davita
Malaysia doesn't charge tourists and most passports get 3 months....and they have multiple more tourists than Indonesia. If they can do it why not Indonesia.
spicyayam
davita
Thanks Spicyayam...that link seems to give credibility to my post as it does come from the Minister of Tourism and does quote the correct VOA fee.
davita
According to this amendment from Wiki quote ...
'
On 5th November 2014, the Ministry of Tourism of Indonesia planning to abolish visa requirements for citizens of Russia, South Korea, People's Republic of China, Japan and Australia starting January 2015.'
and
403 Forbidden
It says that the Minister of Maritime Affairs will waive the Visa On Arrival (VOA) fee for visitors to Indonesia from the above countries.
I'm not so sure about its authenticity as it does mention the fee is currently US$25.... when I understand it is now US$35. Also, I would expect such an arrangement would be the purvue of Ministry of Immigration and Ministry of Tourism.
edit...I've no idea why I cannot link but for those wishing to read it's a report in ttgasia.com
davita
Re...the link...I can only surmise that an RI censor is at play as the TTG is a Chinese news media.
All ASEAN members have a visa-free visit reciprocity. Australia is not a member of ASEAN....it is only a dialogue partner.
I've no idea why you paid to enter USA as Australia passport holders are on the list of the Visa Waiver Program...(VWP). You may have paid for an ESTA which is an electronic reporting mechanism and sometimes 3rd parties charge a fee for this.
Visa Waiver Program | Embassy of the United States Canberra, Australia
Markit
OMG we are doomed to a slow - long winded death...
spicyayam
It is interesting that this is being announced at the same time the gasoline subsidies are being removed.
spicyayam
Well they did build a jetty of sorts. It was already crumbling after it opened.
Braveheart_shaped_box
paulseawind wroteI am going to take a look later today because I have not set foot on that jetty for a few years, despite having icy Anker besars right nearby
Was this since October 2012?
There has been a jetty there for many years
Can you do a full report and include some pics please. TiA.
Braveheart_shaped_box
paulseawind wroteNo problem
Will do
How do you post/insert/add/attach a pic on a reply like this?
I haven't found that yet
PM sent Paul.
To attach jpegs use third from the right icon in task bar immediately above text. Note, the server does not 'like' big files.
odez999
I think this is brilliant move !
Do you think that that 35$ visa fee will go back to Austr5alia or China or Russia .. NO ! It will go where is suppose to go .. to wayang warung on the street, tourists will spent extra time in warung instead infront corrupted official at immigration ! They will not return back that 35$ back home .. they will leave it (spend) somewhere else .. instead for visa ! It will simply better redistribution of funds .. instead to those who doent deserve (corrupted clerks) to those who actually fight and do something to survive .. street vendors ...etc ...
And about this VOA "tax" .. I think they know that Indonesian citizens have least benefit from it !!! Those funds never even comes to be redistributed to gov socical projects .. its eaten on the way . .by corrupted governancing + above all they invented whole industry on those Visas .. fast lanes in airport and what not ... fake . .and real stalkers in airport ... Agent and agencies of all sort ... Free of interpretation rules ... etc etc
This whole immigration offices and regulations are one big crap ... rampant nepotism and corruption ... and getting bigger year by year ... In a way evry one want piece of pie without any actall work !
They are simply doing bad to indoensian people when you calculate all in ! And I think this new governance is aware of it ! ( i hope) + it might attract some new people !
Right now a lot of people simply do not come to Indo coz first step is VOA (read you need to deal very unplesant LAWS as first barrier and second is CORRUPTED and UNPLEASANT official who just looking how to **** you over ...
and foreigners are aware of that .. If not they become aware just as they touch the ground in Nugra Rai airport with those stalkers .. lines and bull**** !
BTW reciprocity (I heard this as fair system a lot) doesnt work if you are at the bottom of food chain as Indonesia is (is counter productive to conduct reciprocity policy among uneven)... I hear a lot of this from Indonesians living abroad .. like its not fair .. should be same .. reciprocity ... how narrow minded are they tieing to "defend" " THEIR" country !
By this logic if some maniac rape you sister you should rape his ... simply reciprocity ... I mean so wrong on so many levels ... And they tend to hink about subject as whole a full 1 minute if so ...and allready have cemented oppinion ,,stance !
Markit
Guys this is all in line with the ASEAN agreements from last year whereby all signees agree to waive visa requirements. It's not to do with generosity or freedom, it's simply something Indonesia has agreed to and must act on.
To put it in perspective the $35 is about the same as a small round of beers in Sydney so don't go getting all excited that everyone in Oz is gonna drop what they're doing and head off to Bali because it's suddenly gotten lots cheaper.
I guess my experiences with immigration have been blessed with luck as I'm always through in minutes and have never had anything but the nicest experiences with the officers on the desks being helpful in answering my questions and accepting of anyolbullshet that I care to tell em.
