TheJakartaPost
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Expats cautiously welcome ‘second home’ visa
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Passengers walk past airline counters on Oct. 18, 2022, at Terminal 3 of Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Banten. (Antara/Fauzan)
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arried couples of mixed Indonesian and non-Indonesian citizenship have welcomed the government’s “second home” stay permit program – which will allow foreigners to live in the country for up to 10 years under specific circumstances – but they worry the new policy could bring prohibitive costs for existing visa holders.
The program, announced on Tuesday and to take effect by the end of the year, will allow foreigners to apply for a second home stay permit if they have an existing visa and provide proof of funds of either Rp 2 billion (US$128,559) in a personal Indonesian bank account or proof of ownership of a luxury property in the country.
The permit will allow them to stay in the country for either five or 10 years.
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Government officials have said that the second home program is intended to boost the country’s tourism sector, which is struggling under the shadow of the pandemic.
The expat community in Indonesia, however, has reservations about the new program.
