The National Covid-19 Taskforce has implemented a new requirement for foreign nationals applying for an Indonesian visa to enter the country: foreign nationals must now be fully vaccinated to be permitted entry. This is done to protect Indonesian citizens from imported cases as a response to the reported Covid-19 variants from other countries.

Foreign Nationals Must Be Fully Vaccinated

According to Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, as of 6 July 2021, all foreign nationals (WNA) entering Indonesia must be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 and have a vaccine card as proof.

“All foreigners who come to Indonesia, starting July 6, 2021, must show a vaccine card (fully vaccinated) and a negative PCR result for Covid-19 before entering Indonesia. Vaccine certificates are exempted from being granted to diplomats and visiting foreign officials at the ministerial level in accordance with diplomatic relations practices that are also applied by other countries,” said Spokesman Jodi.

Luhut also explained that for Indonesian citizens entering Indonesia but have yet been vaccinated, therefore don’t have a vaccine card, they must show a negative PCR test result for Covid-19 before arrival. Then, they must undergo quarantine and have a negative PCR result at the end of quarantine. They will then be given the vaccine immediately.

“Quarantine rules, both for foreigners and Indonesian citizens, will undergo quarantine for 8 days with 2 PCR tests, namely upon arrival and on day 7,” explained Spokesman Jodi.

8 Day Quarantine

Per the direction of the Ministry of Health, travellers must undergo an 8-day quarantine with the following considerations:

  1. It’s crucial to tighten the quarantine period for international travellers as a form of increasing awareness in dealing with variants of concern.
  2. The Delta and Alpha SARS-CoV-2 variants have a median incubation period of 4 days. Therefore, the 8-day quarantine period covers twice the median incubation period of the virus.
  3. The 8-day quarantine is carried out with a combination of entry & exit RT-PCR testing which is carried out at the time of arrival of the traveller (first day) and repeated on the 7th day.
  4. Entry testing is carried out to detect as early as possible the potential for transmission from travellers.
  5. Exit testing is carried out on the 7th day to wait for the virus incubation period, in anticipation of the virus not being detected in the first test.
  6. The combination of quarantine and entry-exit testing (days 1 and 7) can prevent post-quarantine transmission, with a probability of transmission under 0.25%.
  7. To avoid transmission during the quarantine period, the implementation of quarantine for travellers needs to be carried out with discipline and strictness.

Offshore Visa Applicants

Currently, the Government still imposes restrictions for foreigners entering Indonesian territory. This rule excludes the entry of foreigners for essential purposes such as working in national strategic projects, family unions, and humanitarian reasons.

For offshore visa applicants, there are several additional documents required:

  1. A valid negative Covid-19 test certificate provided with a readable QR code.
  2. A Covid-19 vaccination certificate (complete doses).
  3. A consent letter (in English) to do an 8-day self-quarantine at designated accommodations under the health protocol.

These additional terms and conditions also apply to visa application processes (for humanitarian purposes) at Indonesian representative offices overseas.

All applications related to immigration stay permits can be carried out online through the website at imigrasi.go.id

For consultation and immigration information services, please visit www.imigrasi.go.id

NOW Bali Editorial Team

NOW Bali Editorial Team

This article has been written or uploaded by NOW! Bali's in-house editorial team.