Indonesia’s E33G Visa vs Spain and Portugal: Which 2026 Digital Nomad Visa Actually Costs Less to Qualify For?
A Wise transfer confirmation, a signed remote job contract, and three months of bank statements showing at least $2,000 sitting untouched — that’s the paperwork stack Indonesian immigration wants before it hands over an E33G KITAS. The visa launched in April 2024 as Indonesia’s first permit written specifically for remote workers, and by 2026 it’s become the default answer whenever someone asks how to legally work from Bali for more than 60 days.
The catch shows up fast once you start comparing numbers. Indonesia’s E33G sets its income floor at $60,000 a year. Spain’s digital nomad visa sits near $37,000. Portugal’s D8 lands around $48,000. If you were hoping Bali would be the accessible option after getting priced out of Europe, the math runs the other way.
What’s Covered Here
- What Does the E33G Actually Require?
- How Does It Compare to Spain and Portugal?
- Why Does the Income Bar Lock Out So Many Applicants?
- What Are Your Options If You Don’t Qualify?
- How Do You Actually Apply?
- The Fine Print People Skip
- FAQ
What Does the E33G Actually Require?
The E33G is a one-year, multiple-entry KITAS (limited stay permit) for people who work remotely for an employer or clients based outside Indonesia. As of September 2026, the core requirements are:
- Proof of at least $60,000 in annual income from a foreign employer or foreign clients
- Bank statements from the last three months showing an average balance of at least $2,000
- An employment contract or freelance agreement showing at least $5,000/month in earnings
- International health insurance (domestic Indonesian policies and basic travel insurance don’t count)
- A passport with 12-18 months of remaining validity
- No Indonesian sponsor required, and you can bring immediate family on the same application
Reading through the fee schedule on Indonesia’s official immigration guidance, the total cost lands around IDR 13,000,000 — split between an IDR 7,000,000 PNBP (state revenue) fee and roughly IDR 6,000,000 in processing/service charges when you go through a registered agent. That’s close to $800 at current exchange rates.
One detail trips people up more than the fee: once your KITAS is approved, you have a 90-day window to actually enter Indonesia. Miss it, and the visa simply expires — no refund, no extension, start over.
How Does It Compare to Spain and Portugal?
Indonesia’s E33G sets a higher 2026 income bar than either Spain’s or Portugal’s digital nomad visa, which breaks the assumption that Bali is the budget-friendly fallback. According to Jobbatical’s 2026 Spain visa breakdown, Spain requires about €2,849/month, and per Imin Portugal’s 2026 D8 guide, Portugal requires about €3,680/month — both well under Indonesia’s $60,000/year (about $5,000/month) floor. I lined up the three most-searched digital nomad visas side by side using each country’s official 2026 income floor.
| Visa | Annual income required (2026) | Permit length | Renewable? | Government + service fees |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indonesia E33G | ~$60,000 | 1 year | No — must reapply from scratch | ~$800 |
| Spain Digital Nomad Visa | ~$37,000 (€2,849/month) | 1 year, renewable | Yes, up to 5 years | ~$80-260 depending on consulate |
| Portugal D8 | ~$48,000 (€3,680/month) | 2 years, renewable | Yes, up to 5 years | ~$100-180 |
As of September 2026, Indonesia’s income floor is roughly 62% higher than Spain’s and about 25% higher than Portugal’s. Spain also lets up to 20% of income come from Spanish sources, and Portugal’s D8 grants a renewable, multi-year path toward residency — something the E33G doesn’t offer at all since it resets every 12 months.
When I checked the fee structures again against Portugal’s savings requirement — 12 times the minimum wage, or about €11,040 sitting in the bank — the E33G’s $2,000 balance requirement actually looks like the easy part. It’s the income line, not the savings line, where Indonesia gets strict.
Why Does the Income Bar Lock Out So Many Applicants?
Indonesia’s $60,000 E33G income requirement filters out most junior freelancers, early-stage consultants, and anyone paid in a weaker currency relative to the dollar. That’s most of the audience that made Bali famous as a budget nomad hub in the first place — the co-working-cafe crowd running a $2,000-a-month Shopify store or doing freelance design work for $30-50/hour.
