Bali - immigration form no longer required?

[RSD]

I vaguely recollect seeing an email a couple of months ago saying that Aussies no longer need to fill out Indonesian immigration forms on the plane enroute to Bali - is this true or was I dreaming? If true have they put e-gates in or ...?

 

[AIRwin]

Customs declaration form only...

 

[dajop]

And at the moment health declaration form too..

 

[RSD]

Cheers everyone. Have they gone e-gate or just otherwise paperless?

 

[AIRwin]

I don't remember any e-gates over Christmas but only the APEC channel at arrivals...

 

[RSD]

I don't remember any e-gates over Christmas but only the APEC channel at arrivals...

OK cheers - so still often long delays getting through immigration I expect, although I did once set some kind of record of plane door to kerbisde in six minutes - sadly it has been sixty-plus minutes every time since.

 

[AIRwin]

This has some further info but may not be useful?

Immigration fast track at Denpasar airport?

Hi there - a few years ago Indonesia stopped the paid fast track immigration service on arrival to Denpasar airport in Bali. The villa that we're staying at has offered this - is it legal again? Has anyone paid for immigration fast track at Denpasar recently?

www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au

 

[RSD]

This has some further info but may not be useful?

Immigration fast track at Denpasar airport?

Hi there - a few years ago Indonesia stopped the paid fast track immigration service on arrival to Denpasar airport in Bali. The villa that we're staying at has offered this - is it legal again? Has anyone paid for immigration fast track at Denpasar recently?

www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au

Cheers @AIRwin - that helps fill in the blanks.

 

[Pushka]

OK cheers - so still often long delays getting through immigration I expect, although I did once set some kind of record of plane door to kerbisde in six minutes - sadly it has been sixty-plus minutes every time since.

Unless you are considered old - over 60, where there is an expedited lane.

 

[RSD]

Unless you are considered old - over 60, where there is an expedited lane.

Not yet - but I'm working on it

 

[RSD]

BTW is there a QF lounge at DPS?

 

[jase05]

BTW is there a QF lounge at DPS?

They use the Premier lounge

 

[RSD]

They use the Premier lounge

Cheers @jase05 - is it any good?

 

[jase05]

Cheers @jase05 - is it any good?

It’s ok but because a heap of airlines use the lounge it can get really busy.

 

[RSD]

It’s ok but because a heap of airlines use the lounge it can get really busy.

Cheers @jase05 - will see what it is like with it possibly being a bit quieter due to coronavirus.

 

[dajop]

Cheers @jase05 - will see what it is like with it possibly being a bit quieter due to coronavirus.

Was there last Sunday, on SQ, who use the lounge also. It was pretty full still (this was just before 8pm), and quite a queue to enter on paid or priority pass. We did find two seats adjacent to reception, but didn't have long in the lounge (about five mins) as we only got to checkin counters about 50 mins before the flight (well not really, we asked if they could move us to the earlier flight, which they did).

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Arriving into Bali last weekend (~midday) we were given a small yellow 'health check' form on the plane. On arrival there were a couple of temporary tables set up with more yellow forms, but this time longer with questions on them - where we were staying, contact details etc. Everybody filing off the plane had to stop and fill out one of these.

We'd purchased fast-track and were ushered off 'to the left' where there was a queue of about 10 people, and an empty queue for 'VIP' which we were taken through (no queue). We wondered at that stage if we had wasted our money on the fast track, but just a few seconds later we were walked past the main immigration hall where there would easily have been 200-300 people waiting When we got to our car others were coming out apologising to their drivers for the delay (well past the one hour grace period allowed by most pick-ups).

Once out of the VIP channel we were taken to a small lounge, given cold towels and water, and our baggage tags taken to find our luggage (about 30 minutes). During this time we were given customs forms to fill out (I guess some airlines might give them out on board?). With the bags collected we were walked to our pre-arranged driver.

We paid $36pp for the express arrival... well and truly worth it to save what seemed to be a couple of hours.

 

[RSD]

Arriving into Bali last weekend (~midday) we were given a small yellow 'health check' form on the plane. On arrival there were a couple of temporary tables set up with more yellow forms, but this time longer with questions on them - where we were staying, contact details etc. Everybody filing off the plane had to stop and fill out one of these.

We'd purchased fast-track and were ushered off 'to the left' where there was a queue of about 10 people, and an empty queue for 'VIP' which we were taken through (no queue). We wondered at that stage if we had wasted our money on the fast track, but just a few seconds later we were walked past the main immigration hall where there would easily have been 200-300 people waiting When we got to our car others were coming out apologising to their drivers for the delay (well past the one hour grace period allowed by most pick-ups).

Once out of the VIP channel we were taken to a small lounge, given cold towels and water, and our baggage tags taken to find our luggage (about 30 minutes). During this time we were given customs forms to fill out (I guess some airlines might give them out on board?). With the bags collected we were walked to our pre-arranged driver.

We paid $36pp for the express arrival... well and truly worth it to save what seemed to be a couple of hours.

That seems well worth it - was that organised through your hotel or a "fast-track" service? I doubt that our hotel offers a fast track service (small hotel that I have used in the past due to its great location and quietness - something that is hard to come by in Kuta)

 

[MEL_Traveller]

That seems well worth it - was that organised through your hotel or a "fast-track" service? I doubt that our hotel offers a fast track service (small hotel that I have used in the past due to its great location and quietness - something that is hard to come by in Kuta)

I used Klook, taking advantage of a 20% off sale for boxing day (although they have 'sales' of between 10-15% at regular intervals from what i can tell). There are at least three or four other providers. Beware that the initial price for fast-track often looks very low... around $20 - but that's for domestic arrivals (not sure why you'd even need it). Once you key in your international details the prices jump... anywhere from $40-60 pp depending on the company.

I combined the fast-track with a car, also through Klook - which was $14 or something for the car (to anywhere in Zone 1 which includes Kuta, Seminyak, Nusa Dua, Benoa, Jimbaran etc). I think the car and fast-track were separately operated though, but our fast-track guides (2 of them) went and found the car providers for us.

If flying garuda business (or first) there seems to be some fast-track included.

 

[dajop]

One thing I was grateful for going into DPS was having a fairly new passport, which was easy to flick through (looking for Chinese immigration stamps). My old one, which I only recently replaced was a full 64 page one with many China visits - it would have taken them ages to go through. I think that step is adding considerable time to the processing.