Indonesia will introduce wide ranging changes in the national visa-free and visa on arrival system. We've tried to summarize those changes here for your convenience.
* Visa Free on Arrival
In the past the nationals of 48 nations were given a 60-day stay (visa free) upon arrival at an Indonesian international gateway.
Under the new rules:
Only 12 countries and territories will be eligible for a "Visa Free"
facility, they are:
1. Thailand
2. Malaysia
3. Singapore
4. Brunei Darussalam
5. Philippines
6. Hong Kong SAR
7. Macau SAR
8. Chile
9. Morocco
10. Peru
11. Vietnam.
12. The Netherlands (Dutch)
Nationals of the aforementioned countries and territories will be issued with a 30-day stay permit without charge upon presentation of a valid passport with 6 months remaining validity.
The Visa Free Facility is not extendable or convertible into another type of visa.
* Visa on Arrival
Beginning February 1, 2004, the nationals of 21 countries will be able to obtain a "Visa on Arrival" processed at the gate of entry following the payment of an official fee.
The citizens of 21 countries and territories eligible to purchase
visas on arrival are:
1. The United States
2. Australia
3. South Africa
4. Argentina
5. Brazil
6. Denmark
7. United Arab Emirates
8. Finland
9. Hungary
10. United Kingdom
11. Italy
12. Japan
13. Germany
14. Canada
15. South Korea
16. Norway
17. France
18. Poland
19. Switzerland
20. New Zealand
21. Taiwan.
Counting as per August 1, 2005 : the 14 new countries eligible to obtain visas on arrival include:
22. Belgium
23. Saudi Arabia
24. Kuwait
25. Spain
26. Portugal
27. Russia
28. Egypt
29. Austria
30. Qatar
31. Ireland
32. Maldives
33. Luxembourg
34. China
35. India.
The citizens of the aforementioned countries must hold a passport with at least 6 months remaining validity at the time of arrival, present a completed embarkation/disembarkation card provided by the airlines, be able to demonstrate they have sufficient means to live during their stay in Indonesia, not be listed on any official blacklist of individuals prohibited from entering the country, and pay the stipulated fee to obtain a visa.
The Visa on Arrival fee for citizens of eligible countries is US$ 25 for a 30 day visa and US$ 10 for a 7 day visa. The Visa on Arrival is non-extendable and cannot be converted into another class of visa.
Immigration authorities promise the visa purchasing system will take no more than 3-5 minutes per applicant. 6 payment counters, a bank and a money changer have been set up to process payments.
Once payment is completed the tourist will proceed to an immigration counter for final inspection of documents and visa issuance.
Visa on Arrival at Limited Gateways
Initially, the visa on arrival facility will only be available at the following international gateways:
Airports:
1. Medan
2. Pekanbaru
3. Padang
4. Jakarta
5. Surabaya
6. Bali
7. Manado.
Seaports:
1. Batam
2. Tanjung Uban (Bintan)
3. Belawan (Medan)
4. Sibolga(Sumatra)
5. Dumai
6. Teluk Bayar (Padang, Sumatra)
7. Padang Bai (Bali)
8. Jayapura (Papua).
Applying for Visas Before Arrival
* Citizens of countries not included on a visa-free or visa-on-arrival lists must apply for a visa overseas before arriving in Indonesia. Citizens of any country wishing to stay more than 30 days must also apply for an appropriate visa at their nearest Indonesian Embassy or Consulate before traveling to Indonesia.
Special Facilities
A certain number of special facilities are being introduced in connection with the new visa policy, including:
* Tour Agents are able to arrange express handling for groups at AN ADDITIONAL CHARGE by presenting the completed immigration cards passports and applicable visa fee.
* Passengers who overstay their visa period for a short period of time can be processed immediately at the airport by paying US$ 20 for every day they "overstayed" their 30 day visa.
* Airlines that experience technical difficulties or delayed flights can apply for their passengers to be exempted from paying any "overstay" penalties.
At present their are six types of visas granted to foreigners in Indonesia:
* Visitor's Visas
* Temporary Resident Visas
* Permanent Residence Visas
* Special dispensations for Ships' crews
* Free Visas on Arrival
* Visas issued on arrival for a fee.
Within the category of Visitor Visa there are 4 classes of visitor visas:
* Sosial Budaya / Cultural Visas - literally a Social-Cultural visa usually issued to visit families and dependents, for individuals to visit a social organization with which they have an affiliation, and to those involved in cultural exchanges of training programs.
* Business Visas typically issued to business people on short term work assignments, negotiations or training assignments.
* Tourist Visas available to nationals of countries not eligible for a free visa on arrival or a visa issued on arrival for a fee and issued to visit tourism sites or assist in the facilitation of foreign tourists visiting Indonesian.
* Visitor Visas for those on Government Service issued to the employees of foreign governments and international organizations on assignment in Indonesia or private foreign contractors employed by the Indonesia government.
Stay Permits
* Limited Stay Permits are given to individuals holding limited validity entry permits including children and dependent of foreigners on temporary resident visas and the Indonesian-born children of an Indonesian mother.
Permanent Stay/Residency Permits are given to the Indonesian-born children of foreigners holding permanent residency in Indonesia and foreigners who successfully apply for permanent residency in Indonesian.
