Indonesia Arrival Card QR Code: Save It the Right Way
What the Indonesia Arrival Card QR code contains, how to download and store it offline, where it gets scanned, and what to do if you lose it.
The Indonesia Arrival Card QR code is what you actually walk away with after submitting the declaration. Everything before it — the identity fields, the flight details, the customs answers — exists to produce that one image. It costs nothing, it is issued the moment your submission goes through, and its entire value depends on whether you can produce it at a counter with no signal and a nearly dead phone.
- What it is: a pointer to your submitted declaration, bound to the data you entered.
- Save it three ways: download the PDF, screenshot the code, print one page.
- Where it is scanned: airline check-in or boarding, then immigration and customs on arrival.
- One per traveler: including infants. There is no group or family code.
- Cost: the declaration and the QR code have no cost on the official portal.
What the QR code actually contains
A common assumption is that the QR code carries your passport details inside it, like a tiny encrypted file. It does not work that way in any useful sense. The code functions as a reference — a pointer that the scanning system resolves against the declaration stored on the immigration side.
That distinction matters more than it sounds. Because the code points to a record rather than carrying one, it is only as correct as the declaration behind it. A QR code that scans perfectly but resolves to a record with a misspelled surname is a problem no amount of image quality can fix.
It also means the code is bound to a specific arrival: the date, the flight, and the point of entry you declared. Change your travel and the code still scans, but it now describes a trip you are not taking. The wider system behind it is set out in our complete All Indonesia Arrival Card guide.
Quick summary: the code is a reference to your stored declaration, not a container of your data.
Download the PDF, do not rely on the email
The confirmation email is a convenience, not a document. Treat it as a backup for your backup.
At the moment your submission succeeds, the portal presents the result on screen with a download option. Take it. A file saved to your device is available at an airport gate at 5 a.m. with roaming disabled; a webmail inbox is not.
Email fails in ordinary, boring ways. It lands in spam. It bounces off a corporate filter. It arrives at an address you typed with a transposed character while tired. It sits behind a two-factor login you cannot complete because your home SIM is in a drawer.
Download the PDF to your phone's local storage — not a cloud folder that syncs on demand. Then open it once, offline, with airplane mode on. If it renders, you have a real copy. If it shows a loading spinner, you have a link pretending to be a file.
Quick summary: download the PDF at submission time and verify it opens offline.
Screenshot, print, and where to keep each copy
Three formats cover three different failures. Keep all three; the extra effort is a few minutes.
| Format | Protects against | Where to keep it |
|---|---|---|
| Downloaded PDF | No connectivity, email problems | Device storage, opened once offline to confirm |
| Screenshot in photo gallery | Slow file apps, fumbling under pressure | Favourites album, or lock screen on travel day |
| Printed page | Flat battery, cracked screen, lost phone | Passport wallet, with your boarding pass |
| Copy on a companion's phone | Your device failing entirely | Sent to a travel partner before departure |
The screenshot deserves a note. Scanners read contrast, so crop the image to the code plus a clear white margin around it — that quiet border is part of what makes a QR code readable. Do not crop tight to the black squares, and do not let a dark-mode viewer render the code inverted.
If you are still at the stage of filling in the declaration itself, our step-by-step guide to completing the arrival card covers each field before you reach this point.
Quick summary: PDF, screenshot, print, and one copy on someone else's phone.
Where and when the code is scanned
You will usually present it two or three times, in fairly predictable places.
At airline check-in or the boarding gate. Carriers increasingly check that passengers are documented for entry before they fly. This is often the first and most rushed request, so have the code ready before you join the queue rather than searching for it at the desk.
At immigration on arrival. The officer scans the code and the system pulls up your declaration alongside your passport. This is where any mismatch between the two becomes visible.
At customs, on the way out of the hall. The customs portion of the declaration — the block that replaced the old paper e-CD — is resolved from the same code. Our Indonesia customs declaration guide explains what that section covers.
Some travelers are asked once; others three times. Assume three and you will never be caught out.
Quick summary: expect scans at check-in, at immigration, and at customs.
If the email never arrives or you lose the code
First, rule out the ordinary explanations. Check the spam and promotions folders, search the inbox for the sender rather than the subject line, and confirm the address you actually typed into the form — not the one you meant to type.
