Govt revokes visa-free facility for 48 countries
Govt revokes visa-free facility for 48 countries
Fabiola Desy Unidjaja and Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post,
Jakarta
The government has forged ahead with its plan to revoke the visa-
free facility extended to nationals of 48 countries despite
determined opposition from the country's tourism industry.
It has also reduced the length of the visa-free stay from 60
days to 30 days, according to a presidential decree made public
on Tuesday.
The decree, however, will not take effect until the government
issues executory rules and regulations putting meat on the bones
of the decree.
The decree, which was signed by President Megawati
Soekarnoputri on March 31, permits short visa-free visits
for the nationals of 11 countries only, namely Thailand,
Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei Darussalam, the Philippines, Hong
Kong S.A.R., Macao S.A.R., Chile, Morocco, Turkey and Peru.
The government claims the decision is based on the reciprocity
principle, meaning that Indonesia extends the privilege to those
countries that are willing to provide the same privilege for
Indonesian citizens.
The visa-free facility, first introduced in 1983, was
primarily designed to attract more foreign tourists to the
country. But the government has argued that the facility has
often been abused by foreigners who work in the country illegally
or who are engaged in other activities.
Under the new decree, nationals from countries other than
those designated will no longer be entitled to the facility.
Instead, they will be granted a visa of 30 days at the port of
entry port upon arrival .
Such a 30-day visa issued at the port of entry will be non-
extendible and will not be capable of being converted into
another type of visa.
The decree also stipulates that in the case of tourists
visiting the country based upon a contract between an Indonesian
tour operator and a foreign tour operator, a grace period of six
months will be granted before the new policy is applied.
Ade E. Dachlan, a spokesman for the Directorate General of
Immigration at the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights, told The
Jakarta Post that the new rules had yet to come into effect.
"The minister (of justice and human rights, Yusril Ihza
Mahendra) has yet to draft the technical guidelines for the
implementation of the decree. We also need time to inform our
offices of the decree," he said, adding that the new rules could
come into effect within less than one month.
He said the guidelines would set out the administration and
payment procedures to be applied at the country's ports of entry.
Investment and tourism experts have warned that the move will
be a major setback for the country's economic recovery process.