Study abroad in Indonesia: The European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) does not apply there, so you need your own travel health insurance with repatriation cover. For short stays, a visa on arrival is available for up to 30 days. For longer stays, the visa must be applied for before entry at an Indonesian diplomatic mission. Universitas Indonesia estimates monthly costs at 9,200,000 rupiah.
Study abroad in Indonesia at a glance
| Item | Information (as of October 2026) | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Health insurance | The European Health Insurance Card does not apply. The Federal Foreign Office advises travel medical insurance with evacuation cover | European Commission, Federal Foreign Office |
| Visa | Visa on arrival for 30 days, extendable once by 30 days, fee 500,000 IDR. Longer stays need a visa applied for before entry | Federal Foreign Office |
| Travel document | Passport valid for at least six months on entry and exit. Identity card is not accepted | Federal Foreign Office |
| Living costs on site | Estimated 9,200,000 IDR a month (exchange rate of the page June 2025) | Universitas Indonesia |
| Study abroad grant (Auslands-BAföG) | Possible, responsible office according to the DSW allocation: Studierendenwerk Tübingen-Hohenheim | German Student Services, leaflet January 2026 (in German) |
All information is general guidance and not individual advice. The linked official pages are authoritative in each case.
How are you health insured in Indonesia?
Whether your statutory or private insurance continues to work abroad depends on your contract. Indonesia is not part of the EU area covered by the health card. You therefore have to arrange cover for the stay yourself, before you leave.
European Health Insurance Card and statutory health insurance
The European Commission’s FAQ on the European Health Insurance Card names the EU member states, the United Kingdom, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. Indonesia is not on this list. The page carries no date. Your health insurance card therefore does not help you in Indonesia.
Before you leave, ask your health insurer to confirm in writing what cover it provides during the stay. The card does not promise any benefits in Indonesia.
Social security agreement
We have not found a verified social security agreement with Indonesia that covers health insurance, so we do not name one. The German Liaison Agency for Health Insurance Abroad (DVKA) publishes information on the agreements.
Private travel health insurance and repatriation
The Federal Foreign Office advises travel health insurance with evacuation cover and recommends checking whether an air ambulance flight to Germany is included. The page also notes that in Indonesia treatment costs often have to be paid or advanced before discharge. If bills remain open, leaving the country can be refused. Plan money for advance payments.
Background is in the guide Auslandskrankenversicherung für Erasmus, USA und Work and Travel (in German). If you are privately insured, the guide PKV für Studierende im Nicht-EU-Ausland (in German) helps.
Health care and vaccinations
For direct entry from Germany, the Federal Foreign Office names no compulsory vaccinations. For entry from a yellow fever area, proof is required from nine months of age. The page advises hepatitis A and polio, and depending on your situation also hepatitis B, typhoid, rabies and Japanese encephalitis. Standard vaccinations under the STIKO schedule should be up to date, especially measles. Malaria risk exists all year round, and Jakarta and other large cities are malaria-free.
Do you need a visa for Indonesia?
For short stays, a visa on arrival is available. It is valid for up to 30 days and can be extended once by a further 30 days. According to the Federal Foreign Office, the fee is 500,000 IDR. Requirements are a passport valid for at least six months and a return or onward ticket. To extend, you must appear in person at the local immigration office. You can apply for an electronic visa online before entry.
For longer stays, the Federal Foreign Office says the visa must be applied for before entry at an Indonesian diplomatic mission. Processing can take several weeks. Whether and which visa applies to a course of study is decided binding by the mission. We do not state a general rule for studying, because we have not found an official statement on it that we could verify.
For entry, keep these documents ready:
- Passport valid for at least six months on entry and exit. A provisional passport is accepted only with six months’ validity on entry, an identity card is not accepted
- The digital arrival card, which has been mandatory since October 2025
- A return or onward ticket for entry with a visa on arrival
The Federal Foreign Office (page status 25 October 2026) issues a partial travel warning for Indonesia. It advises against non-essential travel to five of the six provinces of the Indonesian part of New Guinea: Papua, Papua Barat, Papua Pegunungan, Papua Tengah and Papua Selatan. The province of Papua Barat Daya is not named. According to the page, there is a heightened terrorism risk, especially at hotels, shopping centres, churches and airports, mainly in large cities and on Bali.
What does a semester abroad in Indonesia cost?
Tuition fees
Which fees the host university charges depends on your home university’s exchange agreement. We do not name a general amount, because we have not found an official figure we could verify. Ask your home university and the host university before you accept an offer. Fees of a single Indonesian university apply only to that university.
