🛫 T3 — International Flagship

Airlines: Garuda Indonesia (international + select domestic), AirAsia, Singapore, Cathay, Emirates, Qatar, Etihad, Turkish, ANA, JAL, Korean, Lufthansa, KLM, BA, Saudia, China Airlines, EVA, Lion Air long-haul.

Vibe: Modern (opened 2016, expanded 2018). Garuda Indonesia’s home — multiple Garuda lounges. Premium food court, larger duty-free, Skytrain station inside.

🛬 T1 + T2 — Domestic + LCC

T1: Lion Air, Citilink, Wings Air, plus other domestic LCCs. T2: Garuda Indonesia domestic, Batik Air domestic, Sriwijaya Air. Both older, recently refurbished.

Vibe: Functional Indonesian-style architecture (1985 design with refurbs). Tighter, more crowded, but local airlines have their own lounges.

Visa-on-Arrival ($35 USD)

Most foreign passport holders (US, UK, all EU, Australia, NZ, Japan, Korea, Brazil, Mexico, +90 nationalities) can pay IDR 500,000 (~$35 USD) at CGK immigration for a 30-day VOA stamp. Cash or card. Extendable once for another 30 days at any Indonesian Immigration Office for IDR 500,000.

e-VOA — Apply Online to Skip the Queue

Apply for e-VOA at molina.imigrasi.go.id 1–14 days before flying. Same $35 USD fee, same 30-day stay, same extension rules — but you skip the on-arrival immigration queue (which can run 45–90 minutes during the morning Asia-inbound wave). Recommended for 2026 visitors.

Customs & Security

Standard X-ray security at all three terminals — liquids ≤100 ml in clear bag, laptops out. CT scanners not yet deployed. Indonesia’s customs are strict on certain items: pornographic material, large quantities of alcohol over duty-free allowance (1 L), pork products into Muslim-majority regions, durian fruit on flights (banned for smell reasons). Allow 30–45 min for arrivals immigration during peak.

⭐ Railink — Beats Jakarta Traffic

Direct airport train to Manggarai station in central-east Jakarta in ~50 minutes. From Manggarai, transfer to KRL Commuter Line for Jakarta Kota, Sudirman, Kebayoran (Senayan). Trains every ~20–30 minutes from 04:00 to 23:30. The integrated airport railway station is between T1 and T2; use the Skytrain to reach it.

🚌 DAMRI Express Bus — Cheap but Slow

Government-owned DAMRI coaches connect CGK to multiple Jakarta hotspots: Gambir (central), Blok M (south), Kemayoran, Bekasi. IDR 40,000–80,000 single, 1.5–2.5 hours depending on traffic. Departures every 30 min. Air-conditioned, comfortable, but vulnerable to traffic.

📱 Grab, Bolt, Gojek & Blue Bird Taxi

Grab is the dominant rideshare app in Indonesia (Singapore-based, owns the regional market). Gojek and Bolt also operate. Blue Bird Taxi is the legitimate metered taxi (avoid other “taxi” touts). Grab to central Jakarta: IDR 200,000–400,000 off-peak, IDR 400,000–700,000 in heavy traffic / surge.

✨ Plaza Premium Lounge T3 (international airside)

If you eat one Indonesian thing at CGK, eat nasi goreng (fried rice with shrimp, fried egg on top, krupuk crackers) or sate ayam (chicken skewers with peanut sauce). Sederhana, Solaria, Dapur Solo chain outlets at T3 serve credible airport versions. Skip the McDonald’s; you’re in Indonesia for a few hours.

Indonesian airport souvenirs lean into sambal pastes (chili sauce — sambal oelek, sambal terasi, sambal matah) and spice mixes (rendang, soto, gado-gado paste). Vacuum-sealed packets travel fine. Bumbu instant mixes from Indofood or Ayam Brand are the supermarket-equivalent home gifts.

For souvenirs: batik fabric or shirts (Yogyakarta and Solo are the traditional centres — UNESCO heritage), silver Balinese jewellery, tenun ikat textiles. The Indomaret mini-markets at the airport sell snack packs at city-comparable prices — Tango wafer, Beng Beng chocolate bars, Indomie noodles. Coffee from Sumatra (Mandheling, Gayo) is the connoisseur take-home pick.

Lebaran (the end of Ramadan) is Indonesia’s biggest annual travel event — ~30 million Indonesians travel home (mudik) in the week around Idul Fitri. CGK doubles its passenger count; flights and trains book out weeks in advance. For flights between 7 days before and 7 days after Idul Fitri, build a 2-hour buffer on top of the standard 3-hour international rule. Domestic flight prices triple during this window.

Jakarta’s AQI regularly exceeds 150–200 (unhealthy) during the dry season (April–October), driven by traffic, industry, and burning in surrounding regions. The airport’s air-conditioned and filtered; outside operations sometimes face haze-related delays. Travellers with respiratory conditions should pack N95 masks for the city visit.

CGK ↔ DPS (Bali Ngurah Rai) is one of the busiest air routes in Asia — Garuda, Lion, Citilink, Batik, Super Air Jet all run hourly flights. ~1h45 flight time, IDR 600,000–1,500,000 depending on lead time. Most international visitors connect through CGK to reach Bali; build at least 2 hours layover for the domestic transfer (security re-check + Skytrain between T3 international and T1/T2 domestic).

Indonesian tap water is not safe to drink for foreign visitors. Stick to sealed bottled water (IDR 5,000–15,000 at the airport) or use filtered-water dispensers airside. Brushing teeth with tap is generally fine; don’t swallow.

Telkomsel, Indosat, XL, Smartfren all have kiosks in arrivals — IDR 100,000–300,000 for 30-day data + voice tourist bundle. eSIM versions activate instantly. 4G/5G coverage is good across Jakarta and Bali; spotty in rural Indonesia.

Jakarta is generally safer than Asian capitals like Manila or Mumbai but requires situational awareness. Use Grab/Gojek/Bolt — never accept a kerbside “executive transfer”. Both apps have in-app safety features. Modest dress is the cultural norm in non-tourist areas of the city. The airport itself is well-policed.