Bali has expanded its visa on arrival (VoA) program at I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport to include foreign visitors from 42 countries, Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Uno announced Monday.
The addition of these 19 countries is indicated in Circular No. IMI -0532. GR.01.01 of 2022 on Special Arrival Tourism. The ruling takes effect at midnight on March 22, 2022, Bali time, and will be reviewed on a regular basis.
“So, the direction from the President (Joko Widodo) is that the expansion of the VoA and no-quarantine policies must be realized. We are currently coordinating, and hopefully, on March 22 (2022), tomorrow, the circular will be issued,” Uno said told reporters on Monday.
The new VoA countries include South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, China, Denmark, Finland, Hungary, India, Mexico, Norway, Poland, Seychelles, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, and Tunisia.
The list already included visitors from Australia, the US, Netherlands, Brunei, Philippines, the UK, Italy, Japan, Germany, Cambodia, Canada, South Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, France, Qatar, New Zealand, Singapore, Thailand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, and Vietnam.
The expansion of the VoA scheme comes shortly after Indonesia lifted quarantine restrictions for international visitors statewide following a successful trial run on the islands of Bali, Batam, and Bintan.
Overseas tourists will still have to present a negative PCR test before being allowed into the country, the minister said.
Requirements for a Visa on Arrival (VoA)
- Have a valid passport with at least six months left on it before it expires.
- Have a return ticket for travel to a different nation.
- Other documents required by the COVID19 Task Force.
The VoA entry program costs Rp500,000 (US 35) and allows tourists to stay in the territory for up to 30 days and It’s possible to get another 30-day extension.
With all these adjustments, the government plans to increase the number of international tourist arrivals to 3.6 million in 2022.
“We have not revised it (the target). We are still waiting for the relaxation (of restrictions) and (the development of) pandemic. I am quite optimistic that we can exceed the target for foreign tourist arrivals,” the minister said.
The VoA program could be expanded to other airports such in Surabaya and Jakarta over the coming weeks.