In short. It depends on the visa; the requirements were checked on imigrasi.go.id on 29 September 2026. Visa on arrival (B1): a return ticket or a ticket to another country is required, listed with a passport valid for six months and a photo. Tourist C1 and multiple-entry D12: citizens with an ordinary national passport do not need a ticket; it is required only from stateless people and holders of documents that are not a passport of their country. For a visa on arrival, buy a real ticket with a date within 30 days: the visa can be extended if you wish.
Where the question comes from. Before a first trip to Bali almost everyone asks the same thing: whether to buy a ticket out if the departure date is not yet clear. The answer depends on the visa you enter on. We checked the requirements on the official site of Indonesian immigration, imigrasi.go.id, on 29 September 2026.
Visa on arrival (VOA, index B1). Here the ticket is mandatory. The list of documents on the visa page has three items: a passport valid for at least six months, a fresh colour photo not older than a year, and a return ticket or a ticket onward to another country. The exception is made only for aircraft and ship crews. The visa gives 30 days from the date of entry, can be extended once, and no more than 60 days in total. You may not work or sell goods or services on it.
Tourist visa C1. In the requirements for citizens with an ordinary national passport there is no return ticket. It is listed only for stateless people and for those travelling on a document that is not a passport of their country. But for C1 immigration asks for a bank statement for the last three months, and the length of stay is different: 60 days from entry and extensions up to 180 days in total. What amount in the account is needed for C1, D12 and KITAS and how to get a statement is covered in the BUZZ VISA guide to the bank statement.
Multiple-entry visa D12. The rule is the same as for C1: a return ticket is required only from stateless people and holders of documents that are not a national passport. Others do not need it on the list.
What may be useful in practice.
- If you fly on a visa on arrival, buy a ticket you will really use: back home or to a neighbouring country. You can choose a date with some margin within 30 days, and if you decide to stay, the visa can be extended.
- Keep the ticket on your phone and as a printout. You may be asked at passport control and at boarding at the departure airport.
- Check your passport's validity in advance: six months are counted at the moment of entry, and this item is the same for all three visas.
What this means for you. If you go for a month on a visa on arrival, buy a ticket out or to another country before you fly; this is an immigration requirement. If you plan to live longer or fly often, look at C1 or the D12 multiple-entry visa, where a return ticket is not needed for citizens with an ordinary passport. Requirements change, so before the trip open the page for your visa on imigrasi.go.id. How the border check itself works, who can use the autogate and what an officer may ask is in the BUZZ VISA review.