Jakarta Travel Guide: Some Tidbits
7. Business Hours
Banks: Weekdays from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., some do business on Saturday and Sunday.
Offices: Weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., with one-hour break for lunch (Government offices are open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.) On Friday, offices are closed between 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 pm for Muslim prayer time.
Shops: Every day from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., some upscale shopping centers stay open till 10 p.m. and even later.
8. Currency and Credit Cards
Rupiah is the only acceptable currency in Jakarta. Rupiah notes come in denominations of Rp100,000, Rp50,000, Rp20,000, Rp10,000, Rp5,000, Rp1,000, and coins in Rp500, Rp100, Rp50. The currency can be exchanged at banks and hotels, although the latter usually have worse rates. Apart from banks and hotels, money can be changed wherever the sign “authorized money changer” is displayed. Visitors are discouraged from changing money with unauthorized money changers. Please be advised that bills that have been written on, scruffy, ripped or looks old in appearance may not be accepted by the establishments.
ATMs are readily available and accept foreign credit cards. Major credit cards are widely accepted. Traveler’s checks in euro or U.S. dollars issued by well-known banks or travel organizations are readily negotiable in banks and hotels. Passports are required when cashing in travelers’ checks and a nominal commission may be charged.
9. International Airport Departure Tax
An airport departure tax of Rp150,000 is levied by the Soekarno-Hatta Airport authority for travelers on international routes and Rp40,000 for those on domestic routes (effective March 2009).
10. Time
Jakarta is on Western Indonesia Time: GMT + 7 hours.
Time Differences
| City | Hours Behind/Ahead of Jakarta |
| Amsterdam | -6 |
| Athens | -5 |
| Auckland | +5 |
| Bahrain | -4 |
| Bandar Seri Begawan | +1 |
| Bangkok | none |
| Beijing | +1 |
| Beirut | -5 |
| Brisbane | +3 |
| Brussels | -6 |
| Cairo | -5 |
| Calcutta | -1.5 |
| Chicago | -13 |
| Colombo | -1.5 |
| Copenhagen | -6 |
| Darwin | +2.5 |
| Dublin | -7 |
| Frankfurt | -6 |
| Geneva | -6 |
| Hanoi | none |
| Helsinki | -5 |
| Hong Kong | +1 |
| Honolulu | -17 |
| Karachi | -2 |
| Kuala Lumpur | +1 |
| Lisbon | -7 |
| London | -6 |
| Los Angeles | -15 |
| Madrid | -6 |
| Manila | +1 |
| Melbourne | +3 |
| Montreal | -12 |
| Moscow | -4 |
| Mumbai | -1.5 |
| Nairobi | -4 |
| New Delhi | -1.5 |
| New York | -12 |
| Osaka | +2 |
| Oslo | -6 |
| Paris | -5 |
| Perth | +1 |
| Prague | -6 |
| Rio de Janeiro | -10 |
| Rome | -5 |
| San Francisco | -15 |
| Seoul | +2 |
| Singapore | +1 |
| Stockholm | -6 |
| Surabaya | none |
| Sydney | +3 |
| Taipei | +1 |
| Tokyo | +2 |
| Toronto | -12 |
| Vancouver | -15 |
| Vienna | -6 |
| Yangon | -0.5 |
| Zurich | -6 |