Jakarta: Foreign visitors no longer need a sponsor to apply for a tourism visitor visa to enter Indonesia; the new policy took effect on Thursday (26/01/2023). It is an effort to stimulate economic growth by enhancing the tourism sector.

Director General of Immigration, Silmy Karim, explained "The visitor visa for tourism is valid for 60 days and extendable up to a maximum of 180 days. Suitable for foreign tourists who want to explore Indonesia longer."

For information, foreign tourists who want to travel to Indonesia can also use a Visa on Arrival (VOA). However, the maximum stay with a VOA is limited to 60 days and is only eligible for foreign tourists from 87 countries. Meanwhile, visitor visas for tourism are available for visitors from all countries.

Previously, a visitor visa for tourism had to be submitted by sponsors through the visa-online.imigrasi.go.idToday, not only without a sponsor, foreign tourists can apply for this visa by themselves on the molina.imigrasi.go.id.

To apply for a visa, foreign tourists only need to register an account at molina.imigrasi.go.id. After logging in, the applicant can fill out the available forms and upload the required documents. If all data is valid, then the applicant can complete the payment by following the guidelines available on the website. Next, the visa will be sent electronically to the registered email address.

Requirements for a Visitor Visa for Tourism for 60 days are as follows:

1. Travel documents with the following conditions:
a. A passport valid for a minimum of 12 months for a single-entry visitor visa application with a validity period of 180 days
b. A passport valid for a minimum of six months for a single-entry visitor visa application with a validity period of 60 days
c. A Legal travel document valid for at least 12 months for a stateless person
2. Proof of having sufficient funds for himself and/or his family while staying in Indonesia minimum of USD 2,000;
3. Return ticket or connecting ticket to continue the journey to another country, except for the crew of the means of transport which will stop over to join the ship and continue their journey to another country;
4. Two pieces of color photographs 4 cm x 6 cm

"There is no difference in visa fee from the previous; the visitor visa for tourism is still Rp 1,500,000,-. Foreigners can pay via Visa, Mastercard, JCB debit, or credit card. So it can be done in one go," Silmy concluded.

Reporter: Elyan Nadian Zahara
Editor: Achmad Nur Saleh