Immigration slashes visa-free visits by 87% to filter quality foreigners

The Directorate General of Immigration at the Ministry of Immigration and Corrections has slashed the issuance of Bebas Visa Kunjungan (BVK) by 87.91 per cent in the first semester of 2026, as part of a selective policy to filter the entry of quality foreign nationals. Director General of Immigration Hendarsam Marantoko stated that the approach combines digital transformation with selective policy to ensure every foreigner entering Indonesia contributes added value to the national economy without compromising state security. The tightening of BVK issuance saw the number drop from 438,423 in the first half of 2025 to just 52,999 in the same period this year. Despite this, Non-Tax State Revenue from the visa sector increased by 6.42 per cent to approximately Rp2.81 trillion. From January to June 2026, the directorate general issued 3,924,500 visas, a 6.77 per cent decrease from 4,209,465 visas in the corresponding period last year. Meanwhile, the issuance of paid visit visas under index C1 rose by 2.76 per cent to 3,829,902 visas. The most commonly issued type was the Visa on Arrival, totalling 3,481,490, followed by 113,323 index C1 visit visas and 83,852 index C20 visas for equipment installation. The Golden Visa programme recorded 143 issuances during the first half of 2026. Beyond tightening visa grants, the Directorate General of Immigration also strengthened oversight of foreigners within the country. During the first semester of 2026, immigration authorities imposed 10,911 administrative actions, including 3,260 residency permit revocations and deportations of foreigners who violated immigration regulations or posed a security threat. Criminal proceedings were initiated against 23 foreigners, with 17 cases under investigation, four at trial, and one resulting in a legally binding decision. At airports and ports, officers delayed the departure of 1,704 at-risk travellers and prevented 401 Indonesian citizens and 36 foreigners from travelling abroad at the request of law enforcement agencies. On the domestic front, the directorate general issued 1,673,514 Indonesian passports and rejected 9,017 applications that failed to meet requirements. It also issued 23,082 Limited Stay Permits, 3,330 Permanent Stay Permits, and processed 54 applications for Global Citizenship of Indonesia. National border crossing data for the first half of 2026 recorded 12,891,069 arrivals and 12,866,104 departures. Hendarsam said these achievements serve as a foundation for the Directorate General of Immigration to continue improving service quality and immigration oversight to address evolving global challenges.