Controversial visa policy to start February
Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
After several delays the government announced on Friday that the new tourist visa policy will be operational on Feb. 1, despite opposition from the tourism and hospitality sectors.
Minister of Justice and Human Rights Yusril Ihza Mahendra said President Megawati Soekarnoputri had approved the presidential decree on visas.
The decree grants a visa-free facility to tourists who are citizens of Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei Darussalam, the Philippines, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Macao Special Administrative Region, Chile, Morocco, Peru or Vietnam.
Signed by the President on Dec. 17, the decree deleted Turkey from the list because it no longer provides a visa-free facility to Indonesians. Vietnam has replaced Turkey since the neighboring country decided to offer a visa-free facility to Indonesians starting Dec. 4.
According to the decree, tourists who are nationals from the United States, Australia, South Africa, Argentina, Brazil, Denmark, the United Arab Emirates, Finland, Hungary, the United Kingdom, Italy, Japan, Germany, Canada, South Korea, Norway or France are eligible for the visa-on-arrival facility from Indonesia. Citizens of Taiwan are also granted the same facility.
The new policy cuts the length of the free-visa-on-arrival stay from 60 days to 30 days. The new visa-on-arrival would also only allow visitors to stay here for 30 days.
Visitors from countries that enjoy the visa-on-arrival facility will have to go to a new counter to have their passports stamped with the on-arrival visa before going to the immigration clearance desk.
Meanwhile, visitors with the visa-free facility will be able to proceed directly to the immigration clearance counter.
Yusril said that it would take only several minutes for immigration officers to process a visa-on-arrival request.
"It may take only seven minutes. It will be faster than (the visa process) in Shen Zen, which requires two hours to complete a visa-on-arrival request," he said, referring to a city in China.
Spokesman for the Directorate General of Immigration Ade E. Dachlan said visitors eligible for the visa-free facility could enter Indonesia from almost any entry airport or sea port in the country.
However, citizens of countries granted the visa-on-arrival facility could enter Indonesia only via Soekarno-Hatta Airport, Jakarta; Polonia Airport, Medan; Ngurah Rai Airport, Bali; Sam Ratulangi Airport, Manado; Tabing Airport, Padang or Juanda Airport, Surabaya.
Seaports available would be limited to Batam; Belawan, Medan; Tanjung Priok, Jakarta; Tanjung Perak, Surabaya; Benoa, Bali; Sibolga, North Sumatra or Jayapura, Papua.
"If they enter the country from other entry points, they will not receive the facility," Ade said.
He said that the government had not yet decided on the amount payable for a visa on arrival, pending approval from the finance minister.
"The Cabinet meeting on Dec. 9 proposed that a three-day stay request will be charged US$10, with $25 for 30-day stay. However, we shall await the finance minister's approval," Ade said.
President Megawati originally signed the decree on the new visa policy on March 31, and it was supposed to come into effect six months after the signing. Implementation of the visa policy was then delayed on Oct. 1 because of the absence of operational regulations.
Opposition, mainly from the tourist industry, forced the government to delay implementation once again last December.