18 countries have already been defined
Indonesian President Joko Widodo has instructed to expand the list of countries whose citizens enjoy the right of visa-free entry.
As stated by the Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy Sandiaga Uno, we are talking about 20 states, 18 of them have already been identified, these are:
• Australia
• United Kingdom
• Germany
• India
• Spain
• Italy
• Qatar
• China
• Netherlands
• New Zealand
• United Arab Emirates
• Russia
• Saudi Arabia
• USA
• Taiwan
• France
• South Korea
• Japan
Two more seats are planned to be allocated to representatives of the Middle East.
“We proceeded from the idea to attract as many tourists as possible, who, as a rule, spend a lot of time in Indonesia and make a significant contribution to the local economy,” Sandiaga Uno said.
As noted, when compiling this list, consultations were held with the local Foreign Ministry in order to ensure compliance with the principle of reciprocity.
The issue has not yet been resolved – the list and conditions will be discussed, most likely, at the beginning of next year.
Interestingly, last summer, the Indonesian authorities abandoned the idea of resuming visa-free travel for passport holders from more than 150 countries, including Russia. At the same time, the same Sandiago Uno spoke about the “ineffectiveness” of visa-free travel for such tourists.
Currently, visas to visit Indonesia are not required only for travelers from countries belonging to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), as well as from East Timor.
Russians can get an Indonesian visa at the airport upon arrival – such a visa is issued for a stay in the country for no more than 30 days, but it can be extended for another month on the spot. If you arrive on an international flight to Jakarta or Denpasar, there is an alternative option – to apply for an electronic visa on arrival (e-VOA) in advance.
