PNG visa application in Jayapura

Hi all,

First time post - thanks in advance for your help.

I am in Sulawesi, soon heading to Jayapura in Papua where I hope to cross the border to Vanimo in PNG. I don't have a PNG visa yet but have found a few older reports suggesting that the consulate in Jayapura processes visitor/tourist visas in about a week.

Has anyone had any recent experiences, please? If so, did they require evidence of an onward journey, either out of Vanimo or out of PNG entirely? My Indo visa expires in about 2 weeks so I'm hoping to be able to cross into PNG without overstaying here.

Cheers!

I've never been to Jayapura, but you do know you can extend your Indonesian visa if necessary, right?

Thanks for your help but yes, I do - I've already extended this time so I need to leave the country and was hoping I could do it into PNG rather than flying to KL or some where.

Any other advice would be much appreciated!

Great news, everyone - I applied for my PNG visitor visa yestersay in Jayapura and they did it the same day.

I went to the visa office at 10am and handed in my passport, a cover letter, the online form filled in by hand (black ink was fine), my ongoing flight confirmation, two signed passport photos and a passport photocopy. The letter said that I wanted to cross the border to Vanimo, where I was planning on going, that I had an ongoing flight booked and was traveling independently so didn't have a sponsor. They had me sign a form saying I don't have ebola and then told me to come back after 3pm.

Arrived around 3.45pm and signed one more form and they gave me my visa. It's a simple printed sticker with no photograph but it gives me 60 days for entry before October. I didn't pay any fees. All surprisingly easy.

I photographed some notices in the office - fees, requirements, opening hours - but not sure how to attach these...

You might have to pay a fee when you land in Vanimo. I did the same crossing years ago - 1994 - but had picked up a PNG visa before I left home; don't think that can be done anymore, though. Anyway, I had to pay 10 kina in Vanimo before I could fly on to PM. I'm sure the fee is much more now, if there is one. Also, it had to paid in kina, no other currency was acceptable. At that time anyway. I'm sure others on this board will have more up-to-date information.

Just out of curiosity, where is your ongoing flight to?

Not sure about the border fee but I will be travelling onwards from Vanimo overland. In any case I will find out in a few days' time!

My ongoing flight is from Port Moresby to Brisbane. It cost something like US$80, I think.

Hi mjamilly,
I'm very happy to see that was easy for you to get a Visa in Jayapura, because after some email to the same Consulate in order to get Visa I had not reply.
Before reading your post I was in doubt if it was better to do it in Jakarta or in Jayapura!
I'm going to plan to go to wewak for a tour on the Sepik, so have you any advice or notice for the travel from Vanimo by land?
Thank you!

Hi ofrank,
I never had any reply to emails either but they do answer the phone. Vanimo to Wewak is a bit of an adventure but the easiest route is by banana boat to Aitape (about halfway) and then PMV to Wewak. The whole thing will take about a day, perhaps two - depending on the conditions during the boat trip. You can find the banana boats in Vanimo by the surfing lodge. I also saw a few PMVs following the logging road all the way from Vanimo to Wewak for about the same price as the boat (around 150-200K, I think) but this road is meant to be quite bad. Once you are in Wewak, there is a cheap hostel up on the hill on the road towards Maprik. You can take the PMV (#9, I think) from there or from the big petrol station to get to Pagwi on the river.
Good luck!

Thank you mjamilly for your help: your information are very usefulI read that before PNG you visited Sulawesi.
I have about two months so I'm thinking to go there too. So i would like to do your tour from PNG to Sulawesi. Can you tell me some particular place there?

A few people have asked so I made a blog post explaining the process: http://www.travel.jamilly.com/2016/05/03/cross-border-indonesia-papua-new-guinea/

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