A useful option with a few important conditions
Travel information checked on 22 October 2026. Bali’s immigration autogates at Ngurah Rai International Airport can make arrival more convenient for eligible travellers. They are not limited to ASEAN citizens, and using one is not a guarantee of a short queue or permission to enter Indonesia.
The important part happens before the flight: check your passport, your visa or visa-exemption status, and the separate All Indonesia arrival declaration. They do different jobs. Completing one does not automatically complete the others.
What the Bali auto gate does
An autogate checks your passport and uses facial recognition as part of immigration clearance. If the system accepts your documents and completes its checks, the gate opens. You then continue through the remaining arrival procedures.
It does not replace the need for the correct immigration permission, and it does not remove baggage collection, customs or other required checks. Keep enough time in your plans for the whole airport arrival, not just the passport scan.
Who can use the autogates
For foreign travellers, use this checklist rather than assuming that nationality alone is enough:
- Electronic passport: Immigration’s Bali announcement specifies an e-passport for foreign users. A machine-readable passport is not automatically an electronic passport; check for the electronic-passport chip symbol and confirm with the issuing authority if unsure.
- Eligible immigration permission: Official announcements cover e-VOA and e-Visa holders, eligible visa-exempt travellers using BVK, and ITAS or ITAP residence-permit holders. The old advice that visa-on-arrival and other visa categories are excluded is too broad.
- Required registration: If you qualify for visa exemption and want to use the autogate, follow the official BVK registration instructions. Simply holding a visa-exempt nationality is not the same as completing the electronic registration.
- Age and assistance needs: Immigration has announced access for eligible children from age six. Families should confirm the appropriate lane with airport immigration staff, particularly for a six-year-old or an unaccompanied child. Keep the staffed-counter option in your plans.
These conditions do not mean every combination of passport and immigration status will work at every gate. Immigration staff can direct you to a counter for checks or assistance.
Official references: Bali autogate launch and e-passport requirement, ITAS and ITAP eligibility, Immigration’s age announcement.
First check your visa or visa exemption
Malaysian and other ASEAN travellers should check the current conditions for their nationality and purpose of travel rather than relying on a general “ASEAN means visa-free” shortcut. If you qualify for BVK, Indonesia’s visa-exemption route, follow the registration process through the official Indonesian eVisa portal. Immigration has specifically directed eligible visa-exempt ASEAN travellers to register there for autogate access. Read the Immigration instructions.
If you need an e-VOA or another visa, use the route that matches your nationality and trip. Do not select a visa-exemption option just to reach the autogate. Likewise, do not assume that buying a visa on arrival at the airport automatically completes every electronic requirement for gate use.
For the ordinary tourist BVK and VOA or e-VOA routes, Immigration’s FAQ lists a passport with at least six months’ validity and a return or onward ticket among the requirements. Check the exact conditions for your own category, particularly if you hold a residence permit or a non-standard travel document. See the Immigration FAQ.
Use the official portal and retain your approved visa or registration details. An application still being processed should not be treated as an approval.
Then complete the All Indonesia arrival declaration
All Indonesia is the arrival declaration, not your visa. It combines immigration, customs, health and quarantine information for international arrivals.
The official window opens three days before arrival in Indonesia. Work from your Indonesian arrival date, not your flight’s departure date. Complete the declaration before arrival and save the resulting QR code so that you can show it when required.
Use allindonesia.imigrasi.go.id and follow its current instructions. Check your passport details, arrival date, transport and accommodation information carefully before submitting. Read the ministry’s official timing announcement.
The declaration applies to international arrivals whether you use an autogate or a staffed immigration counter. Saving its QR code does not, by itself, prove that your visa or BVK registration has been completed.
Using the gate at Ngurah Rai
Once you reach immigration, follow the signs and the officers’ instructions. Have the same passport you used for your visa or registration ready.
- Check the lane. Ask a member of staff if you are unsure about your documents, a child’s eligibility or travelling together as a family.
- Scan your passport. Place it on the reader as shown on the screen. Follow any prompts rather than repeatedly moving it around.
- Complete the face check. Face the screen and follow the gate’s positioning instructions, including any prompts about items obscuring your face.
- Wait for the result. Continue only when directed. If the gate cannot complete the check, ask for assistance and use the staffed counter as instructed.
After immigration, continue to baggage collection and the remaining arrival checks. Keep your passport, visa details and declaration QR code accessible until the airport formalities are finished.
If the gate does not work
A rejected scan is a reason to ask for help. Passport-reading problems, mismatched details or additional verification can mean a staffed counter is needed.
If a document or approval email is missing, check the official portal and your email folders before departure. If you are already at the airport, speak with immigration staff. Do not treat going to a manual counter as a substitute for a visa you are required to obtain.
Families should stay in contact with staff rather than sending a child through a different route simply because the adult’s passport works at the gate. The appropriate arrangement may depend on the child’s age, documents and assistance needs.
A short checklist before you fly
- Check the current entry rules for your nationality, passport and reason for travelling.
- Confirm whether your passport is electronic and meets the validity requirement for your immigration category.
- Confirm your valid visa, required BVK registration or applicable residence-permit documentation for autogate use.
- Submit All Indonesia within its arrival-based window and save the QR code.
- Keep your return or onward travel details and accommodation information accessible.
- Allow for staffed immigration clearance and follow airport officers’ directions.
Autogates can be convenient, but the sensible plan is to arrive prepared and leave room for the normal checks. No form, visa or successful registration guarantees admission; that remains subject to Indonesian immigration clearance.
Heading on to Club Med Bali
If Club Med Bali is part of your trip, the current change is focused on The Agung main restaurant, which is closed while it is rebuilt after a fire. All children’s clubs, including Teens Club, are unavailable, and the resort is not accepting children under 12 until 28 May 2027. Other parts of the resort are not being renovated. For the latest dining and family arrangements, see our Club Med Bali review and Club Med Bali resort guide.
For help coordinating your resort stay and transfer, contact Travelution Holidays. Build the transfer around realistic arrival time rather than assuming that the autogate will get everyone through immediately.
