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Have you ever flown halfway across the world to Bali for a relaxing holiday only to arrive at the airport and wait in line for several long minutes, if not hours, to go through security checks?
Yes, it turns out that you are not the only one who loves oriental temples and trips to nature.
Bali is one extremely popular destination for Western tourists, and the fact that the country has some of the strictest immigration rules anywhere in Asia – you can’t enter without paying a fee and filling out a number of forms – is known to cause delays.
Fortunately, the Balinese gods heard our prayers and screening is now underway A lot simpler.
Tourists can now use e-Gates for faster screening in Bali
Since this month, tourists can cross the international border using automated e-Gates, which have been installed in phases throughout the year and are now fully functionalof which 60 in total in the arrivals hall and 30 reserved for departure.
e-Gates are an increasingly preferred alternative to manual passport checks, as they allow travelers to scan their own documents and avoid the dreaded interview with a border guard. They have become increasingly popular not only in Asia, but also in certain European countries and countries. Mexico.
As stated by Directorate General of Immigration Silmy Karim, Ngurah Rai Airport serving Bali is ‘one of the main gateways‘ to Indonesia as the country hosts up to 21,000 international arrivals per day – needless to say, the launch of e-Gate will ensure desperately needed relief, while border rules have not yet been relaxed.
There have been talks that Bali could abolish the entrance fee in the near future, but these have yet to materialize. In the meantime, tourists remain subject to stricter visa rules.
What are the rules for entering Bali?
In fact, to enter Bali you have to apply for an e-Visa in advance, or a visa on arrival, which involves filling out forms and pay a $35 fee.
Tourists who don’t get prior permission and instead opt for a visa on arrival have to queue twice: first to apply for and pay for the visa, and then go through actual border control, so it’s an unspoken rule are mandatory for the smoothest possible experience.
For now, the e-Gates don’t eliminate this requirement, but how exactly will visa rules be enforced once border guards are gone?
Well, in reality they are not:
Non-e-visa holders are not eligible for the e-Gate Lane
Like the Bali sun reportsthe gates can only be used by travelers who have already purchased an e-Visa, both on arrival and on departure, while those who have left it until the very last minute and instead apply for a visa on arrival cannot.
If you are a US passport holder and you have not been issued an e-Visa, sorry friend, you have to stand in line a little longer as usual.
As we see it, the latter option simply does not provide any benefit, because the waiting times upon arrival are much longer, you are not eligible for automated screening, and as the Directorate General of Immigration noted, the immigration process with the e-Gate takes on average 15-25 seconds per person.
e-Visa applicants cannot qualify for e-Gates if they do this
When you apply for the e-Visa, the information you submit your application form must be 100% correctotherwise you won’t get through the gate in Bali.
In that case, you will have to wait in the immigration line like everyone else who has not been pre-screened.
Make sure you don’t miss any numbers when filling out your passport details, and be sure to check that the validity date is correct and that there are no missing characters in your name before paying the fee.
This may seem redundant to some, but there have been a number of cases where travelers have done this wasn’t careful enough when filling in their details, especially if their passport number contains letters.
Recently there was an Australian tourist forced to swerve another $35 for a new application at the border because she entered the passport number incorrectly and left out the front two letters PA:’All my life I thought the two letters on the front meant passport numbers, so why should I mention them‘.
Once payment is confirmed, approval is generally automatic and that information cannot be changed. This means that if there are errors in your application, you will not be denied the e-Visa, but you will still not be eligible for the e-Visa upon arrival in Bali. Gate rose.
Two additional forms are required to qualify for e-Gate
Oh, and something else that most guidebooks don’t inform you about is that, apart from the e-Visa, you have to fill out two additional forms online: a customs form and a health declaration, the latter of which covers the last outbreak of monkeypox.
Unless the 3 steps below are not completed, use of e-Gate is not permitted:
- Get the e-Visa and pay the $35 fee here
- Complete the customs form here
- Obtain the ‘Health Pass’ here
Immigration controls in Bali become les bureaucratic with the new e-Gates, but that does not mean that entry rules are less strict: tourists are reminded that with an e-Visa or visa on arrival they can only stay on the island for a limited time up to 30 days.
Those who overstay their welcome or engage in activities not expressly permitted in their visa category, such as looking for work locally, will be subject to hefty fines and even deportation – trust us, you don’t want to end up on the wrong side of Bali law enforcement officers.
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This article originally appeared on TravelOffPath.com
The opinions expressed here are solely those of the author, and not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included in the post.
