General Travel Information
Entry
Check the current visa regulations for your home country before you go to Indonesia!
Citizens of 37 countries are eligible to buy either a seven or 30 days visa on arrival (VOA) upon landing at one of Indonesia's international gateway ports for USD 10 respectively USD 25. These countries are (April 2006): Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kuwait, Luxembourg, Maldives, New Zealand, Norway, Oman, People's Republic of China, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Sweden, Taiwan, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States of America. In Sulawesi you can get this VOA at the airports of Manado and Makassar, and additionally at the seaports in Bitung, Pare and Makassar.
Be prepared that it takes time to queue for the VOA. Last time it took us about 45 minutes on Sam Ratulangi Airport in Manado (MDC) - and we were not among the last passengers to leave the airplane! If you have the US dollars ready in new, clean banknotes the procedure will fasten up a bit when it is your turn.
If you are a citizen of Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Macau, Chile, Morocco, Peru or Vietnam, you will be issued a 30 day stay permit without a fee.
Finally, if your home country is not listed above, you have to apply for a regular (tourist) visa at the nearest Indonesian embassy before you leave for your holiday.
This will also be mandatory, if you want to stay in Indonesia longer than 30 days. In this case, you will additionally need a good reason for your extended visa need.
If you overstay your visa period for a short time, you can be processed immediately at the airport by paying USD 20 for every day you exceeded your stay over the visa allowance time.
Furthermore make sure that your passport is valid for at least six months after the day of your departure.
It is recommended to check the entry stamp you get into your passport when you enter Indonesia. There are reports that sometimes immigration officials give out very faint stamps without noticing it. When you leave later, they behave menacingly - with the argument that you have entered the country without permission. They will try to impose a fine on you, which, however, goes right into the immigration officer's pocket. Do not let them scare you. Just make some noise and they will let you go.
In principle visitors have to be registered within 24 hours after arrival. Normally this is done by every hotel you check in. In the case you visit relatives or friends in Indonesia, you should make this registration at the local village manager, called RT meaning rukun tetangga.
Finally keep some Indonesian Rupiah when you finally leave the country. At the airport you will have to pay about Rp 100,000 per person on departure.
Currency
Indonesia's currency is the Indonesian Rupiah (Rp, IDR). 1 Rupiah equals 100 Sen (S). However, this subdivision only has historical meaning and is no longer existing practically now.
You will find banknotes for Rp 100,000, Rp 50,000, Rp 20,000, Rp 10,000, Rp 5,000, RP 1,000 and very rarely also for Rp 500.
The smallest denominations (25, 50, 100 and 500 Rupiahs) usually are light coins, although you can rarely find banknotes, which are still valid money. Coins in circulation also include the gold and silver coloured Rp 1,000. A Rp 200 coin was released recently.
Timezone
Indonesia covers three timezones: Western, Central and Eastern Indonesian Time. In Sulawesi the Central Indonesian Time is applied, which is eight hours ahead of the Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) or Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). The difference to the Central European Time (CET) therefore is seven hours. Compared to the Central European Summer Time (CEST) Sulawesi is six hours in advance.
Electricity
Tension voltage in Indonesia is 220 Volt / 50 Hertz alternating current. Plugs are not standardized, so it is a good idea to bring a traveller's plug converter with you. If you plan to stay on islands, where current is mainly produced by generators, you should bring a protection device for current fluctuations with you, at least if you want to operate sensitive electronic equipment.
A tip for divers
We heard of some cases where modern explosive scanners at the airports gave alarm on diver luggage. The reason is that neopren emitts a certain gas which the scanners interprete as explosives once a certain concentration is exceeded. So the airlines recommend to pack your diver luggage containing larger neopren items only shortly before your departure or at least keep it open if you prepare it longer beforehand, so that the gas emission can escape.