Indonesia's Digital Nomad Visa (E33G), Checked Against the Immigration Site
by Yannick SchrothAug 6, 20269 min read
Padar Island, Komodo National Park. Photo: Jakub Hałun / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0, cropped.
Figures checked against imigrasi.go.id on 6 August 2026.
What the E33G actually is
Indonesia does not have a visa called the "digital nomad visa," which is why so much of what is written about it is wrong. What it has is an index of visa codes, and the one that covers remote work is E33G, listed by the Directorate General of Immigration as the Visa Rumah Kedua Pekerja Jarak Jauh, the second-home visa for remote workers. It sits in the "second home" family rather than the work-permit family, which is the whole point: it lets you live in Indonesia while your income keeps coming from outside it.
Two numbers decide whether it is realistic for you, and both are published on the official visa page rather than inferred from forums.
The official requirements
| What immigration lists | |
|---|---|
| Income | At least USD 60,000 per year, evidenced by bank statements showing salary or equivalent income |
| Bank balance | USD 2,000, shown on three months of statements in the applicant's or the sponsor's name |
| Visa validity | 90 days from issue, meaning you have 90 days to enter |
| Length of stay | One year |
| Extension | The immigration page states the residence permit from this visa can be extended, online through evisa.imigrasi.go.id |
| Work restriction | Holders are barred from work that does not match the terms of the residence permit, so the income has to stay foreign |
The USD 60,000 figure is the one that filters most applicants. It is annual, not monthly, which works out at USD 5,000 a month, and it is comfortably above the income most people need to live well in Bali. That gap is deliberate: the second-home framing is aimed at people who bring money in rather than compete locally.
What it costs
The published fee for the visa itself is small, and the published fee for everything you actually need is not. Immigration lists the components separately, so budget the stack, not the headline.
| Item | Official fee |
|---|---|
| Visa issuance | Rp 500,000 |
| Category II verification | Rp 2,000,000 |
| Limited residence permit, one year | Rp 3,000,000 |
| Re-entry permit, one year | Rp 1,500,000 |
| Total | Rp 7,000,000 |
Note the re-entry permit. Without it, leaving Indonesia can end the residence permit you just paid for, and a year in Bali with no trips out is not how most people live. Agents in Bali charge on top of these government fees; the figures above are the official ones only.
The bit most guides get wrong
A lot of published advice states flatly that the E33G cannot be renewed and that you must leave the country and apply again. The official visa page says the opposite: the residence permit issued from this visa category can be extended, and extensions are handled online. Where a secondary blog and the immigration authority disagree, the immigration authority is the one whose opinion is enforceable. Confirm the current extension procedure in your own account on the e-visa portal, because process detail is exactly the kind of thing that changes quietly.
How to apply
The whole application runs through the official portal at evisa.imigrasi.go.id. You create an account, choose the E33G category, upload documents, pay the government fees, and wait. Expect to need a passport with real validity left on it, a recent photo, proof of the employment or client relationship with a company registered outside Indonesia, the bank statements covering both the income and the balance test, and health insurance. Use the portal itself as your checklist, since it is the only list that is authoritative on the day you apply.
Where to base in Indonesia on this visa
A year is long enough to move around. These are the Indonesian bases we have written up in full, with the cost, wifi and season detail that decides which one suits a working year rather than a holiday.
Canggu
The island's biggest work-and-surf hub: mellow beach breaks, the best wifi on Bali, and the crowds that come with both.
Surf · coworkingRead the guide → 8°49′S 115°05′E · BaliUluwatu
Clifftop living and powerful reef breaks for surfers past the beginner stage, quieter than Canggu.
Surf · reefRead the guide → 8°20′S 115°39′E · BaliAmed
Bali's cheap, slow dive coast, with the Liberty wreck at Tulamben a short ride up the road.
Diving · low costRead the guide → 8°21′S 116°03′E · LombokGili Islands
Turtles on the house reef and no motor traffic, at the cost of island-grade infrastructure.
Diving · snorkellingRead the guide → 8°44′S 115°32′E · BaliNusa Penida
Manta cleaning stations and big drift dives, on an island that is still catching up on wifi.
