel, XL and Indosat sell tourist SIMs in arrivals; bring your passport. They register your phone's IMEI free for up to 90 days. This doesn't affect US roaming plans or travel eSIMs.
- Cash. Take out rupiah at a bank ATM before leaving.
Make the long flight count
Our Indonesia trips are for solo travellers aged 18 to 40, with me as your Trip Host and a licensed local guide.
