Old visa policy still in effect, no guidelines for new ruling<\/p>\n
Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post,
\nJakarta<\/p>\n
Legal confusion has emerged regarding the new policy revoking the
\nfree-visa-on-arrival facility extended to nationals of 48
\ncountries, with an immigration official saying the ruling would
\nnot come into effect until executory guidelines had been issued.<\/p>\n
Directorate General of Immigration spokesman Ade E. Dachlan
\ntold The Jakarta Post on Friday that the existing regulation
\nwould remain in effect until the issuance of the guidelines,
\nmeaning the 37 countries affected by the new policy -- including
\nthe U.S., Britain, Japan, Australia -- could continue to enjoy
\nfree-visa-on-arrival facilities.<\/p>\n
"Our officers can do nothing if they have no technical
\nguidelines for implementation. Therefore, we have instructed all
\nports of entry in the country to continue to apply the current
\npolicy until further notice," Ade said.<\/p>\n
The immigration office's stance appears to contradict the
\npresidential decree on the new visa policy, which states that it
\ncame into effect on March 31, the date on which it was signed.<\/p>\n
The decree permits short free-visa-on-arrival visits for the
\nnationals of 11 countries, namely Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore,
\nBrunei Darussalam, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Macao, Chile,
\nMorocco, Turkey and Peru.<\/p>\n
Under the new policy, nationals from certain countries will be
\nentitled to a non-extendable visa upon arrival at a port of
\nentry, while those from other countries must apply for regular
\nvisas from Indonesian consulates and embassies in their home
\ncountries.<\/p>\n
The new policy cuts the length of the free-visa-on-arrival
\nstay from 60 days to 30 days. The new pay-visa-on-arrival would
\nalso only allow visitors to stay here for 30 days, Ade explained.<\/p>\n
He said that the justice ministry was currently drafting the
\nguidelines, particularly those concerning the pay-visa-on-arrival
\nprocedures. The ministry has sought advice from the foreign
\nministry and tourism ministry for this purpose, he said.<\/p>\n
He said the countries excluded from the free-visa list would
\nbe put on the priority list of recipients for pay-visas. These
\nincluded the countries from which Indonesia traditionally drew
\ntourists.<\/p>\n
Separately, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Director General
\nof Protocol and Consular Affairs Joko Hardono suggested that
\nvisa-on-arrival facilities should only be provided for the
\ncitizens of countries that did not have Indonesian embassies or
\nfor pressing affairs of state.<\/p>\n
"For example if a foreign official has to attend an
\ninternational conference here, he could avail of a visa-on-
\narrival facility," Joko added.<\/p>\n
He said Indonesian consular offices around the globe were
\nready to implement the new regulation.<\/p>\n
Ade added that the justice ministry planned to adopt a simple
\nvisa-on-arrival procedure, such as that applied by Thailand. He
\nwas referring to a process that only took several minutes, with
\nimmigration officers putting a special stamp on the visa-on-
\narrival form after visitors pay a sum of money.<\/p>\n
An arriving foreign national usually pays US$50 for a visa-on-
\narrival in Thailand.<\/p>\n
The tourism industry has condemned the new policy, saying it
\nwill hurt the sector, which has already been hit hard by the Oct.
\n12, 2002, bomb attacks in Bali, the Iraq war and the spread of
\nSevere Acute Respiratory Syndrome.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/old-visa-policy-still-in-effect-no-guidelines-for-new-ruling-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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