Diving · mantasRead the guide → 8°53′S 116°16′E · LombokKuta, Lombok
A wide spread of bays for every surf level, cheaper and less built up than Bali's south.
Surf · valueRead the guide → 8°29′S 119°53′E · FloresLabuan Bajo
The gateway to Komodo's currents and mantas, and a real town rather than a resort strip.
Diving · liveaboardsRead the guide → 0°14′S 130°31′E · West PapuaRaja Ampat
The richest reef biodiversity on the planet, and the hardest place on this list to work from.
Diving · remoteRead the guide →How the picks differ
The E33G is one visa covering a country three thousand miles wide, so the practical question is not whether you qualify but where you go once you do. These bases differ enormously in cost and in what the water offers.
| Base | What it is best at | Monthly cost |
|---|---|---|
| Canggu | beginner surf plus the most developed nomad scene in Bali | roughly $1,200 to $2,200 a month; pricier than the rest of Bali |
| Amed, Bali | focused solo nomads and couples who dive most days and do not need office-grade wifi | roughly $1,070 to $1,480 a month, cheaper than Canggu; a villa is $600 to $1,200 |
| Gili Islands | turtle-rich diving and snorkelling, car-free calm, and a social island break | roughly $1,000 to $1,220 a month; a bungalow $300 to $500 |
| Nusa Penida | world-class manta ray and mola mola diving off Bali | roughly $1,000 to $1,800 a month; a premium over mainland Bali |
Who each one is wrong for
A year is long enough that the wrong base becomes expensive to fix. These are the honest drawbacks of each, taken from its own guide.
- Canggu:
think twice if you want quiet, empty waves or dislike traffic and crowds
- Amed, Bali:
think twice if you need reliable high-bandwidth video calls all day or a large coworking community
- Gili Islands:
think twice if you need reliable bandwidth; the wifi is the weak point
- Nusa Penida:
think twice if you are a new diver (strong currents) or need reliable wifi
FAQ
How much do you need to earn for Indonesia's E33G visa?
The Directorate General of Immigration lists a minimum of USD 60,000 per year, which is about USD 5,000 a month, evidenced by bank statements showing salary or equivalent income. You also need to show a balance of USD 2,000 across three months of statements, in your own or your sponsor's name.
How long can you stay on the E33G, and can you extend it?
The stay is one year, and the visa itself is valid for 90 days from issue, which is your window to enter Indonesia. The official immigration page states that the residence permit from this visa category can be extended, and that extensions are handled online through evisa.imigrasi.go.id. Several secondary guides claim it cannot be renewed; the immigration authority says otherwise.
What does the E33G cost in total?
Immigration publishes the components separately: Rp 500,000 for the visa, Rp 2,000,000 for category II verification, Rp 3,000,000 for the one-year limited residence permit and Rp 1,500,000 for the one-year re-entry permit, coming to Rp 7,000,000 in official fees. Agents charge their own fees on top.
Can you work for Indonesian clients on this visa?
No. The category is built around income from a company registered outside Indonesia, and holders are barred from work that does not match the terms of their residence permit. Taking on Indonesian clients or being paid locally is outside what this permit allows.
Is the E33G better than entering Bali as a tourist?
For a stay of a year it is the only one of the two that is designed for the job. Tourist entry is shorter, has to be renewed or reset repeatedly, and is not intended for people living and working in the country. If you clear the income bar, the E33G removes a recurring administrative problem.
Sources
- Directorate General of Immigration, Republic of Indonesia, official E33G visa page (Visa Rumah Kedua Pekerja Jarak Jauh): income of USD 60,000 per year, USD 2,000 balance over three months, 90-day visa validity, one-year stay, extension of the residence permit, and the Rp 500,000 / Rp 2,000,000 / Rp 3,000,000 / Rp 1,500,000 fee components. imigrasi.go.id/wna/daftar-visa-indonesia/E33G, checked 6 August 2026.
- Official application portal: evisa.imigrasi.go.id.
- Cost, wifi and season detail for the bases above comes from our own destination guides, each fact-checked separately.