TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesian President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo stated that the decision to suspend the visa-free visits facility for 159 countries was taken following the evaluation of the policy. This is stipulated in the Law and Human Rights Minister’s Regulation No. M.HH-GR.01.07 of 2023 signed on June 7, 2023.

“This must be through evaluation. We used to totally open [visits from a lot of countries]. The evaluation is about whether it is beneficial or not to the country. If it is not, it must be stopped,” the President said today, June 21, when visiting Pasar Parungpung, Gunung Sindur, West Java.

He explained that other countries also evaluate their own visa-free policy. “All countries do that, [holding] an evaluation and [considering] the benefits,” Jokowi remarked.

The suspension of the visa-free visit facility is noted in the Law and Human Rights Minister’s Regulation signed by Yasonna Laoly. It is noted that the facility given to countries or institutions based on the Presidential Regulation No. 21/2016 is no longer in line with the public need.

A spokesperson for the Law and Human Rights Ministry, Achmad Nur Saleh, reiterated that the government addressed concerns about public order disruptions and the potential transmission of diseases from countries that are not certified as disease-free by the World Health Organization (WHO). “Based on the considerations, this minister’s regulation is issued,” he said.

The 159 countries were previously included in the group of 169 countries eligible for visa-free visits. Thus, only 10 ASEAN countries are exempted from the visa requirements, namely Brunei Darussalam, the Philippines, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, Timor Leste, and Vietnam.

People from the ten countries can stay up to 30 days with a valid passport and a confirmed departure ticket. The validity period, however, cannot be extended. “To stay longer in Indonesia, foreigners can choose other types of immigration permits such as e-VOA (Electronic Visa on Arrival), Visit Visa, or Limited Stay Visa,” Achmad explained.

M JULNIS FIRMANSYAH

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