Can Tourists Use QRIS in Indonesia? The Options That Work in 2026

What QRIS is

QRIS (Quick Response Code Indonesian Standard, pronounced “kris”) is the single QR code standard run by Bank Indonesia. Every Indonesian bank app and e-wallet can pay every QRIS code, so the same sticker on a warung counter works whether the customer uses BCA, GoPay, OVO or DANA. You will see it everywhere — from cafés and petrol stations to fruit sellers and parking attendants.

For a tourist the problem is simple: the merchant shows a code, and you need an app that can pay it.

Option 1: your home bank app, through QRIS Cross-Border

Bank Indonesia has linked QRIS with other countries’ national QR systems. If your app belongs to one of these networks, open it, scan the QRIS code, and pay in rupiah from your home account. There is no registration, and the limit is Rp10 million per payment.

Hong Kong and Timor-Leste are the next countries Bank Indonesia is working on. Europe, the US, the UK and Australia are not part of the link.

Option 2: DANA Foreign Account (for everyone else)

DANA, one of Indonesia’s big e-wallets, launched a version for foreign visitors with Visa in November 2025. You sign up with your foreign phone number, add an international card, top up the wallet, and scan any QRIS code. DANA reported more than 150,000 foreign users by August 2026.

What to expect:

• You need a phone number that can receive an SMS or WhatsApp code during sign-up — your home SIM on roaming works, a data-only eSIM does not.
• Do the set-up before you fly or on hotel Wi-Fi, not at a market stall.
• Top-ups come from your card, so your card’s foreign-transaction fee still applies.
• Fees, limits and the identity check can change; read the current terms in the app before you top up a large amount.

GoPay and OVO generally still expect an Indonesian number for full verification. Treat them as an option only if you already have a local SIM.

Option 3: just use cash and cards

QRIS is a convenience, not a requirement. Nearly every place that shows a QRIS sticker also takes cash, and many take cards. If you are staying a week or two, a card for bigger payments plus Rp500,000–1,000,000 in small notes covers almost everything. See cash and ATMs in Indonesia.

How a QRIS payment looks

1. The merchant shows a printed code (static) or a code on a terminal with the amount already in it (dynamic).
2. For a printed code you type the amount yourself. Check it against the price before you confirm.
3. Show the merchant your success screen. Small sellers check the payment on their own phone, so wait a moment.

A printed QRIS sticker shows the merchant name. If the name on your payment screen does not match the shop, stop — swapped stickers are a known trick.