If nothing surfaces, the practical route is to submit again. The declaration has no cost, takes a few minutes, and no account or waiting period stands between you and a fresh code. Travelers sometimes spend an hour hunting for a lost confirmation when re-submitting would have taken eight minutes.
Two conditions apply. You must still be inside the three-day window before arrival, which we cover in our guide on when to submit the arrival card. And your details must be entered exactly as before — same passport spelling, same flight — so check them against the document rather than from memory.
Arriving with nothing is not catastrophic, but it is slow. You will typically be directed to complete the declaration on the spot, in a queue, on your phone, after a long flight.
Quick summary: if the code is gone, re-submit rather than search; it has no cost and is fast.
The official declaration has no cost and you can complete it yourself on the government portal. If you would rather someone review your entries against your passport first, our optional assisted service checks the data and helps you store the QR code where you will actually find it. It is a paid convenience, never a requirement.
One code per traveler — no exceptions
There is no family submission and no group QR code. Every traveler with a passport gets their own declaration and their own code, including a newborn who has never occupied a seat of their own.
Parents are the group most often caught by this, usually at check-in with four passports and one QR code. The fix at that point is to complete the missing declarations standing at the desk, which is exactly the situation the pre-travel system was designed to avoid. Our guide to arrival cards for children and families sets out how to handle a family batch cleanly.
A useful habit for groups: name each saved file after the traveler — "QR-Marta.pdf", "QR-Leo.pdf" — rather than accepting four downloads called "document.pdf" that you must open one by one at the counter.
Quick summary: one declaration and one QR code per person, infants included.
Practical details people learn the hard way
Screen brightness. Automatic brightness and battery saver both dim the display, and a dimmed screen is a slow scan. Turn brightness to maximum before you present the code, and disable auto-rotate so the image does not swing sideways as you tilt the phone toward the reader.
Damaged screens. A crack running through the code area can defeat a scanner outright. If your screen is broken, the printed copy stops being optional.
Screen protectors and glare. A matte protector or a heavily reflective airport ceiling can wash out contrast. Angle the phone slightly rather than pressing it flat against the reader glass.
Battery. Land with charge to spare. A power bank in your carry-on is the cheapest insurance in this entire process.
Not a visa. A scannable code does not authorise entry. If your nationality needs a visa or e-VOA, that is a separate process — see arrival card versus visa. And if a typo has already crept into the declaration behind your code, our guide to common arrival card mistakes explains how to fix it.
Quick summary: brightness up, paper backup, charged battery — and remember the code is not a visa.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Indonesia Arrival Card QR code no-cost? Yes. The declaration and the QR code it produces have no cost on the official government portal, and no account is needed. Any fee you pay is for an optional assistance service, not for the code.
Do I need internet to show the QR code? No, provided you saved it offline beforehand as a downloaded PDF, a screenshot, or a printout. Do not plan on airport connectivity.
Can one QR code cover my whole family? No. Every traveler needs an individual declaration and an individual QR code, including infants travelling on a parent's lap.
What if the confirmation email never arrives? Check spam and promotions first, then verify the address you entered. If it still has not arrived, simply submit the declaration again — it has no cost and takes a few minutes.
Is a screenshot as valid as the PDF? Yes, as long as the code is fully visible, uncropped at the edges, and displayed at good brightness. Keep the PDF as well.
Does the QR code contain my passport data? It works as a reference to the declaration stored by immigration rather than as a container of your details. That is why the underlying data must be correct.
Where exactly will I be asked for it? Typically at airline check-in or boarding, at immigration on arrival, and again at customs. Assume all three.
My screen is cracked — will it still scan? Possibly not, if the damage crosses the code. Bring a printed copy; it costs nothing and removes the risk entirely.
Can I reuse the QR code on a later trip? No. Each code is tied to the arrival you declared. A new trip needs a new declaration inside the three days before that arrival.
Does having the QR code mean I can enter Indonesia? No. It proves you submitted the declaration. Permission to enter depends on your visa status and the decision of the immigration officer.
Last updated: 20 July 2026. This article is independent traveler information. The declaration and its QR code can be obtained at no cost at the official All Indonesia portal of the Directorate General of Immigration. Requirements can change; always confirm current rules before travel.