Controversial visa policy to start February
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.