Card cuts visa red tape

Card cuts visa red tape

Duncan Graham, Contributor, Surabaya

When a top Cabinet minister criticized Australia's visa policy at
an Indonesia-Australia business conference in Bali, he certainly
stirred the proverbial possum.

Or, as they say elsewhere, created controversy.

Speaking at the Indonesia-Australia Business Conference in
Bali in April, Coordinating Minister for the Economy Aburizal
Bakrie said that relationships between the two countries would
improve if Australia relaxed its visa requirements for
Indonesians.

But it was not only the Indonesians that got fired up. Many
Australian businesspeople agreed that their country's entry
procedures for Indonesians were too harsh.

Speaking at the same conference, education expert Isla Rogers-
Winato was among Australians who cited tough visa rules as a key
reason for a 10 percent downturn in Indonesians studying in
Australia.

Although Australian authorities regularly tout the fact that
95 percent of visa applicants to the country are approved,
critics say this ignores the reality that many of procedures are
onerous and off-putting, compared to Indonesia's.

It is much easier for Australians, they say, to use the
Indonesian visa-on-arrival system that requires one valid
passport, a return ticket and US$25 and gives tourists 30 days to
enjoy the archipelago.

However, few people seem to be aware of a little-publicized
system to allow easy access for businesspeople to a raft of
international destinations, including Indonesia, which has been
in operation here for almost a year.

In May last year, the Indonesian government became a partner
in the APEC Business Travel Card scheme.

However, it appears that there are still delays in processing
Indonesian locally applicants as some regulations, including
fees, have not been determined.

The scheme allows legitimate frequent-flyer businesspeople
visa-free entry into any country in the APEC region that has
given them clearance.

At present there are 14 participants: Australia, Brunei,
Chile, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, New
Zealand, Peru, the Philippines, Chinese Taipei and Thailand.
Singapore and Papua New Guinea are expected to join soon.

Business travellers have to apply for the card in their own
country, usually through their immigration department. Each
country determines its own eligibility criteria and fees; in
Australia it is A$155 (about Rp 1.1 million), in Indonesia it has
not been fixed yet but will probably between US$200 and $300.
While prices charged by customs currently vary, this does not
stop Indonesians from getting the cards.

Checks are then made on the applicant's criminal history,
financial credibility and business legitimacy.

If one is approved, the applicant's country then seeks pre-
clearance from the destination countries. Put simply, your
government applies to foreign governments on your behalf.

When clearances are received the businessperson is issued with
an endorsed plastic card. It's the size of a credit card and
carries a photo. The card is presented along with the passport
when the holder enters through a special fast-track lane at the
airport.

At present these lanes operate only at Ngurah Rai Airport in
Denpasar and Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta Airport here, but at all
Australian international airports.

All standard immigration, customs and other entry requirements
must be followed, but entry for APEC Business Travel Card holders
should be fee-free. Australian cardholders are allowed up to a
60-day stay in Indonesia. Indonesian and all other cardholders
can remain in Australia up to 90 days.

The cards are valid for three years and linked to the holder's
passport number.

Participants in the scheme have agreed to process pre-
clearance requests from member countries within an average of two
weeks.

Most comply; but in some cases it has taken Indonesia up to
nine months to grant Australians clearance. China is also tardy
in giving approvals. Recognizing the touchiness of sovereign
states to outside criticism, there is little more that the
applicant's country can do other than send gentle reminders when
delays occur.

The scheme was first tested in 1997 between Australia, Korea
and the Philippines. It followed long-standing complaints by
regular business travellers constantly having to apply for visas
and being subject to delays.