Living costs
We have not found an official figure for living costs in Indonesia. Universitas Indonesia lists on its page “Living in Indonesia” an estimated monthly budget in rupiah: off-campus accommodation 3,000,000 IDR, meals 3,000,000 IDR, books and supplies 800,000 IDR, transport 600,000 IDR, communication and internet 300,000 IDR, personal needs 1,000,000 IDR and incidentals 500,000 IDR. The total is 9,200,000 IDR. The page gives only an exchange rate from June 2025 as a reference point. Travel costs and one-off purchases are not included.
The Institut Teknologi Bandung states on its Bandung page, without a date, that a typical Indonesian student needs 3,000,000 to 6,000,000 IDR a month for meals, accommodation, transport and some entertainment. Rooms in homestays cost 1,000,000 to 3,000,000 IDR a month according to the page, without meals. These figures are not meant for your host university. They only show the order of magnitude.
As a worked example, the Universitas Indonesia estimate for five months comes to 46,000,000 IDR, excluding tuition fees, visa, travel and insurance. The total is a guide, not a promise.
Funding: Erasmus+ and Auslands-BAföG
The EU’s Erasmus+ programme guide lists Indonesia in the Asia region among the third countries not associated with the programme. Participation is possible only for certain actions and subject to conditions. Before you plan, ask the International Office of your university whether Erasmus+ funding is an option for your stay. The guide Erasmus und Auslandssemester planen (in German) describes how an Erasmus stay works.
For Auslands-BAföG, the leaflet of the German Student Services (as of January 2026) places Indonesia in the allocation “Asien (ohne Armenien, Aserbaidschan, Kasachstan, Kirgisistan, Tadschikistan, Turkmenistan und Usbekistan)”. The responsible office is the Studierendenwerk Tübingen-Hohenheim, Amt für Ausbildungsförderung im Ausland. For a partial period of study outside the EU and Switzerland, funding covers at most two semesters. A prior year of study in Germany is required, and the study abroad must last at least six months. We have not found a verified supplement for living abroad for Indonesia, so we name no amount. All details are in the guide Auslands-BAföG: Voraussetzungen, Höhe und Zuschläge (in German).
How to prepare before you leave
- Check that your passport is valid for at least six months on entry and exit, and apply for a new one if needed.
- Ask the Indonesian diplomatic mission whether you need a visa before entry for your stay, and plan for processing times of several weeks.
- Ask your health insurer to confirm in writing what cover it provides during the stay.
- Take out travel health insurance with evacuation cover and check whether an air ambulance flight to Germany is included.
- Have your vaccination status checked, especially hepatitis A, polio and the standard vaccinations.
- Prepare for the digital arrival card, and register a mobile phone with a SIM card with the Indonesian customs authority within 90 days of arrival.
- Submit your Auslands-BAföG application about six months before the start, to the responsible office, and clarify the details with the International Office.
Frequently asked questions
Does my European Health Insurance Card work in Indonesia?
No. The European Commission does not list Indonesia among the countries where the card applies. You need your own travel health insurance.
Do I need a visa for Indonesia?
For up to 30 days a visa on arrival is available. For longer stays, the visa must be applied for before entry, and the diplomatic mission decides the binding answer.
Which passport is accepted for entry?
The Federal Foreign Office names passports and, with conditions, provisional passports. The passport must be valid for six months on entry and exit. The identity card is not accepted.
How high are living costs in Indonesia?
We have not found an official figure. Universitas Indonesia estimates 9,200,000 IDR a month, with a reference exchange rate from June 2025. Ask your host university for its budget for exchange students.
Is there a travel warning for Indonesia?
According to the Federal Foreign Office, there is no travel warning for the whole country. A partial travel warning applies to five provinces of the Indonesian part of New Guinea. The page also reports a heightened terrorism risk.
Which office is responsible for Auslands-BAföG for Indonesia?
According to the allocation of the German Student Services (leaflet January 2026), the Studierendenwerk Tübingen-Hohenheim, Amt für Ausbildungsförderung im Ausland, is responsible.
Sources
- Federal Foreign Office, Indonesia: Travel and safety information (page status 25 October 2026, in German)
- European Commission, FAQ on the European Health Insurance Card (no date)
- European Commission, Erasmus+ Programme Guide Part A: eligible countries (no date)
- German Student Services, Auslands-BAföG leaflet (as of January 2026, in German)
- Universitas Indonesia, Living in Indonesia (budget estimate, exchange rate June 2025)
- Institut Teknologi Bandung, Living in Bandung (no date)
Sources accessed on 25 October 2026, unless stated otherwise.
Related guides
- Health insurance during a semester abroad: What applies? (in German)
- Auslands-BAföG: requirements, amount and supplements (in German)
- Semester abroad in Malaysia (in German)
- Semester abroad in Japan (in German)
- All countries for your semester abroad (in German)
You can find the online check at check.academycon.de.
Last updated: October 2026. This guide is general information, not individual advice. The German version is authoritative.
