The C2 business visa: up to 180 days of business

What the C2 gives you

The C2 is a single-entry visit visa for business purposes. Mechanically it works like the C1 tourist visa but is applied for under a different declared purpose.

• ✓60 days from the date of entry
• ✓Two 60-day extensions — up to 180 days in total
• ✓Single entry: leaving the country cancels it
• ✓Convertible into a KITAS without flying out

Arranged entirely online, before departure, from anywhere. A sponsor is required — for our clients we act as the sponsor.

What it covers

• ✓Negotiations and meetings with partners, investors and suppliers
• ✓Conferences, exhibitions and business events
• ✓Site visits, market research, preparing contracts
• ✓Sourcing goods for your business outside Indonesia

The line: business purpose is not work

The most important section. The C2 legitimises business activity but not employment and not income inside the country.

• !Holding a position in an Indonesian company is not allowed — that is a work KITAS
• !Providing services and being paid for them in Indonesia is not allowed
• !Running operations for a local company or signing on its behalf is not allowed

Starting a job on an offer is covered by the C18 visa, and running your own company by the investor KITAS. The difference between 'came to negotiate' and 'started working' matters to immigration.

Timing and cost

• ✓Minimal — IDR 4,200,000, processed in 10 working days
• ✓Regular — IDR 5,700,000, processed in 5–6 working days
• ✓Both include all taxes and fees, the e-visa, and document preparation and filing

Extensions are paid separately: the official fee for a 60-day stay permit is IDR 2,000,000 each. File no earlier than 14 days before your current period ends and no later than the day it does.

Documents

• ✓A photo of the full passport spread — valid at least 6 months from the date of entry
• ✓A personal photo
• ✓Details of your trip's purpose, as requested by the sponsor

Passport requirements are covered separately: more applications fail on those than on anything else.

When the C2 is not the best fit

• ✓Regular business trips — a D2 multiple-entry visa for one or two years with unlimited entries works out better
• ✓Scouting an investment — the D12 visa gives up to 180 days per visit
• ✓A short trip with no business element — an e-VOA is enough

C2 or C1: the practical difference

On timing and mechanics they are identical: 60 days and two 60-day extensions. What differs is the declared purpose and what you can do without putting your status at risk.

• ✓C1 — holidays, tourism, visiting family. Cheaper: from IDR 2,500,000
• ✓C2 — business meetings, conferences, negotiations, sourcing. From IDR 4,200,000

For a mixed trip — a holiday plus a couple of meetings — the purpose is judged by what the trip is mainly about. Where the meetings are the point of the trip, the C2 is the correct visa: a mismatch between the declared purpose and actual activity is not read in the traveller's favour.

Frequently asked questions