Citizens of Britain, Ireland, most of Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the USA do not need a visa to enter Indonesia if intending to stay for less than sixty days, and if entering and exiting via a designated gateway. There are currently around forty of these air and sea gateways into Indonesia, at which you can get a free, non-extendable sixty-day visa on arrival; "sixty days" includes the date of entry. You'll be fined US$20 for every day you overstay your visa , up to a maximum of fourteen days. After that you'll get blacklisted from Indonesia for two years. The best way to get yourself a new sixty-day visa is to leave the country for a few hours and then come straight back in through a designated port of entry (Singapore is the most popular for this).

If you want to stay more than two months, or are entering via a non-designated gateway , then you must get a visa from an Indonesian consulate before travelling. Tourist visas are initially valid for four weeks, and cost US$25. They can be extended for up to six months at immigration offices ( kantor immigrasi) in Indonesia, but this is never easy.