A liveaboard voyage from Bali can run from a few nights over the reefs to a multi-week expedition east — and the visa needs to cover every day aboard.
Guests joining a diving liveaboard or a phinisi expedition are, in immigration terms, visitors — so most travel on the Visa on Arrival or e-VOA, with a B211A visit visa where the itinerary is longer or a guest wishes to stay on afterwards. Crew are handled on the appropriate working route. Whichever applies, the entry status should sit comfortably within the vessel’s cruising permit and the planned return date, which is why longer expeditions reward a little forward planning.
Guests and crew, different routes
A guest aboard for the diving is a visitor and usually enters on a VOA or e-VOA; where the voyage or the wider trip runs beyond thirty days, a B211A gives more room. Crew, by contrast, are working and follow the appropriate crew route. We look at the manifest as a whole and place each person on the status that fits, rather than applying one rule to everyone aboard.
Aligned with the cruising permit
A liveaboard’s guests come and go against the backdrop of the vessel’s own permits and clearance. We make sure each visa sits within the cruising window and the intended disembarkation date, so nobody aboard finds their stay running out before the vessel returns to port.
Liveaboard documents
A short list per person aboard — we confirm exactly what is needed once we have the manifest and dates.
Foreign crew on a phinisi are covered in detail under Phinisi Crew Permit.
From First Message to Approval
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1
Send the manifest
Share passports, voyage dates and who is guest or crew. We assess each person aboard.
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2
We match the routes
A VOA, e-VOA or B211A per guest as the itinerary demands, and the correct route for crew.
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3
Filing & alignment
A licensed partner submits where required, with each visa aligned to the vessel’s cruising permit.
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4
Cleared to sail
Everyone aboard holds valid status for the voyage, and we stay reachable for extensions.