How to Get a Digital Nomad Visa in Indonesia

Looking to get your hands on a Digital Nomad Visa in Indonesia? Look no further!
Home to some of the most beautiful places on earth, Indonesia is a favorite amongst digital nomads. Bali is perhaps the best known, but you’ll find plenty of other exciting destinations in this country. Especially if you want to get away from the crowd.

You’ll find everything you need to know about getting a Digital Nomad Visa in Indonesia below.

Visa for foreign nationals

It is a particular situation at the moment. Unfortunately, Indonesia has been known for tightening its regulations on who can obtain a visa regardless of this situation.

Previously, you had the option to get a multiple-entry visa. This allowed you to leave the country and come back on the same visa. Now, your only option is to get a single-entry visa. This is not very lucrative for a lot of people, as it means you will need to apply for a new one each time you leave the country.

Visa on Arrival

The Visa on Arrival is now available for nationals of 23 countries. It’s valid for 30 days, and can then can be extended once for another 30 days. The cost is 500k IDR (about $35) for the initial 30-day visa. The Visa on Arrival cannot be converted into another type of stay permit.

From 7 March 2022, the Indonesian Government has reopened its Visa on Arrival services at I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport (Bali). Citizens from the following 23 countries can buy a Visa On Arrival at this airport only:

1. Australia
2. Brunei Darussalam
3. Cambodia
4. Canada
5. France
6. Germany
7. Italy
8. Japan
9. Laos
10. Malaysia
11. Myanmar
12. Netherlands
13. New Zealand
14. Philippines
15. Qatar
16. Singapore
17. South Korea
18. Thailand
19. Turkiye (Turkey)
20. United Arab Emirates
21. United Kingdom
22. United States of America
23. Vietnam

As a digital nomad, the single-entry business visa is your best option. This visa lets you stay in Indonesia for 60 days, but can also be extended up to four times, with 30 additional days each time. Once you have obtained it, you get to live and work freely within that time period.

How to get the visa

You’ll need to go through a standard application process. It starts with getting an appointment at a local embassy or an Indonesian travel agent like Bali Business Consulting. You’ll need to fill out the application form, and bring all the necessary documents to the appointment.

Whilst pretty unusual, it is advised that you get a sponsor in Indonesia who can submit a request for your approval on your behalf. The sponsor can be an individual person or an organization. The sponsor will provide an authorization letter, or a TELEX, which will be sent to the embassy of your choosing. This letter will be a part of your application and will help speed up the process. It will also give you better chances at obtaining a visa.

Electronic Visa (eVisa)

If you are not eligible for a Visa on Arrival, your Indonesian sponsor has to submit a visa application through the website of the Directorate General of Immigration – Jakarta. Tourist visa applications must be submitted by an Indonesian visa/travel agent or hotel. An E-Visa will be issued for the following purposes:

Visit Visa (B211 – 60 days; extendable up to 4 times (30 days/extension)

B211A

• tourism;
• an emergency and essential work;
• a business meeting;
• purchase of goods;
• a medical, food, and humanitarian aid worker; and
• a crew member who joins the vessel in Indonesia;

B211B

• a probationary period for foreign workers;

B211C

• journalism / making a movie

Temporary stay visa (12 months)

A temporary stay visa will be granted to foreigners for work activity and/or non-work activity. This visa can be converted into an Indonesian Temporary Residence Permit (KITAS).

Temporary stay visa for the work activity is granted to a foreign worker (C312)

• as a professional or expert;
• who joins to work on ships, on vessels, or installations operating in the Indonesian maritime zone, territorial sea, continental shelf, and Indonesian Exclusive Economic Zone;
• whose job is quality control of goods or products;
• who conducts workplace inspections and audit;
• whose work with an after sales service;
• who installs and repairs machines;
• with a non-permanent work in constructions;
• with a probationary period for skilled works.

Temporary stay visa for the non-work activity is granted to a foreigner for:

C313 – C314

• foreign investment (1 year);
• foreign investment (2 years);

C316

• study;

C317

• Family Reunification (Indonesian spouse, dependents of a foreigner who holds KITAS/KITAP, children from mixed marriage)

Other useful information

Indonesian regulations are quite strict compared to a lot of other countries, so you need to make sure that you go through the process accurately. For instance, having a regular tourist visa will not permit you to work whilst you’re there. So conducting business on that type of visa is illegal.

You also need to keep in mind that the regulations differ depending on your own nationality, so it would be wise to contact your local embassy to be certain that you follow the rules. It remains to be seen if there will be any significant changes to the visa process once they open up again.

Some good news

It has been announced, however, that digital nomads residing in Bali will be eligible for a 5-year visa in the future. Bali is a hub for digital nomads, so this is a welcomed scheme to facilitate more business on the island. If you earn your income from outside of Indonesia, you will not be taxed on this visa! This means that for a digital nomad, this will be a highly sought-after visa.

Giving back

It will however be a good way for digital nomads to give back to the beautiful island, which has been hit pretty hard financially over the last years. If the island can attract more digital nomads they will contribute to the tourism economy. You get to enjoy the island, whilst having great benefits, such as no taxes. The island gets its tourism industry back on track; it seems like a win-win situation!

For now, however, we have to sit back patiently and wait for new updates. Hopefully, we can go back to business as usual sooner rather than later!

Curious about the Digital Nomad Visa options in other countries? Check out our collection of articles covering just that!

References:

https://kemlu.go.id/oslo/en/pages/limited_stay_visa_-_suspended/3242/etc-menu
https://emerhub.com/bali/living-in-bali-as-a-digital-nomad/#h2_1
https://indonesia.nl/en/visa/