Great news for those planning a Bali holiday, or trips to the rest of Indonesia, with confirmation that there will no longer be any requirement for fully vaccinated travellers to complete a pre-departure PCR test from 18th May 2022.
This finally opens up pre-pandemic-style travel to and from the country for Singapore residents, and follows the removal of on-arrival PCR testing on 6th April 2022.
The latest two-way test-free process will be music to the ears of many Singapore residents planning a Bali getaway, and comes just in time for the busy June school holiday season, with costs reduced and short-term travel flexibility increased for travellers.
Indonesia has become the seventh of ten ASEAN nations to remove pre-departure testing for fully vaccinated travellers, with only Brunei, Myanmar and the Philippines retaining the requirement within the region.
Mask-wearing has also been relaxed outdoors, a similar policy now in effect for Singapore.
Previous requirements
For those entering Indonesia on or before Tuesday 17th May 2022, the following pre-departure testing process applied, regardless of your vaccination status:
- You must have a negative COVID-19 PCR or RT-PCR test, taken at most 48 hours before departure from the first embarkation point; or
- If travelling from Singapore to an international entry point in the Riau islands (e.g. Batam or Bintan), having been in Singapore for at least 14 days, you may instead have a negative COVID-19 antigen (ART) test, taken at most 24 hours before departure; or
- You must have a COVID-19 recovery certificate stating that you are no longer contagious, having tested positive at least 10 days and at most 30 days before departure.
New requirements
With effect from 18th May 2022, Indonesia is further streamlining its quarantine-free arrival requirements across the whole country (Bahasa version of the regulations available here).
Effective from 18 May 2022, all fully vaccinated travellers including children and infants will not required to have a pre-departure test and will be able to enter Indonesia quarantine-free via any flight.
Garuda Indonesia
There is no longer a requirement for any pre-departure test to be conducted, provided you are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, which means you must have:
- a COVID-19 vaccination certificate (physical or digital) showing that you were fully vaccinated at least 14 days before departure.
The certificate must be issued in both English and the local language of the country where you were vaccinated, if different.
The vaccination requirement does not apply to passengers younger than 18 years, who are able to follow the entry requirements of their accompanying parents, guardians or travel companions.
Those aged 18 or over who are unable to be vaccinated for medical reasons are allowed to travel test-free and quarantine-free to Indonesia, but they must carry a supporting doctor’s certificate from the country of departure.
Valid arrival ports
Fully vaccinated travellers and their accompanying children are now able to enter Indonesia via any of the following ports and all follow the same procedure:
Airports
- Bali (Denpasar) Airport
- Batam Airport
- Bintan Airport
- Jakarta Airport
- Lombok Airport
- Makassar Airport
- Manado Airport
- Medan Airport
- Surabaya Airport
- Yogyakarta Airport
Sea ports
All international sea ports in Indonesia are now valid as entry points for foreign travellers.
Land border points
- Aruk, West Kalimantan
- Entikong, West Kalimantan
- Motaain, East Nusa Tenggara
- Nanga Badau, Kalimantan Barat
- Motamasin, East Nusa Tenggara
- Wini, East Nusa Tenggara
- Skouw, Papua
- War, Papua
On-arrival testing
Indonesia has also amended its on-arrival testing policy as part of this relaxation, with a mandatory PCR swab now only conducted for those who:
- have a body temperature upon arrival above 37.5 degrees Celsius.
The testing cost (around S$26) is absorbed by the Indonesian Government for Indonesian citizens, or paid by the traveller in the case of foreign nationals.
These travellers must then travel directly to their accommodation (e.g. hotel room) or place of residence and and are not allowed to leave until receiving a negative result.
Previously those with a COVID-19 recovery certificate were exempt from pre-departure testing, however if they chose not to do a PDT they also had to have an on-arrival PCR test, regardless of vaccination status.
Recovered travellers
Travellers who have recovered from COVID-19 can now travel to Indonesia without any pre-departure or on-arrival testing, regardless of their vaccination status.
- Fully vaccinated recently recovered travellers follow the same process as other fully vaccinated travellers (no testing with proof of vaccination).
- Unvaccinated recently recovered travellers must provide recovery evidence in the form of a doctor’s certificate, stating that they are no longer actively transmitting COVID-19. Five days of quarantine is then enforced, with a PCR test on the fourth day.
Generally speaking, unvaccinated travellers must be Indonesian Citizens to travel to Indonesia.
Airlines are still catching up!
One problem with this short-notice change is that the official edict removing the pre-departure testing requirement was not published until early afternoon on 18th May 2022, meaning most airlines (including Singapore Airlines) still have not updated their policies at the time of writing.
Update 19th May: Singapore Airlines and IATA Timatic have both now updated their requirements for travel to Indonesia, reflecting the latest policy with no pre-departure test required for fully vaccinated travellers.
Systems like IATA Timatic, which many airlines like Jetstar use to determine travel eligibility, have also yet to be updated.
Therefore if you are travelling to Indonesia in the coming days you should ensure your airline has updated its policy, or play it safe and take a pre-departure PCR test within the required timeframe unless you are certain this will not pose a problem at the check-in desk.
Hopefully all the requirements will be aligned in the days ahead.
How Indonesia compares in ASEAN
Here’s how Indonesia’s latest testing requirements (or lack thereof) look against other ASEAN neighbours, with only three out of the ten countries now imposing a PDT from 18th May 2022.
