Travel to Indonesia/CGK

Please check on the Visa page if you need a visa to visit Indonesia.

Arrival at Jakarta Soekarno-Hatta International Airport

Indonesia requires all arriving visitors to complete their traveller arrival card online within the 3 days prior to arrival in Indonesia.This arrival card can be accessed via the e-Visa website or directly via Indonesian Immigration website.

Once you have completed your digital arrival card, you will receive a QR code. Keep this on your phone or other electronic device, or print it, as Customs will scan it as you exit the Baggage Hall. No QR code, no exit.There is an option to fill up the digital arrival card in the Baggage Hall, and help is available to do so, but it is better to be prepared before the trip starts.

Most international arrivals come in to Terminal 3 at CGK. This description applies to Terminal 3, but the other two terminals are likely to have a similar process.

The Immigration area is next to Gate 10 at CGK T3, so if your flight arrives at gates 1-4, it is a 5-10 minute walk (with the help of moving walkways). Note that Gates 1A-4A are in the older satellite terminal (used to be part of T2, now connected directly to T3), so there will be a further short walk to reach the main part of T3.

On the right hand side of the Arrival Concourse is a newly redeveloped "Visa On Arrival" area. The old kiosks are gone, and there is now a large area where visitors who qualify for visa-on-arrival can queue up and pay their visa fee (IDR or USD) and receive a receipt ready for presenting to Immigration.

At the end of the long Arrival Concourse walkway, turn right into the Immigration Hall. Straight ahead are the e-Gates which can be used by ASEAN passports and presumably by all visitors who have been granted an e-Visa. Visitors with APEC/ABTC cards will find two immigration counters on the right hand side of the Immigration Hall, closest to the e-Gates. And all other visitors will find several immigration counters adjacent to those. They are all very well signposted.

After clearing Immigration, turn left and head into the Baggage Hall, and collect any luggage. Exit the Baggage Hall on the right, into the Customs Hall, and have your QR code of your arrival declaration ready for the customs officials to scan. If you have goods to declare, there is a separate Red channel for that.

And then head straight on out of the Customs Hall into the Public Arrivals area.

There are a few options to get to the Sheraton Grand Jakarta Gandaria City. Most travellers will opt either for one of the many taxi services or use Grab.

If you use Grab, the app will tell you where the pickup area is. For T3, exit on the left hand side of the Arrivals Hall, and the outdoor concourse in front of you is for the premium transport options. Turn left as you exit the doors.

Grab Premium (which means a more comfortable ride) has a counter towards the left hand side of this premium transport area. The premium taxi services are also located here, as well as the Indonesian equivalent of Grab.

Regular taxis and regular Grab are on the next island beyond the Premium pickup area; crossing over at the crossing on the left beyond the Premium pickup area is recommended.

The journey by car to the Sheraton Grand Jakarta Gandaria City can take anything from 40 minutes (off-peak) to 2 hours (peak).

There is also a Sheraton at the airport - it is called Sheraton Jakarta Soekarno Hatta Airport. Be careful to select the correct hotel when booking transport.

Departure from CGK

As with arrival recommendations, the trip from the Sheraton Grand Jakarta Gandaria City will take anything from 40 minutes to over 2 hours, depending on time of day. All visitors are reminded to keep a close eye on traffic around Jakarta on their departure day to ensure they are not late for their flight, and plan accordingly. Wet weather is likely to increase the travel time to the airport. Check-in counters open 3 hours before the flight, and it is better to be early than miss a flight.

Checking in at CGK is a simple process and once completed, travellers enter the Departure Hall on the far (west) side of the terminal building. First there is security to pass through; there is a single queue to join, where officials will check passports and boarding passes. After passing through security there is the Emigration Hall. Visitors who used the e-Gates incoming need to use the e-Gates for departure. Everyone else has to use the appropriate counter; the departure formalities are straight forward. After clearing emigration, head down the escalators into the Departure Hall. There are waiting areas with seats, shops and restaurants, as well as the airport Plaza Premium Lounge.

Keep an eye on flight times and, as is always recommended at any airport, be at the gate at the time stated on the boarding pass, especially the low numbered gates (1-4) which are a 10+ minute walk from the main hall.