This isn’t an accident. Indonesian immigration has said publicly that the E33G targets higher earners specifically to avoid competing with local labor and to keep the program from becoming a backdoor for undocumented low-wage work. The visa was never built to be Bali’s answer to “priced out of Lisbon.” It was built to formalize a much smaller, already-affluent slice of the remote workforce that used to live in Bali on tourist visas anyway.
This part trips a lot of people up. They see “digital nomad visa” in the name and assume it’s comparable to Spain’s or Portugal’s entry-level programs. It isn’t — it’s closer to a premium-tier residency product.
What Are Your Options If You Don’t Qualify?
If your income sits under $60,000, you’re not locked out of Bali entirely — you’re locked out of the E33G specifically. A few real paths exist:
- B211A visit visa: A 60-day social/business visa, extendable twice for a total of 180 days. It doesn’t legally authorize remote work, but it’s the visa most long-stay visitors actually hold. Overstaying or working openly on it risks fines and deportation.
- Second Home Visa: Requires roughly $130,000 in a state-owned Indonesian bank account or property — a much higher capital bar, but no income threshold, and it grants 5-10 years of stay.
- Spain or Portugal instead: If your income is between $30,000-$47,000, you may clear Spain’s bar but not Portugal’s or Indonesia’s — worth re-checking your exact income against each country’s live 2026 threshold before picking a country.
- Wait and requalify: Since the E33G doesn’t renew, some nomads treat the first year as a target to grow income toward, then apply once they clear $60,000.
How Do You Actually Apply?
- Confirm eligibility first. Gather three months of bank statements and your contract before paying anyone — a rejected application doesn’t get a refund on the PNBP fee.
- Choose a registered agent or immigration lawyer. The E33G application isn’t typically self-filed; most applicants go through a licensed Indonesian visa agent.
- Submit documents for the e-visa approval (VITAS). This is the online pre-approval stage, usually processed while you’re still outside Indonesia.
- Enter Indonesia within 90 days of VITAS approval. This is the hard deadline that trips people up most.
- Convert to KITAS at immigration. Includes biometrics and a physical permit card, completed after arrival.
The Fine Print People Skip
Two of the four sources I checked buried the same warning: the E33G explicitly bars you from taking any paid work with an Indonesian company or receiving payment from an Indonesian client, even freelance side gigs. Get caught, and it’s treated as a visa violation, not a minor infraction.
Family members added to your application don’t get independent work rights either — a spouse on a dependent E33G still can’t legally take local paid work in Indonesia.
Honestly, the biggest trap is timing. Because the permit doesn’t renew, some nomads apply too early relative to a big move — burning three or four months of the one-year clock on visa processing and travel logistics before they’ve even settled in.
FAQ
Can I apply for Indonesia’s E33G visa if my income is close to $60,000 but not quite there?
No — the $60,000 annual figure is a hard minimum, not a guideline. Immigration reviewers check bank statements and contracts against this exact threshold, and falling short (even by a small margin) results in rejection without a fee refund.
Does the E33G visa lead to permanent residency in Indonesia?
No. Unlike Portugal’s D8 or Spain’s digital nomad visa, the E33G is a single one-year permit with no renewal path — it does not accumulate toward permanent residency or citizenship. You’d need to reapply from zero for a second term.
Is the B211A visa a legal substitute for the E33G if I don’t qualify?
Not for remote work specifically. The B211A is a visit visa meant for tourism, social visits, or business meetings — it doesn’t authorize ongoing remote employment, even though many nomads have used it that way informally. Indonesian immigration has increased enforcement against this workaround since the 2026 Bali visa crackdowns.
Sources
- Emerhub — E33G Remote Worker Visa Indonesia 2026
- MyNomadSpace — Indonesia Digital Nomad Visa (E33G) Guide
- Jobbatical — Spain Digital Nomad Visa 2026 Income Guide
- Imin Portugal — Portugal D8 Digital Nomad Visa Guide 2026
Fact-checked based on public sources as of September 2, 2026. Visa fees and income thresholds change; always confirm current figures with an immigration professional or the relevant consulate before applying.
