During the covid-19 pandemic Indonesia has severely restricted its policy with regards to foreign travelers. Foreigners can only under certain conditions enter Indonesia. Under the current conditions, tourists cannot yet enter Indonesia by using a regular tourist visa (visa on arrival or visa exemption). However, the borders have now opened for business travelers and foreigners using a stay permit (ITAS).
In this article we will explain in more detail how foreigners can enter Indonesia, using a:
ENTRY INTO INDONESIA USING SINGLE ENTRY BUSINESS VISA
The single entry business visa allows entry into Indonesia for various types of purposes. Foreigners are often using the single entry visit visa for social purposes (better know as the Social Budaya Visa). Foreigners use this type of visa also regularly for business meetings (better know as the Single Entry Business Visa). The visa allows for an initial stay of 60 days and foreigners have the option to extend the visa for up to 4 times, 30 days per extension. Since it is a single entry visa only, it allows for one entry into Indonesia only. When a foreigner leaves Indonesia, the visa is no longer valid.
WHICH TYPE OF VISA IS AVAILABLE FOR ENTRY INTO INDONESIA?
Under the current condition, foreigners can obtain a single entry visit visa for business purposes only. Single entry visit visas for other purposes (including the Social Budaya Visas) are suspended still until further notice. Under a business visa, a foreigner can have business meetings in Indonesia. The visa does not allow for work activities in Indonesia, as this would require a work permit.
The single entry visa is available in the form of an eVisa (electronic visa). Foreigners can simply print this eVisa and show it to the immigration officers at the immigration checkpoint at the airport. There is no longer a need to pick up the visa at the Indonesian embassy abroad.
CAN I APPLY FOR BUSINESS VISA?
In order to apply for a single entry business visa, the foreigner must have a company that is willing to act as guarantor. The guarantor must be a limited liability company which is established and domiciled in Indonesia. Without such guarantor it is impossible to apply for the visa. A guarantor is legally responsible for all the actions foreigners perform under their sponsorship in Indonesia.
SPONSORSHIP OF BUSINESS VISA BY US
In case a guarantor company is not readily available or a client or relation is not willing to sponsor the business visa of the foreigner, our firm can act as guarantor through one of our fully owned entities. Our entities are specially designed to act as fully compliant sponsor of business visas for foreigners in Indonesia. Since we have all licenses and documentation at hand and our entities fully comply with the requirements set by the government, the only documents we require from clients are:
- Copy of passport
- Health Certificate stating a negative PCR COVID-19 result in English issued by the health authority from the respective country of origin.
USING STAY PERMIT (ITAS) TO ENTER INDONESIA
In addition to the option to apply for a business visa, the Indonesian immigration allows entry to stay permit (ITAS) holders. There are the following types of stay permit (ITAS) which can be used by foreigners to enter Indonesia:
- stay permit (ITAS) under company
- stay permit (ITAS) under spouse
- investor stay permit
The stay permit (ITAS) option is a perfect solution for foreigners who intend to stay in Indonesia for a longer period of time. With an ITAS, foreigners can freely enter and exit at any given time during the validity period. The stay permit under a company or spouse is valid up to 12 months, while the investor permit is valid for up to 2 years.
CAN I APPLY FOR A STAY PERMIT (ITAS) IN INDONESIA?
Similar to the single entry visit visa, the stay permit requires a guarantor. The guarantor can be either an Indonesian spouse or an Indonesian company. In case an Indonesian company will act as sponsor, the foreigner will first need to obtain a work permit from the ministry of manpower. The exception to this rule is the investor stay permit holder. An investor is exempted from the obligation to apply for a work permit in Indonesia and can perform work activities without work permit. A foreigner under a spouse stay permit (ITAS) can directly apply for the ITAS.
SPONSORSHIP OF STAY PERMIT BY US
Also for stay permit applications we are able to provide sponsorship solutions through our specially designed fully owned companies. We have companies in various locations in Indonesia which allows foreigners to choose in which city or region they prefer to stay, including Jakarta, Batam and Bali.