Raja Ampat’s marine park entry costs jumped mid-2026, and foreign visitors now face a combined bill of roughly IDR 1,700,000 to IDR 2,000,000 per person before boats, lodging, or transport even enter the picture. Budgeting for 2027 means planning around this higher baseline, not a fixed number, since no official 2027 fee schedule has been published as of September 2026.
What Are You Actually Paying For in Raja Ampat?
Two separate charges apply to every visitor, and they come from two different authorities. Confusing them is the single most common budgeting mistake travelers make.
The first is the Environmental Services Fee, administered by KKP Raja Ampat (Kawasan Konservasi Perairan, the marine conservation authority). Paying it gets you a Marine Park Entry Card, sometimes called an LPJL or TLPJL card, tag, or PIN. The card funds ranger patrols, mooring buoys, and conservation work across a marine protected area of roughly two million hectares, and it stays valid for 12 months from the date of first entry.
The second is the Visitor Entry Ticket, a regency-level levy from the Raja Ampat Regency Government, first introduced in December 2019 and now regulated under Perbup Raja Ampat No. 34/2025. This one is collected per visit, not per year, and it funds regency tourism infrastructure rather than conservation directly.
| Fee | Authority | Who collects it | Foreign visitor | Indonesian visitor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marine Park Entry Card | KKP Raja Ampat | Online portal, Sorong harbour booth, Waisai BLUD office | IDR 700,000–1,000,000 (12-month validity) | IDR 25,000/day, or 300,000–425,000 for a 12-month card |
| Visitor Entry Ticket | Raja Ampat Regency Government (Perbup 34/2025) | Waisai Tourism Office, Sipari online portal | IDR 1,000,000 per visit | IDR 300,000 per visit |
Children under 12 are exempt from the marine park card. Both fees apply regardless of how you arrive, whether by ferry, liveaboard, or a privately arranged air-and-sea itinerary.
Why Did the Marine Card Price Move in 2026?
Sources on this are not fully aligned, which is worth stating plainly rather than papering over. One updated guide puts the current marine card at IDR 1,000,000 per international visitor, describing it as “up from IDR 700,000 since 3 August 2026.” Other operator-facing sources, including some booking desks, still quote the older IDR 700,000 figure (roughly USD 45 at typical 2026 rates). That gap likely reflects a rollout period where older listings had not yet caught up to the new rate, or where some intermediaries had not adjusted their published pricing.
The practical takeaway for budgeting: treat IDR 1,000,000 as the safer planning figure for the marine card component, and treat anything quoting the older IDR 700,000 rate as potentially outdated. Either way, add the regency levy of IDR 1,000,000 on top for a foreign visitor, which is where the combined total of IDR 1,700,000 to roughly IDR 2,000,000 comes from.
How Much Should You Budget for 2027?
There is no confirmed 2027 fee table published as of this writing in September 2026. What exists is a documented pattern: the marine card moved upward once during 2026, and the regency levy is now anchored in a formal regulation (Perbup 34/2025) rather than an informal policy, which typically makes future adjustments more procedural than sudden. Neither point should be read as a forecast. It is a reason to budget with a margin rather than assume 2026 numbers repeat exactly.
A simple way to plan is to treat the entry-fee line item as a range rather than a fixed cost when you build a 2027 trip budget, especially if you are also pricing in premium access options such as seaplane prices for 2027 alongside your boat and lodging costs.
| Budget scenario | Marine card (foreign) | Regency levy (foreign) | Combined entry cost | Planning note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative (2026 low) | IDR 700,000 | IDR 1,000,000 | IDR 1,700,000 | Use only if your operator confirms the lower card rate still applies |
| Current baseline | IDR 1,000,000 | IDR 1,000,000 | IDR 2,000,000 | Safest default for 2027 planning as of Sept 2026 |
| Margin-added | IDR 1,000,000+ | IDR 1,000,000+ | IDR 2,000,000+ buffer | Add 10-20% buffer if booking far in advance without a confirmed 2027 schedule |
For Indonesian citizens, the combined figure sits closer to IDR 650,000 using the daily card rate and per-visit levy, though the 12-month card option (IDR 300,000-425,000, depending on source) can be cheaper for anyone visiting more than once in a year.
Where and How Do You Pay?
Both fees can be settled before you leave home or on arrival, and the channels differ by fee type.
