Airport Tax Guide

Airport Tax Guide:
A guide to Indonesia's infamous and confusing passenger service charge.


Indonesia is one of the few countries where airport fees are NOT included in the price of the ticket. Visitors to Indonesia often call it "departure tax", but that is not correct because domestic passengers also pay it. Its official name is PJP2U (Indonesian for passenger service charge), but its working title is airport tax.
How Much Is Airport Tax?

Airport tax is up to Rp40 000 ($4.50 €3,50 £3) per person for domestic flights, and up to Rp150 000 ($16 €13 £11) per person for international flights. As a general guide, smaller and more remote airports have cheaper airport tax.
Want to know how much airport tax you will pay?

View Indonesian Airport Tax in a larger map

Please click on the link below the Google Map to zoom in, then select your city from the menu on the left; they are listed in alphabetical order.
When/Where/How to Pay Airport Tax?

At most airports, passengers at a special booth after checking in, on the way to the departure gate (right). At a few airports - e.g. Surabaya - passengers can pay at the check-in desk.
Passengers then receive a sticker on their boarding pass as a receipt/proof of payment, which is scanned at the security checkpoint near the departure gate. Some airports try harder than others with the presentation of the airport tax sticker:

Airport Tax Across Indonesia
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Airport tax must be paid in Rupiah cash. It is recommended that visitors prepare the required amount of money in advance, and save it for later. If you are arriving in Indonesia and then transiting/connecting to a domestic flight, you will need to get some Rupiah from an ATM or moneychanger before checking in for the second flight.
What Happens If I'm Transiting?

Transiting passengers on domestic flights do not have to pay airport tax twice. If you are flying from e.g. Medan to Denpasar (Bali) via Jakarta using the one airline and the one ticket/booking code, you only pay airport tax in Medan. The exception is budget airlines (e.g. AirAsia) that do not allow passengers to transit and do not check bags through to their final destination. If you are flying e.g. AirAsia from Medan to Denpasar (Bali) via Bandung, you will pay airport tax twice.
Similarly, passengers taking a domestic flight then an international flight do pay airport tax twice; 1 x domestic airport tax, 1 x international airport tax. For example, if you are flying from Surabaya to Perth via Denpasar on Garuda Indonesia, you will pay domestic airport tax in Surabaya, then international airport tax in Denpasar (even though your bags are checked through to Perth).
Airport Tax To "Disappear"?

According to reports, the Indonesian airport operator is going to commence incorporating airport tax into the price of domestic flights. The schedule is:

• September 2012: Garuda Indonesia domestic flights from Jakarta
• End 2013: All domestic flights from Jakarta
• 2014: Domestic flights at other airports

It seems international airport tax will remain a cash payment.
Questions about airport tax or updates for a specific airport are welcome; please write it below in a comment.
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