My visa hasn’t been issued yet, and I urgently need to travel. Can I enter with an e-VOA (Electronic Visa on Arrival) and activate the C1 visa later?

This situation happens more often than you might think: your flight is booked, but your C1 visa has not been issued yet. Many travelers assume the C1 visa will automatically become active once it is approved, but this is not the case.

Which visa becomes active when you enter Indonesia?

If you enter Indonesia using an e-VOA (Electronic Visa on Arrival) because your C1 visa is not ready yet, the e-VOA becomes your active entry visa.

Even if your C1 visa gets approved shortly after you arrive, it cannot be activated retroactively.

To activate the C1 visa, you must:

• leave Indonesia, and

• re-enter using the C1 visa.

What happens if you stay longer, thinking the C1 visa would apply automatically?

Your stay will be calculated based on the e-VOA, not the C1 visa.
If you remain longer than the e-VOA allows, it counts as an overstay.

Overstay penalties in Indonesia:

• 1,000,000 IDR per day, and

• longer overstays may lead to entry bans or complications with future visas.

Always double-check which visa is actually active.

What should you do if you must travel before your C1 visa is issued?

If your C1 visa is not ready but you still need to travel, we recommend:

✔ 1. Enter Indonesia using an e-VOA (if eligible)

This allows you to continue your trip without waiting for the C1 visa.

✔ 2. After arrival, check your options:

• Extend your e-VOA (up to a maximum stay of 60 days), or

• Leave Indonesia briefly (e.g., Singapore or Malaysia) once the C1 visa is approved, then re-enter using the C1 visa to activate it.

Important:

Your C1 visa becomes active only when you enter Indonesia using that visa.
If you enter first with an e-VOA, the C1 remains inactive, and it will expire unused after 90 days if you do not activate it by entering with it.