- Marine Park Entry Card: pay online through the KKP Raja Ampat portal, at the booth in Sorong harbour, at the BLUD/Marine Park office in Waisai, or bundled into your resort or liveaboard package.
- Visitor Entry Ticket: pay at the Raja Ampat Tourism Office in Waisai, or online via the Sipari portal (sipari-rajaampat.id).
- Bundled payment: many resorts and liveaboard operators collect both fees as part of a package price and handle the paperwork on your behalf, which is worth confirming before you assume you need to queue at a counter.
Whichever route you take, keep the physical card, tag, or digital confirmation on you. Rangers and dive operators check it, and losing it mid-trip means a repeat payment.
How Does Premium Access Fit a Higher-Spend Model?
Raja Ampat’s access infrastructure is genuinely limited. Sorong is the only air gateway into the region, and from there, every visitor continues by sea. The surface baseline is the Express Bahari fast ferry to Waisai on Waigeo Island, running roughly 2.5 hours; in the 2026 timetable it departs Sorong at 09:00 and 14:00 WIT on Sunday, Wednesday and Friday, and at 14:00 WIT only on the remaining days. Misool, in southern Raja Ampat, is reached only by long speedboat transfer or liveaboard from Sorong, and an August 2026 travel guide update confirms no new airports or access changes are planned as of 2027.
As of September 2026, no scheduled or officially regulated public seaplane service exists to Raja Ampat, and no government “priority water-landing” designation has been publicly documented, despite Antara News reporting government support for seaplane and amphibious transport development around Raja Ampat and Misool. At least one commercial operator markets a Raja Ampat seaplane destination page, but any such leg remains request-based and dependent on aviation clearance and marine park rules, arranged case-by-case through licensed operators.
This matters for budgeting because the region’s conservation funding model is already structured around collecting more per visitor rather than processing higher visitor volume: two separate fees, a 12-month card system, and a regency levy anchored in formal regulation all point toward a fewer-higher-spend approach to managing pressure on the reefs. Premium access modes, including liveaboard embarkation from Sorong and any future on-request seaplane arrangement, sit naturally inside that model, since travelers choosing them are typically already budgeting well above the baseline ferry-and-homestay route.
What Should You Do Before You Book?
- Confirm the current marine card rate directly with your operator or the KKP portal before finalizing a budget, since published rates vary by source.
- Budget IDR 2,000,000 per foreign visitor as the safer 2027 planning figure for combined entry fees, with a margin on top if booking far ahead.
- Ask whether your resort or liveaboard bundles the marine card and regency levy into the package price, or whether you need to pay separately in Sorong or Waisai.
- If considering a seaplane leg for part of your itinerary, treat it as a request-based, clearance-dependent arrangement rather than a scheduled service, and confirm current terms with a licensed operator before committing dates.
- Keep your Marine Park Entry Card valid for the full 12 months if you plan a return visit within the year, since re-buying it is avoidable with basic timing.
Juara Holding Group coordinates Raja Ampat access planning as an independent desk, arranging logistics with licensed operators rather than operating vessels or aircraft directly. For a current budget breakdown or to check request-based premium access options, reach the desk on WhatsApp at 6281139414563 or by email at bd@juaraholding.com.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will Raja Ampat marine park fees go up again in 2027?
No official 2027 fee schedule has been published as of September 2026. The marine card already moved from IDR 700,000 to IDR 1,000,000 during 2026 according to one updated guide, and the regency levy is now set under a formal regulation, Perbup 34/2025. Budget with a margin rather than assuming either figure is locked for 2027.
How much should I budget for Raja Ampat entry as a foreign visitor in 2027?
Plan on roughly IDR 2,000,000 per person as a safer baseline, combining the marine park card (IDR 1,000,000) and the regency Visitor Entry Ticket (IDR 1,000,000 per visit). Some sources still quote a lower IDR 1,700,000 combined figure using the older card rate, so confirm current pricing with your operator before finalizing costs.
Can I pay Raja Ampat marine park fees online before arrival?
Yes, for both charges. The KKP Raja Ampat portal handles the marine park card online, and the regency Visitor Entry Ticket can be paid through the Sipari portal (sipari-rajaampat.id). Many resorts and liveaboard operators also bundle both fees into their package price and handle payment on your behalf.