Speculation Grows Over Potential To Scrap Visa Fee For Bali Tourists 

Share The Article

In January this year, the Indonesian Minister for Tourism and Creative Economies confirmed that he would press for changes to legislation that would return visa-free travel for the country’s twenty most frequent international arrivals.

For years, tourists, travelers, and holidaymakers from Australia, New Zealand, most European nations, and the U.S.A. could visit iconic Indonesian destinations visa-free for up to 30 days.

Tourists who wished to stay longer could pay for their first 30-day visa in order to be able to extend it for a further 30 days without leaving the territory. 

Since Indonesia reopened its borders for international tourism after the pandemic, Bali’s most frequent international arrivals have had to pay IDR 500,000 for their 30-day visa.

This has added on a huge amount of money to the vacation budget of many of Bali’s most committed annual visitors. 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Directorate General of Immigration (@indonesiaimmigration)

The 30-day visa on arrival and e-visa on arrival allow visitors from 97 countries to participate in tourism activities, attend business meetings, and visit friends and family.

As Indonesia prepares to welcome a new government, speculation is growing as to whether the Minister for Tourism and Creative Economies, Sandiaga Uno, will see his proposals formally introduced. 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Direktorat Jenderal Imigrasi (@ditjen_imigrasi)

The nations that could see the return of visa-free travel include Australia, China (P.R.C.), South Korea, the USA, the UK, India, France, Germany, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, The Netherlands, Japan, Russia, Taiwan, New Zealand, Italy, Spain and two more countries in the Middle East as yet to be confirmed.

If Minister Uno’s proposal to scrap visa fees for the top twenty tourist demographics would mean that the most frequent visitors would join the other nine ASEAN member nations that are already eligible for visa-free visits to Indonesia: Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Lao P.D.R., Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Direktorat Jenderal Imigrasi (@ditjen_imigrasi)

However, Minister Uno has not really spoken much about these potential policy changes since he first discussed the idea in late 2023 and early 2024. However, tourism industry experts are confident that the changes will be made to the relevant immigration policies when the new government is sworn in. 

The President of the Indonesia Institute, Robbie Gaspar, told reporters, “We understand that Indonesia’s Minister for Tourism, Sandi Uno, will recommend that some 20 countries, including Australia, will be given visa-free entry into Indonesia, including Bali, before October when the nation’s new president is inaugurated.”

The Indonesia Institute is ‘the peak body for independent insight and engagement into Indonesian – Australian bilateral relations.’

He added, “This will make it cheaper for Aussie families, and we, therefore, expect to see another jump in the number of holidaymakers heading to our favorite island.”

With the potential for the visa-on-arrival fees to be crapped for a huge swathe of Bali lovers just in time for the big Christmas and New Year holiday period, tourists can start to readjust their travel budgets.

However, tourists must also prepare to pay the IDR 150,000 mandatory Bali Tourism Tax Levy fee. 

This fee was introduced by the Bali Provincial Government in February 2024 and is a piece of provincial legislation that the likes of Minister Uno and the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economies have little say in managing, though so far, they have been supportive of the initiative.

The funds generated from this fee are set to be used to preserve nature, conserve culture, and level up tourism infrastructure. 

Tourists are reminded that the Bali Tourism Tax Levy fee is mandatory for all international tourists and can be paid either at I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport on arrival, via the Love Bali app and website or with the help of a travel agent or tour provider.

Bali leaders are considering introducing a fine or sanctions for those tourists who are found to have been doing the fee. 

For now, however, and for the foreseeable future, tourists from 97 nations, including Australia, New Zealand, the U.S.A., and the nations listed by Minister Uno in his proposed policy changes, must still pay the IDR 500,000 per person fee for the visa on arrival and e-visa on arrival for Indonesia.