INDONESIA: Visa Free Entry Extended to 79 More Nationalities

April 27, 2016


The current visa free entry to Indonesia which allows certain nationalities to stay for up to 30 days has been extended to a further 79 countries. This brings the total number of qualifying countries to 169. The visa free entry is only available for 30 days and cannot be extended. The idea of the scheme is to enhance the number of foreign visitors and create new job opportunities.

The new law, signed by the President of Indonesia on 2nd March 2016, also allows visa free visits for business meetings for the first time for non-ASEAN nationalities.

Who Can Travel Visa Free?

On 21st December 2015, the Indonesian government announced that 84 additional countries will be added to the visa-free list. On 2nd March 2016, visa free entry was extended to only 79 of these countries, including Australia and Brazil, bringing the total to 169. The full list of countries whose nationals qualify for visa free entry to Indonesia is provided here.

A total of 154 countries have now been added to the visa free list in the last year. In October 2015 45 countries were added to the list in addition to the 30 added in June of the same year.

Purpose of Travel

A major advantage for businesses in Indonesia is that the new regulation permits visitors to undertake business meetings without the requirement to obtain a business visa.

Previously, most visa free nationals could only visit Indonesia without a visa for tourism or other leisure purposes. Only nationals of ASEAN countries could visit Indonesia visa free for other purposes, such as business meetings. Under the new law the following purposes of visit are allowed for the 169 visa free countries:

  • Leisure / tourism

  • Family visits

  • Social

  • Art and cultural

  • Government visits

  • Giving lectures or attending seminars

  • Meetings held by the Head Office or Representative Office

  • Flight transfers

If you require a work permit for longer than 30 days then you will need to apply for a Temporary Work Permit which allows foreign nationals to work in Indonesia for longer periods.  For help with this please contact us at [email protected].