Travelling to Bali could soon be a breeze, thanks to Garuda Indonesia, which has begun offering visa onboard processing facilities on all direct flights from Sydney to Jakarta.

Pending the success of the Sydney service, Garuda Indonesia plans to roll-out the service on all future flights departing Australia, potentially saving more than an hour on arrival at Denpasar airport in Bali.

The onboard processing means passengers can fast-track through immigration and avoid visa purchasing and currency exchange on arrival in Jakarta.

Passengers pay for the visa when checking into flights at Sydney airport then have their visa processed by immigration officials onboard the aircraft in a world-first for flights out of Australia.

“We are thrilled at the opportunity to offer our customers such a convenient and exclusive service,” said Garuda Indonesia General Manager – Australia and South-West Pacific, Bagus Siregar.

“Combined with Garuda’s new service concept, ‘The Garuda Indonesia Experience’, passengers travelling with Garuda can relax in the knowledge that they will have faster entry in the incredible Indonesian archipelago,” he said.