davita wroteHello Lacyeloo and welcome.
An alternative to the VOA, whether the free 30 day or the paid 30 day + 30 day extension is to get a 60 day tourist visa from the nearest Indonesian consul to where you live in CA. This avoids having to go thru' the extension fracas.
You will still need to show an exit ticket before the 60 day expires but, if you can attend the consul personally, they usually accept you have a credit card and can purchase a ticket anytime...I have done this many times from Vancouver, B.C.
As the tourist visa number is the same as a Sosbud, after arrival in Bali, it is possible to get a sponsor and extend that tourist visa from CA, after the first 60 days, for up to a total of 6 months at 30 day intervals, without ever leaving Bali.
This is a single-entry visa so if you should leave it becomes invalid, same as other single-entry visas, and you need to get a new visa to return.
Sill question, can any RI local be a sponsor or do yo uhave to go to one of the paid "sponsors"