Why Bali’s New Arts & Sports Visa Is Great News For Tourists

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Indonesia’s Director General of Immigration, Silmy Karim, has announced a new visa category that will make it easier for athletes and artists to visit the country.

The visa category is not only going to make life easier for sportspeople and musicians to take part in events but also paves the way for more live events that tourists will be excited to travel for.

Director General Karim has announced that applications for the sport, music, and arts visa can now be made on the evisa.imigration.go.id website.

There are a series of big international music and sports events coming up in the next few months, and the Department of Immigration is keen for this event to mark the start of a new future for international events in the country. 

Karim told reporters, “We are taking this momentum. Soon, many international events will be held. In October we have MotoGP, in November we have the Coldplay Concert, the U-17 World Cup.”

“We are simplifying the visa requirements for sports and music and art visas so that Indonesia becomes a destination country that is taken into account for sporting events and international music.”

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The process of simplifying the sport, music, and arts visa into a more accessible immigration category means that foreign athletes and creatives won’t need to go through the laborious process of attaching labor permits, police record certificates, or demonstrating five years of work experience and relevant qualifications. 

Director General Karim noted that these immigration hurdles can be removed safely from the process on the basis that musicians, athletes, and specified creatives will be in Indonesia for short amounts of time and are not conducting work that could have a competitive effect on the local workforce. 

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He explained, “Is it necessary for an athlete of Cristiano Ronaldo’s level to play exhibition football in Indonesia to require an SKCK (Police Record Certificate)? Is it true that if Coldplay wants to have a concert in Jakarta, we require a minimum of five years of work experience? That’s the irrelevant requirement that we removed.”

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The Director General is excited about the impact this policy change will have on the sports, music, and live events sector across Indonesia, not just in Bali.

He hopes that the change will benefit both Indonesian citizens and tourists who will come to the country, especially for these live events. 

Karim continued, “What has happened so far is that Indonesian citizens have flocked to watch concerts in Singapore, Thailand, Australia, and even Japan, so we are simplifying the requirements so that event organizers are increasingly interested in holding concerts in Indonesia.”

He added, “So many foreigners come to Indonesia to watch, which can bring in foreign exchange and from the Indonesian side there is no need to fly to overseas to watch concerts or sporting events.” 

What is being referred to as the arts, music, and sports visa falls within the Temporary Stay Visa for Work (C312) category; some visa agents are advertising the visa as the Artist KITAS.  

Tourists planning their trips to Bali can book excited in the knowledge that the island will continue to welcome some of the world’s biggest artists in the coming months.

The island is already preparing for the New Year’s Eve celebrations and the island’s most popular beach clubs and venues are already announcing their headline acts. 

Finns Beach Club in Canggu is known for hosting one of the biggest New Year’s Eve parties around. This year the venue has confirmed that international sensation Fatboy Slim will be calling in 2024 in style.

Down in Uluwatu venues like Ulu Cliffhouse and Savaya have also revealed some of their headline acts. Ulu Cliffhouse will be welcoming the return of Sticky Fingers for their second visit to Bali this year, and Savaya will be hosting musical legends Bedouin during their long weekend of New Year’s parties.