How to Apply for an Indian Visa in Bali, Indonesia

How to get an Indian Visa while in Bali

Almost all visitors need to apply for a visa before traveling to India (apart from citizens of Nepal, Maldives and Bhutan) so applying for an Indian visa is an essential part of planning your trip to India.

It’s always best to apply for a visa in your home country, applying for an Indian visa can be a little confusing and time consuming so to help I wrote a step by step guide to make getting your Indian visa easier)

But what if you decide to change your plans while traveling and want to visit India or, as the Indian visa is valid from the date of issue not the date of entry into India, if you’re planning to visit India as part of a longer trip then applying before you leave home would mean that you lose time or that your visa could even expire before you even get to India.

Pin Me 🙂

Most Indian embassies in South East Asia only issue visas to citizens or people resident in that country, traditionally it was easy to obtain an Indian visa in Bangkok, Thailand but this is pretty much impossible now for tourists.

Luckily there are still places in Asia where tourists can apply for an Indian visa – Nepal (see here for how to get your visa in Kathmandu) and Sri Lanka (see here for how to get your visa in Colombo and here for Kandy) are possible and also Bali, Indonesia.

You will need more documents to apply for an Indian visa in Bali than you would do if you were applying in your home country and you’re unlikely to get a longer term, multiple entry visa without a good reason and supporting documents.

If you are planning to visit India for up to 30 days then luckily after the introduction of the E Tourist Visa it’s much easier to just apply online ( see here for more info).

Here’s how to apply for an Indian Visa from Bali

To apply for an Indian visa in Bali you’ll need to apply in person with all your documents at the Indian embassy in the capital, Denpasar. I’d allow at least a week as it takes 5 working days to get the visa. Week.

The address for the Consulate General of India is: JI Raya Puputan No 163, Renon, Denpasar, Bali-80235

The website is www.cgibali.in. Their email is  [email protected]  but the mail box was full so I could not correspond via email. You can try calling (+62-361) 259 504 for more info. There is also an embassy in the Indonesian capital Jakarta and I think foreigners can also apply for a visa there.

The embassy only accepts visa submissions from Monday – Friday from 9am – 11am. You will need to leave your passport at the embassy and you can pick it up 5 working days afterwards between 4pm – 5pm. The embassy is not open on holidays and they are strict with the timings.

It’s about an hours drive from the Kuta, Legian, Seminyak, Canggu area or a more convenient place to stay is the more laidback beach resort of Sanur only 15 minutes away. I also liked Padang Bai which was an hours drive away but more pleasant and less traffic clogged than coming from the West Coast. It’s quick, easy and cheap to get an Indonesian sim card with data and I couldn’t’ have navigated my way to the embassy without it.

Documents you will need to apply for an Indian visa in Bali:

• Your passport

• 2 passport photos – 2 inch x 2 inch (a different size from normal passport photos)

• You will need to submit and print out an online application (find it here) It’s the same form as normal so if you need help filling it in check out this post)

• Print out your flights in and out of India (However, if you want to travel overland to Nepal then a print out of a hotel reservation for your first night in Nepal should be ok instead of an outward flight ticket)

• Print out a hotel reservation for your first night in India (You can reserve a room on Booking.com for free and usually with free cancellation)

• Print out of a bank statement showing sufficient funds (I’m not exactly sure what that means. On the website it says 6 months of bank statements but that is for Indonesian citizens. I only was able to print out a screenshot of my online banking with £1,000 balance and my visa was granted)

• With any visa applications it’s also a good idea to go well dressed with a good attitude and at least a vague plan for what you plan to do in India as it’s a bit like an interview

• The visa fees in cash. The cost for my visa (British passport) was 2,140,000 Indonesian Rupiah (about £128) plus 22,000 IDR (£1.30)consular charge. You can only pay in cash in Indonesian Rupiah. See here for the full list of visa fees depending on your nationality.)

Even though they list the options for 6 and 12 month multiple entry visas that are quite straightforward to apply for in the UK, in Bali they will normally only give a 3 month, single entry visa unless you have a good reason and multiple flight tickets to warrant the longer, multiple entry visas. The cost, however, is the same plus a small additional consular charge.

Overall, applying for my Indian visa in Bali took 4 days – 1 day to complete the application form, gather all the documents and drive around finding places to get the passport photos taken and documents printed, the 2^nd day I made the 2 hour round trip to the embassy but discovered it closed at 11am. I managed to successfully submit the visa application on the 3^rd day and then a week later made the 2 hour round trip again to collect the passport. As I had already booked to attend a meditation course in Nepal and then another tour afterwards in India I was granted a 4 month, double entry visa.

So that’s how you can get an Indian visa in Bali. However, if you only need a visa for up to a month/ 30 days then applying for the E Tourist Visa is much easier and cheaper. See here how to do it.

Have you applied for an Indian visa in Bali or outside your home country? Leave a comment below to let me know how it went and help other travellers

Want more India travel tips and stories?

Sign up to the FREE newsletter and discover Incredible India with me!

First name

Email *