Indonesian visas on arrival (VoA) are valid for only 30 days. This is not a lot of time for a country so big and diverse, with so many amazing things to do as Indonesia. And since it’s an island nation, doing a visa run is easier said than done. The good news is that you can extend your visa for Indonesia once for another 30 days without leaving the country!
Many people choose Bali to do this. This means there are often long queues at the immigration office and you need to come back multiple times during certain timeslots in order to get your visa extended. In Lombok, however, it’s a whole other story. It’s relatively quick and easy to extend your visa here (relatively, it is still Indonesia 😉) and here I will walk you through the entire process.
*2024 update: It is now also possible to extend your visa online, see the bottom of the post for more information
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Table of Contents - How to extend your visa for Indonesia in Lombok
Why should you extend your visa for Indonesia in Lombok?
Extending your visa on arrival in Lombok is way quicker and easier than in Bali. Many people want to stay in Bali longer than the one or two months on their visa. This means there are always a lot of people who want to extend their visa here and there are always long queues. You’ll have to come back twice, during limited hours too as the amount of people makes it impossible to get everything done in one day.
Lombok is way less popular for long-term stays, so not so many people extend their visas here. Still, enough people do it to make it a routine process for the people working at the immigration office. Here, I will explain to you exactly how we extended our Indonesian visa in Lombok without any problems.
How to get to Lombok
By boat: Take a ferry to the Bangsal port in Lombok. The immigration office is located in Lombok’s capital Mataram, which is less than an hour driving from the port.
By plane: Lombok has an international airport in the southern half of the island, which is also less than an hour driving from Mataram.
Things to know before you extend your visa in Lombok
- It is recommended to extend your visa when you still have 2 weeks left your visa. You should count on at least 5 days before you can pick up your passport again, and you should allow yourself a bit of extra time in case of delays. The extended visa will be for 30 days after your current visa expires, so you’re not losing any days by extending it early. But you don’t want to go right away either. You’ll likely be told to come back after two weeks.
- Lombok is a Muslim island, and you have to dress appropriately in order to be allowed into the office. This means wearing clothes that cover your body from shoulders to knees and no flip-flops are allowed. If you don’t adhere to the dress code, you will be turned away.
- The information in this blog is based on our experience, it doesn’t mean it is always the same. Please use this information as a general guideline only and always check official sources like the website of the immigration office to confirm information.
How to extend your visa for Indonesia in Lombok: A step by step guide
Step 1: Collect the paperwork
In order to get a visa extension, you’ll need to present the following papers:
- A copy of your passport: You need copies of both the ID page and the page with your entry stamp.
There are plenty of places that do copies and printouts in Mataram. As we stayed in Tanjung, we got it copied there which was also easy to do. - Proof of an outward flight. If you know when and where you want to go next, perfect! You can book your flight out and print out the itinerary. Ferries count as well, so you can also opt for a ferry to Singapore for example. If you don’t know yet, you can opt for a flight reservation through Top Onward Ticket for example.
- Your physical passport. You will need to leave your physical passport with immigration, so it’s good to make an extra copy/have a photo on your phone. If you change accommodation, for example, it’s likely they will ask you for your passport.
Step 2: Present the papers at the office
Make your way to the immigration office in Mataram. The opening hours are 08.00 – 12.00 and 13.00 – 16.00 Monday – Thursday and 08.30 – 12.30 and 13.30 – 16.30 on Fridays. (At the time of writing that is.) Come during the morning hours to allow enough time to go through the process in one day. Here they’ll give you some other forms to fill out. Once filled out, hand everything over to the officer for them to review.
Step 3: Pay the visa
They’ll give you a paper to take to the bank, where you will pay the 500.000 Rp. for your visa. The visa fee for the extension is the same as for the visa on arrival (VoA). Here you can pay in cash for the visa, and they will give you a receipt. Hand this receipt over to the agent as proof that you’ve paid for the visa.
There are a few ATMs not far from the Immigration Office where you can get cash out. Be careful with the BTN ATM, it took the money from my account but didn’t pay it out. So I entered the office to explain the problem. Not only were they very unhelpful, but they also said it happens frequently with this ATM. I normally used Mandiri or BNI and I didn’t have problems with them.
Step 4: Have your picture and fingerprints taken
The agent will now give you a number for the last part of the process. Once they call your number (keep an eye on the screen on the desk), head to the cubicle next to the agents to have your picture and fingerprints taken. Here they will conduct an “interview” too, similar to the questions you get asked by immigration when entering the country. This can always differ, depending on your situation and the agent, but in my case, questions were basic and simple (what do you do for a living, why do you want to extend your visa.) Once they have collected everything they need, they will tell you when you can come back to pick up your passport again.
Do note that if it is very busy at the office, you might need to come back for this step. Generally it can all be done in one day, especially if you arrive early, but there are no guarantees.
Step five: Pick up your passport with your new visa
Normally you can pick your visa up after about 5 working days, which gives you plenty of time to explore some of Lombok or the Gili Islands for example. But do wait with booking anything until you’ve gone through the whole process. As mentioned above, it is possible you cannot do everything in one day and you need to come back in between.
Extending your visa online (2024 update)
Note that it is now also possible to both get your VoA online beforehand and extend your visa online. I have no personal experience with this, but a reader of this blog has been so kind to share her experience extending her visa online.
To extend your visa on arrival online, head to the page linked above and simply follow the instructions. The system seems to be a little glitchy, there was some trouble scanning and processing the pictures (uploading in PNG might help), but overall the process is quite easy.
If you’re going to spend some time in Lombok anyway and prefer the “old-fashioned” paper way extending your visa in Lombok is still a great option. But if not, extending your VoA online is a potential lifesaver! I would still try to be on the safe side, and apply for it well in time. If there are any issues with the website, you can still head to an immigration office and get personal help on the spot.
*Dislaimer*
Once again, this blog post and the information and recommendations in it are based on our experience extending our Indonesian VoA visa in Lombok. In our case, it was very easy and straightforward, but every case is different. This blog is only meant as a guideline to have a general understanding of the process and to have an idea of what to expect. I cannot guarantee every case is as easy and straightforward and even though they do generally extend your visa without problems, this is also not a guarantee.
This was How to extend your visa for Indonesia in Lombok