Wake up and smell the Frangipani
JohnnyCool
Maybe the $20 departure tax will be increased?
davita
JohnnyCool wroteMaybe the $20 departure tax will be increased?
That's highly likely...I read somewhere recently that all airlines have agreed to include the airport user fee into the tickets, like most other airports in the world. But when...and how much....was not decided, as all RI airports currently charge a different fee.
Normy
In about 25 visits to Bali over past 17 years I have never been asked a question at immigration . It has never been necessary for me to ask them any questions.
davita
Normy wroteIn about 25 visits to Bali over past 17 years I have never been asked a question at immigration . It has never been necessary for me to ask them any questions.
During the last 17 years a folded currency note of value inside a passport usually produced tight lips.:icon_wink:
Today and tomorrow....not so sure...:black_eyed:
davita
@ post 25
Good post JohnnyCool and thanks for sharing.
May I ask for some clarification...you say you didn't have a MERP stamp in your passport when you went to Australia 'recently'. Was that since the new rules were introduced last July?
I'm told, in future, there will only be one Kitas stamp and NO MERP stamp as the MERP is now mandatory for Kitas holders anyway, and they come in combination and expire at the same time.
I'm waiting for my new Kitas to be issued on 5 December so cannot yet confirm.
JohnnyCool
[QUOTE]May I ask for some clarification...you say you didn't have a MERP stamp in your passport when you went to Australia 'recently'. [B]Was that since the new rules were introduced last July?[/B][/QUOTE]
No, davita. My last KITAS (with the missing MERP) was due for renewal in December, 2014. I went to Darwin last month.
I've also been told that the MERP is now mandatory. Just my "luck", or lack of it.
:abnormal:
JohnnyCool
I presume that you went to the immigration office in Singaraja.
The inconsistencies between different offices have always bemused me, but I guess that's "Incredible Indonesia" for you.
I have had a retirement KITAS for many years here. The last few years, I've paid extra for a MERP (multiple entry-reentry).
Imagine my shock and surprise when I had to go to Australia recently and my latest MERP wasn't in my passport.
It was late on a Saturday night, my flight due to leave in about two hours.
I had a big interview with the officials, who said I had to go to the immigration office to "fix" this.
What!? It's Saturday night, Wayan. Maybe my old age worked for me, because they let me fly out in the end.
Amazingly, they didn't ask me for any money, or cigarettes.
The person who has been doing all my visas for years is now a retired immigration official. Never had a problem before, so obviously somebody screwed up.
Usually, I just go to the ex-official's house, ([B]not[/B] the immigration office), and everything is dealt with there (apart from having to do the fingerprints/photos stuff.)
In Australia, I went to an Indonesian consulate to try and get a two-month tourist visa (rather than just fly back to Bali and line up for a VOA).
That was OK, [I]except[/I] that they wanted me to have a plane ticket out of Indonesia. I opted for a VOA instead, and unfortunately, I wasn't flying Garuda (where you can do your visa on-board).
Back in Bali, the airport officials pulled me aside again. Basically, they took all my KITAS stuff away from me (blue book, plastic card, etc).
The next problem was how long would it take to renew my KITAS from scratch? To be on the safe side, I decided to extend my VOA, just in case.
Of course I vented my displeasure about all of this to the retired official. Everything was fixed for the VOA extension, apart from me having to go to the immigration office near the airport for fingerprints/photo.
I had to wait nearly three hours before my number came up.
OK - so [B]that [/B]part of my new process was finished. Next was waiting for the approval from Jakarta to arrive for my new KITAS. It actually came quite quickly (maybe 10 days).
I was sweating on it because I'd already booked/paid for my flights and hotel in Singapore and was worried that [I]maybe[/I], if the approval didn't arrive before my VOA extension expired, I'd have to go to Singapore twice.
To this day, after living in Indonesia nearly 20 years, I still don't understand the "logic" of why we have to leave the country to pick up our visas.
The money I spend in Singapore, KL, Bangkok, Darwin, wherever, is money that I don't spend in Indonesia. WTF?
The other thing is that are several extremely reliable agents in Singapore who can pick up your papers in the morning, go to the Indonesian Embassy and have everything finished later in the afternoon of the same day.
The price for this service varies with what kind of visa has to be processed.
In my current case, the official KITAS price is Rp 1,500,000 and I pay the agent an extra Rp 500,000 to do all the running around. Definitely beats going to the embassy and being told it will take at least three days, blah blah...unless you use an "agent".
Sorry for the length of this post. I thought it might be of [I]some[/I] interest to somebody, and I've got it off my chest, so to speak.
:drunk:
davita
JohnnyCool wroteNo, davita. My last KITAS (with the missing MERP) was due for renewal in December, 2014. I went to Darwin last month.
I've also been told that the MERP is now mandatory. Just my "luck", or lack of it.
:abnormal:
Thanks...then my information in post #26 may be accurate. I've not found anyone yet who has confirmed the new procedure. I'll know, and post, when my passport is returned.
