Indonesia plans visa reform to attract more foreign students

“We want more foreign students in Indonesia, so administrative processes must improve. Universities should focus on academics, while services must be simpler, faster, and more predictable,” said Kemdiktisaintek expert Hermawan K. Dipojono in Jakarta on Tuesday.

Challenges such as heavy administrative burdens on campuses as visa sponsors, lengthy processing times, relatively high visa costs, limited transparency, and weak inter-agency system integration hinder Indonesia’s competitiveness in attracting foreign students compared with ASEAN neighbors.

To address these issues, officials proposed transforming sponsor roles, allowing international students to apply for and pay for visas independently using a university-issued Letter of Acceptance (LoA).

The new system aims to reduce university operational burdens, enabling institutions to focus on academic quality, student development, and performance monitoring.

Hermawan said improving the foreign student visa system is a core part of Indonesia’s higher education internationalization strategy and a step to facilitate global talent circulation into the country.

“Visas form the first impression international students have of Indonesia,” he added, stressing their strategic importance.

Echoing Hermawan, Mukhamad Najib, director of Institutional Affairs at the Higher Education Directorate, highlighted the need for cross-ministerial cooperation to build adaptive, solution-oriented public services.

Najib noted reforms could include lowering student visa fees, offering “zero rupiah” immigration components for scholarship recipients at state universities, removing mandatory exit requirements for academic transfers, and permitting part-time work for students in teaching, research, or internships.

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Translator: Sean FM, Rahmad Nasution