Bali-bound? Prepare to put aside a little extra for your next trip to Bali … Indonesia has announced it will be officially ending visa-free travel to the province for all but ASEAN nations.
Like a lot of countries, Indonesia suspended visa-free travel during the COVID-19 pandemic – including to tourist hotspot Bali – but recently said it would not be reinstating the initiative.
Instead, the Indonesian Government said only citizens of ASEAN (Southeast Asian) nations would be able to freely enter the country.
So what do Aussie travellers have to do now?
Australians will now need to pay Rp500,000 (a little over AU$49) on arrival for a 30-day visa. Alternatively, they can apply online for an eVisa via Indonesian Immigration. In this case, visitors pay a small processing fee and complete an online application 48 hours before arriving into Bali. For more information about Indonesian visas, CLICK HERE.
Why change the rules now?
Indonesian President Joko Widodo will visit Australia next month. The last time he was here in 2020, he appealed to the Morrison government to ease travel restrictions on Indonesians entering the country.
According to The Australian, while Aussie tourists could then enter Indonesia visa-free for 30 days, Indonesians not only had to pay a non-refundable $140 application fee for an Australian tourist visa, they also had to fill out a 17-page survey.
Indonesia’s Immigration Director-General, Silmy Karim, said that if a nation was willing to extend visa-free access to its citizens, Indonesia would consider reinstating the same privilege.
“If the visa-free policy is revived, we will have to justify it by reviewing these three criteria; a reciprocal aspect, benefits to Indonesia and security considerations,” Karim said.
How will this impact tourism?
The pandemic taught the Indonesian government that a visa-free system isn’t necessary to attract tourists, the country’s Tourism Minister Sandiaga Uno said.
Uno has also been vocal on the bad behaviour of foreigners in Indonesia and said the government was finalising new visa rules to encourage “quality” tourist visits.
“There has been no significant impact on tourism. As of today, we have received 8.5 million foreign visits (this year), even without (visa-free) from these 159 countries,” he said.
“We have not reactivated the visa-free regime. It will be replaced with a better policy.”
Meanwhile, in the ongoing saga of Bali versus unruly (or potentially naughty) travellers, the island’s authorities started issuing all visitors with a new good behaviour guide for tourists.
