Okay, so Bali has been on my bucket list forever, and I finally decided to go for it! The first big hurdle? Figuring out the whole tourist visa situation. It wasn’t as scary as I thought, but there were definitely a few steps involved. Here’s how I managed to get mine:
Figuring Out What I Needed
First things first, I had to determine if I even needed a visa. Turns out, it depends on your nationality and how long you’re planning to stay. I’m a US citizen, and I wanted to stay for about a month, so I definitely needed one.
- Checked my passport: Made sure it was valid for at least six months after my planned return date. This is super important!
- Looked up visa requirements: I found that I was able to get a Visa on Arrival (VOA). There’s a list for which countries are applicable and lucky me, mine was there.
Gathering All My Documents
Once I knew which visa type I needed, I had to get all my paperwork in order. This was probably the most tedious part, but gotta do it!
- Passport photos: I got a couple of standard passport-sized photos taken at a local pharmacy.
- Flight itinerary: I printed out my round-trip flight confirmation. They want to see proof that you’re planning to leave Bali.
- Proof of accommodation: Got a booking confirmation from the hotel, showing the address and the dates of stay.
- Financial Proof: Show that I have enough money by screenshotting my bank account.
- Filled out application:Filled out the forms that the official gave me with the basic information.
- Payment: Get the cash ready, they usually offer two currencies at the counter, but I would say prepare in the local currency is better to avoid some ridiculous exchange rate.
The Actual Arrival Process
Getting the Visa on Arrival was surprisingly straightforward. I landed in Bali, followed the signs for “Visa on Arrival,” and joined the queue. It moved pretty quickly, thankfully!
- Paid for the visa fee at the counter.
- Handed over my documents: I gave the immigration officer my passport, photos, flight itinerary, and hotel confirmation.
- Got my passport stamped: The officer checked everything, stamped my passport with the visa, and that was it! I was officially good to go.
Honestly, the whole process was way less stressful than I anticipated. The key is just being prepared and having all your documents ready. Now, time to enjoy Bali!
