Next you go down to the 2nd floor to check in your check in bag if you have any. Penguin allows for free one check in bag with a maximum weight of 20kg. Anything over that weight will have a surcharge. After checking in your luggage follow the sign for the ferry departure. Here is where you go through immigration getting your exit stamp. Be sure to fill out the departure card before going through immigration. Next you go through security and then you proceed to the boarding area for your ferry.
About 30 minutes before departure time you will hear an announcement to board the ferry. Be prompt as the ferry leaves on time. Tip: If you are prone to motion sickness then you should take dramamine an hour before boarding the ferry.
There's open seating in the ferry so you can sit anywhere. The ferry will take approximately one hour to reach Batam Center.
Be sure to set your watch when you arrive in Batam which is one hour behind Singapore. So that means that you will arrive in Batam Center around the same time you departed from Singapore when factoring the one hour ferry ride.
After arriving at Batam Center ferry terminal make sure you pick up your bags and then head for the customs & immigration building.
Upon entering the building you need to go to the 2 windows on the right. First you go to the one that has the word "bank" on it. Here is where you pay the $10 US fee for the VOA which is good for 10 days. Then you go to the next window which says "Visa on Arrival" which is where you get a visa pasted on that covers one page of your passport. From there you go to the customs and immigration line where you get your entrance stamp in your passport. You may be asked a few questions like "what's the purpose of your visit?" or "how long is your visit" and other customary inquiries. After passing through the immigration process you can go to the money changer if you haven't done so in Singapore to exchange your money to rupiahs. The recent exchange rate is Rp9800 for US$1. When you exchange US$100 you will have almost one million rupiahs. Next look for the coupon taxi counter. It's located outside the exit and to the left. Pick up your receipt for a taxi which costs a fixed price of Rp45,000. The taxi will take you to your hotel. If your hotel is in the Nagoya Entertainment District (NED) area then the taxi ride will only take about 15 minutes.
The best way to get to Batam is by a fast ferry from Singapore. I recommend taking either a taxi, MRT, or shuttle bus to theHarborfront Ferry Terminal (HFFT).
A taxi will take 20 minutes from Changi Airport and cost about S$20. When you arrive at the ferry terminal building walk over to the escalator or elevator depending on how much baggage you are carrying. Go up to the 3rd floor to buy your ferry tickets. You have 3 ferry operators to choose from which includes Batam Fast, Berlian Wavemaster, and Penguin. I recommend the Penguin ferry if going to Batam Center. Berlian Wavemaster is the only ferry company going to Harbor Bay which is actually closer to Nagoya in Batam. Assuming that you are going to Batam Center with Penguin you just go up to their counter and buy the ferry tickets. It's best to buy a round trip since it'll be cheaper than buying 2 one way tickets. The most recent price for a ferry ticket is S$34 for round trip plus S$6 passenger departure fee for Singapore. Penguin leaves approximately once per hour. Check their most recent schedule on the left.
