My Dummy Ticket
Somebody in a travel group told you Indonesia checks for an onward ticket and now you're wondering if that's actually true. It is. More than a few travellers heading to Bali have found themselves in a long conversation at Ngurah Rai immigration because they didn't have a verified outward booking.
A dummy ticket, also called an onward ticket, is a real PNR booked for visa or border-check purposes without paying for the full flight. It's what satisfies Indonesia's proof-of-departure requirement at both the airline check-in counter and the immigration desk.
Here are the questions I get most often about using one for Indonesia.
What exactly does Indonesia require as proof of departure?
Indonesia's immigration rules require tourists arriving on a Visa on Arrival (VOA), a B211A Social/Tourism Visa, or under bilateral visa-free entry to carry a confirmed booking that shows departure from Indonesian territory before their permitted stay runs out.
"Confirmed booking" means an actual PNR on a real airline's reservation system, with a booking reference that an officer can check. The permitted stay is 30 days for the VOA (extendable once for 30 more days), 60 days for the B211A, or the period set by your bilateral visa-free treaty.
The rule is enforced at all Indonesian international airports. Ngurah Rai (DPS) in Denpasar handles the highest tourist volume and tends to be the most consistent. Soekarno-Hatta (CGK) in Jakarta, Lombok (LOP), and Surabaya (SUB) all apply the same requirement. Even if you fly into a smaller airport, the rule is in effect.
And yes, the VOA fee doesn't buy you a pass on this. Paying at the airport kiosk and being cleared through immigration are two separate things.
Does the airline check before I even get to Indonesia?
Yes, and this one surprises a lot of people. The carrier flying you into Indonesia is responsible for checking your entry documentation at the departure airport. If you don't have a valid onward booking, most airlines won't issue a boarding pass.
This is because Indonesia can fine carriers that arrive with inadmissible passengers. So the check-in agent at your home airport, wherever that is, may ask to see your outward booking before you even get to the gate.
Airlines that consistently enforce this for Indonesia routes include AirAsia (from Kuala Lumpur and Singapore), Jetstar (from Melbourne and Sydney), Singapore Airlines, Emirates, Lion Air, and Garuda Indonesia. LCCs tend to be the strictest because their exposure to fines is proportionally higher. For the full picture on what check-in agents actually do when they pull up your booking, the post on whether airlines verify your dummy ticket at check-in has the specifics.
Can I just show a screenshot or a booking from a comparison site?
No, and I'd genuinely recommend not trying. Officers at DPS have started cross-referencing booking references directly with airline systems. A screenshot from a comparison site, an unconfirmed price alert, or a document without a real PNR will fail that check in seconds.
A legitimate dummy ticket has a six-character alphanumeric booking reference (something like BNKTP7) issued by the airline's own reservation system. The officer or agent enters it and gets back a confirmed itinerary: carrier, route, passenger name, dates, status. That's what passes.
No genuine PNR means it's not an onward ticket, whatever the document looks like.
How do I know if my dummy ticket is still valid?
Every airline PNR has a ticketing time limit, the deadline by which full payment is due before the booking auto-cancels. On a budget carrier that limit can be as short as 12 hours. On a full-service carrier it might be three to five days. Once the deadline passes, the PNR moves from HK (holding confirmed) to XX (cancelled).
Check your booking reference on the carrier's "manage my booking" page a day or two before you fly. You're looking for HK status. TK means there's a pending time limit. XX means it's gone. I've had to do this check the night before departure more than once. Better a five-minute check at home than a problem at the desk.
If your PNR has expired, get a fresh one. Don't travel with a stale booking reference.
Do I need a new dummy ticket every time I do a visa run?
Yes. Each return entry into Indonesia counts as a new arrival and triggers the proof-of-departure requirement again. Your outbound flight leaving Indonesia doesn't need an onward ticket. Your return inbound does.
The standard Bali visa run goes to Singapore (Scoot or AirAsia, about 2.5 hours from DPS), then back. Some people go to Kuala Lumpur, Dili in Timor-Leste, or Darwin, Australia. On your return flight into DPS, you need a fresh outward PNR from Indonesia.
It takes a few minutes to sort. Build it into your routine before you board the return leg. For context on how digital nomads manage this cycle more broadly, the post on dummy ticket safety for Schengen visa applications explains the general safety and legality questions in a way that applies across border situations.
What's the difference between a dummy ticket and a real booking?
Both create the same document trail at the border: a confirmed PNR on a real carrier's system. The practical difference comes down to cost and flexibility.
| Dummy ticket | Real paid booking | |
|---|---|---|
| Issued by the airline's system | Yes | Yes |
| Verifiable at immigration | Yes | Yes |
| Full fare paid | No (cancelled before deadline) | Yes |
| Useful if exit date isn't fixed | Yes | No |
| Risk of getting charged if forgotten | Low if managed properly | Already paid |
If you know exactly when you're leaving and have booked your exit flight already, a real booking doubles as your onward ticket with no extra step. If you're a digital nomad or backpacker with flexible plans, a dummy ticket is the practical route: you get the verified PNR without committing to a specific flight.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need an onward ticket if I already have an approved Indonesian e-visa?
Yes. Having an approved B211A or similar e-visa doesn't remove the onward ticket requirement. The visa governs your right to enter; the onward booking is separate documentation that immigration checks on arrival.
Can the onward flight go to any destination?
Any international destination works. Singapore, Malaysia, Japan, Australia, wherever. What doesn't qualify is a domestic Indonesian flight: your outward booking must cross a border, not just move you to a different island.
How far in advance do I need to book?
At least 48 hours before your inbound flight. PNRs need time to propagate across all booking systems. A booking made a few hours before departure may not be visible to check-in agents yet.
Is using a dummy ticket legal?
A dummy ticket is a real booking on a real airline's system. Using it to satisfy a proof-of-departure requirement is legal and standard practice. What's not legal is presenting a forged or fabricated document. A proper dummy ticket through a legitimate provider isn't that.
Can I extend my stay and not bother with a fresh dummy ticket?
If you extend your B211A within Indonesia, you don't need a new onward ticket for the administrative process. But once that extension expires and you exit and re-enter, you need one again. Every new entry, every new requirement. Booking a fresh dummy ticket takes a few minutes and removes one more thing to worry about on visa run day.