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Russia, Ukraine among additions to visa-on-arrival list
Twelve more countries have been added to Indonesia's visa on arrival eligibility scheme, part of a larger drive to relax COVID-19 restrictions and spur economic recovery.
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he citizens of 12 additional countries, including Russia and Ukraine, have been made eligible for Indonesia’s visa on arrival for tourism (VKSKKW) scheme, as the government continues to relax COVID-19 border restrictions to spur economic growth.
Besides Russia and Ukraine, foreign nationals from Bahrain, Belarus, Bosnia, Kuwait, Egypt, Morocco, Oman, Peru, Serbia and Jordan will be able to enter Indonesia through any of nine airports, 11 seaports and four land border posts designated for international tourist arrivals.
Meanwhile, plans to expand the list of countries whose citizens are exempt from the tourist visa requirement have been put on hold indefinitely. Only citizens of the nine other ASEAN member countries are currently eligible for the exemption.
As the world emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic and wades into the uncertainty of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Indonesia has forged ahead with its reopening for tourism, particularly in popular destinations such as Bali and Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara.
The Ukraine war has stranded citizens of the two belligerents in Bali, the site of the upcoming Group 20 Summit, which aims to find solutions to the ongoing crisis.
Russian and Ukrainian tourists flocked to the island by the tens of thousands before the pandemic and were among the first to return when borders partially reopened.
But the war and unprecedented Western sanctions on Russia’s banks are taking a toll on its citizens overseas, some of whom have had to scramble to find cash or turn to crypto transactions.
The expanded visa on arrival scheme will not necessarily help those already stranded in the country.
To be eligible for a visa on arrival for tourism, foreign nationals must have a passport with at least six months of remaining validity, proof of a return or onward flight to another destination country, proof of insurance for the duration of the stay and proof of payment for the visa itself.
The fee for a visa on arrival is capped at Rp 500,000 (US$34.5), and the renewal fee is also Rp 500,000.
“The stay permit of the visa on arrival can be extended once for 30 days at the nearest immigration office to the foreign national’s area of residence,” Home Ministry immigration spokesman Achmad Nur Saleh said in a statement on Monday.
He warned that stay permits acquired through the VKSKKW scheme could not be changed into other permits and that holders of such a visa could not apply for an onshore visa during their stay in the country.
He also urged foreign nationals and tourism players to observe immigration regulations and noted that hotel owners were required to provide data on visitors staying at their venues.
“Foreign nationals who have been proven to have misused their stay permits will be sanctioned under immigration rules. If they are proven to have violated health protocols or have disrupted public order, they will be charged under the applicable laws and regulations,” he continued.
The government previously relaxed a number of other COVID-19 restrictions. It no longer requires fully vaccinated incoming travelers to provide polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test results, and masks are now optional in open spaces.
International travelers to the country are still required to download the PeduliLindungi contact tracing and vaccine verification app and fill in their personal information.
