Expert Says Bali's Visa on Arrival Is a Double-Edged Sword

TheIndonesia.co - The Indonesian authorities are reopening Bali and allowing the application of Visa on Arrival (VOA) for tourists from 23 counties, but expert said the policy might create unintended consequences and hurt Bali’s reputation as a world-class destination.

Public policy expert Alvin Lie said the recently-announced VOA is not in line with existing regulations, including visa exemption agreed among the member states of ASEAN.

“Even passport holders from ASEAN countries must apply for VOA when multilateral agreement between member states on visa-free entry already exists,” Lie said on Monday, March 7.

Lie said this will inevitably hurt Bali’s attractiveness and might create unintended consequences for Indonesia as a whole because it’s possible that, as a response, other ASEAN will require Indonesian tourists to also obtain VOA.

“Instead of gaining profit, Indonesia will have so much to lose,” Lie predicted, adding that he wasn’t previously aware that visa-related regulations can be enforced for a country’s certain region.

“From what I understand, visa is issued by country and will be eligible nationally, and not for, say, an island in the country. Even a federal country is unable to require visa for inter-state entry.”

Previously, Bali provincial government announced that it’s implementing a trial quarantine-free entry for foreign travelers starting Monday.

"The implementation of the no-quarantine policy for PPLN only applies through the entrance to Bali with air and sea travel," said Bali Governor Wayan Koster in a written statement in Denpasar, Friday night, March 4.

In the meeting to discuss the implementation, concerning ministries and state agencies also decided that VOA will be required for tourists from a number of countries.

Circular letter issued by the Ministry of Law and Human Rights details that the VOA rule is applicable for incoming tourists from 23 eligible countries which include Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands, France, Qatar, Japan, South Korea, Canada, Italy, New Zealand, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Brunei Darussalam, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia, and the Philippines.

The fee to obtain the VOA is Rp500,000, or equal to US$35.7.

And to apply for VOA, tourists from the countries above must show passport with at least six months of validity, return ticket or ticket for connecting flight, and other documents required by the COVID-19 Task Force.