Indonesia Revisits Plans To Scrap Expensive Visa On Arrival For Bali Tourists

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Indonesia will be revisiting plans to scrap the costly visa-on-arrival policy for tourists.

Before the pandemic, Bali’s most frequent international arrivals, including tourists from Australia, were granted visa-free travel for up to 30 days. 

As it stands, tourists from 97 nations must pay for the visa on arrival or apply for the e-visa on arrival prior to touching down in Indonesia.

The visa on arrival costs IDR 500,000 and is valid for 30 days. It is possible to extend this visa one time only for a further 30 days. 

The relatively new visa-on-arrival policy and its associated costs have been highly controversial and have resulted in a huge kickback, especially from Bali’s most frequent international arrivals.

The fees have meant that the average daily vacation on the island has increased dramatically, and that is before taking into consideration the IDR 150,000 per person fee for the Bali Tourism Tax Levy that was introduced in February 2024. 

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Earlier this year, the Indonesian Minister for Tourism and Creative Economies suggested that he and his teams were considering scrapping the visa-on-arrival policy for the county’s twenty most frequent international arrivals.

This would have seen the fee scrapped for tourists from Australia, China, the UK, the USA, India, and South Korea. 

Though Minister Uno suggested the policy could have been amended by October 2024, no further updates had been announced.

As Indonesia has confirmed its commitment to boosting its ranking on the World Tourism Index as the World Economic Forum announced its updated listings for 2024, the conversation around scrapping the visa on arrival has resurfaced again. 

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Minister Uno has told the press that the World Economic Forum and the World Travel and Tourism Council have reprimanded Indonesia for enforcing a visa-on-arrival fee for international tourists.

Minister Uno revealed, “We were even reprimanded by the World Economic Forum and the World Travel & Tourism Council, who stated that Indonesia is a country that still applies for visa on arrival.” 

He noted that many countries had taken a progressive approach to boosting tourism by revoking visa-on-arrival fees or expanding more visa-free travel policies. 

Thailand, for example, has recently increased its visa-free limit for most tourists to 60-days on arrival.

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Minister Uno confirmed that the decision to revoke the visa on arrival for Bali’s top visitors is still under deliberation but gave no indication as to when a decision could be reached and changes introduced.

He explained, “This is what is now being studied on the President’s desk. Now, only ASEAN countries are visa-free. But we want to expand to twenty countries with the most qualified and sustainable tourist contributors.”

Ministers have previously shared that one of the reasons why the visa-on-arrival policy was brought into effect was to help generate more funds to develop sustainable tourism on the island and to help create a financial barrier that would deter “low-quality” tourists.

Minister Uno himself has often referenced the exclusive tourism model promoted by Bhutan, whereby tourist visa fees cost in excess of USD 200 a day and are accompanied by strict quotas.

Yet, many feel that Indonesia has got itself stuck somewhere in between. Unable to quickly move to a Bhutan-style tourism model – which many feel would result in tourism collapse in Bali – and slow to revoke the visa-on-arrival policy entirely has meant that many of the problems facing the tourism sector have simply trundled on. 

As it stands, tourists planning visits to Bali and other areas of Indonesia are advised to apply for the e-visa on arrival within 14 days of their planned arrival in the county.

The e-visa on arrival can be applied online using the https://evisa.imigrasi.go.id/ website.

Indonesia’s Immigration Department has also recently launched an Instagram account filled with heaps of information to help tourists through the process. There is also a live chat option available for those who need additional support. 

The e-visa on arrival application can be completed for up to five people at a time, meaning families and groups do not need to create separate accounts for each individual traveler.

The e-visa on arrival and visa on arrival allows foreigners to travel within Indonesia for tourism and social purposes as well as a very limited range of business related activities.