Testing before travelling to ASEAN countries
based on fully vaccinated travellers departing from Singapore by air
| Country | Test type | Test timing | Exemptions |
| Brunei | PCR or ART |
PCR 2 days before departure or ART 1 day before departure |
— |
| Cambodia | No PDT | ||
| Indonesia | No PDT | ||
| Laos | No PDT | ||
| Malaysia | No PDT | ||
| Myanmar | PCR | 72h before arrival | Age 5 or below |
| Philippines | No PDT | ||
| Singapore | No PDT | ||
| Thailand | No PDT | ||
| Vietnam | No PDT | ||
Following the recent removal of testing for travel to Vietnam and this latest relaxation for Indonesia, only Brunei, Myanmar and the Philippines still have PDT requirements as of 18th May 2022.
Visa-free travel and Visa on arrival
Since 5th April 2022, those holding one of nine ASEAN passports, including Singaporeans, no longer need a Visa on Arrival (VoA), meaning a nice cash saving compared to the original reopening process, where this was a requirement.
Here are the approved ASEAN visa-free nationalities, for those arriving in Indonesia as tourists.
- Brunei
- Cambodia
- Laos
- Malaysia
- Myanmar
- Philippines
- Singapore
- Thailand
- Vietnam
Visa-free ASEAN tourist arrivals are limited to a 30 day stay in Indonesia, which cannot be extended.
Over the last few months, Indonesia has also restarted its Visa on Arrival (VoA) process at a cost of IDR 500,000 (~S$47). The list has most recently been expanded to those holding 60 nationalities.
If you hold one of the following nationalities (based on your passport used to enter Indonesia) you will be able to continue to obtain a VoA at the airport. You cannot apply in advance, and payment is by cash or credit card.
- Argentina
- Australia
- Austria
- Belgium
- Brazil
- Brunei Darussalam
- Bulgaria
- Cambodia
- Canada
- China
- Croatia
- Cyprus
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Hong Kong
- Hungary
- India
- Ireland
- Italy
- Japan
- Laos
- Latvia
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Malaysia
- Malta
- Mexico
- Myanmar
- Netherlands
- New Zealand
- Norway
- Philippines
- Poland
- Portugal
- Qatar
- Romania
- Saudi Arabia
- Seychelles
- Singapore
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- South Africa
- South Korea
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Taiwan
- Thailand
- Timor Leste
- Tunisia
- Turkey
- UAE
- UK
- USA
- Vietnam
This VoA is valid for 30 days, and can be extended once (for a maximum of 30 further days) by making an application to an immigration office once you are in Bali. You must extend your visa within the initial 30 days, to avoid an overstay fine.
You can also opt for a VoA as an ASEAN national, if you wish to have the flexibility of an extended stay, however the IDR 500,000 fee will be payable.
Important: Your passport must have at least six months of validity remaining and contain at least one unused visa page for entry/departure endorsements by Indonesian immigration. This does not include any pages reserved for “Observations” or “Amendments and Endorsements”.If you are not Indonesian or holding ASEAN citizenship, and your passport is not on the VoA approval list above, you can still travel to Indonesia but you will need to obtain a B211A visit visa in advance.
Latest quarantine-free process for Indonesia
The new Indonesia arrival procedure from Singapore (or any other country) is as follows.
Singapore Indonesia
| Eligibility & Vaccination |
|
| COVID-19 Test(s) |
|
Travel to Singapore
Fully vaccinated travellers heading from Indonesia to Singapore by air will follow the latest Vaccinated Travel Framework (VTF) process, as outlined below, which is already test-free and quarantine-free.
Singapore Vaccinated Travel Framework
Process
- Be fully vaccinated with a WHO-approved vaccine, or be aged 12 or under in the current calendar year (i.e. born in 2010 or later, for 2022 arrivals)
- Submit your SG Arrival Card (SGAC) within three days of arrival to Singapore
- Apply for an entry visa (for visa-required nationalities only)
- Take any flight from or via any country to Singapore and enter quarantine-free
Summary
Indonesia finally joins the list of two-way test-free regional travel options for Singapore residents, meaning no swabs on the way to or from Bali and other parts of the country, which is a fantastic development just in time for the June school holiday season.
Do be careful if you are travelling over the next few days, since official airline policies may take a while to be updated, given the short-notice change to these requirements.
It may be safer to have a pre-departure PCR test in accordance with the former policy (within 48 hours of departure) until your airline can confirm it is observing the new requirements.
If you haven’t been already, will this latest relaxation finally entice you to make a Bali trip? Let us know in the comments section below.
(Cover Photo: Shutterstock)
I’m flying out next Tuesday 24th on SIA do you think I’ll still need a PCR test? Booked swab for Sunday evening but I can get a refund…
I’m sure by next week everything will be well communicated and the PDT won’t be required by any airline.
Hello Andrew, as far as you are aware is Bali strict on checking if you downloaded the app?? I’m vaccinated and all just enquiring
Thanks
No they never asked when I went 👍🏼
Flight tickets to Indonesia are at all time high till around end June. Sigh….
Is this temperature a big risk as 37.5 can be quite common for some people?
Seems like the checks on symptoms related to COVID-19 are still applicable on arrival in Indonesia, as per the Embassy FAQs.
https://kemlu.go.id/singapore/en/read/faq-selama-wabah-covid-19-bagi-wni-dan-wna-yang-akan-ke-indonesia/1047/important-information
Yes that’s basically the temperature check 👍🏼