Visafree in 2015

davita

davita

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Mar 13, 2012
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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
 
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paulseawind

Guest
davita said:
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
Click to expand...

My guess is it was a document that should not have been released which is why they jumped on it and you can't see anything further
These things happen in Government and private enterprise as well

With approx 1,000,000 Australians into Bali alone this year, that's a large amount of revenue to just not collect moving forward, when everything is already in place to collect it, and the visitor's expectation is there to pay the fee
Not only missing everyone at the front gate, the extension money would also be gone and that would add up to a certain amount
Plus, dropping the entry fee will increase the number of visits thereby putting an already under-load infrastructure under even more pressure

If the VOA requirements were removed for those countries then what's the length of stay in that case?
If six months then it becomes similar to a 12-month multiple entry visa except this one is free
You can come and go as often as you wish providing no more than 6 months at a time
I can see that being very atttractive indeed to some Australians
 
davita

davita

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Mar 13, 2012
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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.
 
davita

davita

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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.
 
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paulseawind

Guest
davita said:
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.
Click to expand...

The last time I went to the USA (2011) I had to get a $42 visa ahead of arrival and they have mega visits per annum

I don't know why Malaysia doesn't charge admission

So, you can't guess it

Each country to their own I suppose
This is not a perfect science
And I do not know the pecking order of the Asean countries

Phils into Indonesia, not pay
Australians into Indonesia, must pay

I'd like to add in here some tech info
If I am here and wanting to use Google (that happens many times on a normal day) and I am looking for Google it can take a fair while to start up
But if I clip the .au off the end and go to Google, it comes straight up
Riddle me that one

My thoughts are: there is not more to this than meets the eye, rather there is less
If the various plumbings of the internet are not 100% efficient then it follows the plumbings of other areas are also not 100%

We are, on that basis, dealing with an emerging country that is still finding it's athlete's feet and it wants to run

Very interesting indeed if I believe my own story (ahhh, Aga Red, you've done it again!)

Linking this back to your post, if it was a mistakenly published document then this thread vaporises/vaporizes
If not, then where is the document?
And what is the ultimate plan?
And what about Jan 2015

Personally I can't see an emerging country just waiving huge fees for visas when cash is king, as always
However, who am I to make such a statement - it is just my opinion and it could be far off the centreline of the truth or reality here
 
davita

davita

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Mar 13, 2012
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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
 
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paulseawind

Guest
davita said:
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
Click to expand...

Excellent, davita, thanks
You can see how little I know yet I still have a voice like everyone does, and this shows how big decisions are made by millions of small minds, but I do not want to digress to there
It was an ESTA, correct
Exactly
I found I needed one and hurriedly arranged one from the lounge in Narita, OTW to LAX
(One of those moments where you have just enough battery life in the Dell to do it)

It now rings a distant bell that the tattooed clerk who was vetting me into the USA may have uttered something about 'it's not a visa' when I said visa
But, under those circumstances, I silence myself to the side of caution and just smile

Who knows what this fresh news announcement is all about
But there has just been a shift in power here and things tend to flux about until they settle down after a leadership change
It's all good stuff and makes for conversation and email/internet is an ideal medium for that

I thought after my previous post that the 3 key items for the 'poorer than poor' are Health, Wealth and Education
Just waiving $35 mill from the Aussies and let's say another $50+ mill from the remainder, that's a rubbery figure of $85+ mill
We all know that is a powerful amount of Health and Education to those who truly need it
A powerful amount that would only increase moving forward by both visit increases and individual visit cost increases
By the Government waiving that kind of money they are basically saying we do not need it

I wonder . . . . . .

I know they do - there is much evidence around us they need it

In my area, people still bathe and wash clothes in the murky water that flows from the mountains to the paddies and then into the Bali Sea
That's a health issue, for a start and shows an obvious wealth issue
And because it's a health issue, it also shows an education issue
Health and education are closely linked
Wealth is further removed

It's a brave man who will just say we don't need $85 million at the front gate any more
 
spicyayam

spicyayam

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Jan 12, 2009
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It is interesting that this is being announced at the same time the gasoline subsidies are being removed.
 
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paulseawind

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spicyayam said:
It is interesting that this is being announced at the same time the gasoline subsidies are being removed.
Click to expand...

That SMH article from yesterday also referred to ideas about encouraging yachts, etc, stopping over
I remember reading in 2012 that $USD750,000 had been allocated to build a big Jetty in Lovina for these types of things
But it has not happened yet
The large number of yachts that came in September this year had to moor offshore and they were a curiosity to the locals who flocked to see them
 
spicyayam

spicyayam

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Well they did build a jetty of sorts. It was already crumbling after it opened.
 
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paulseawind

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spicyayam said:
Well they did build a jetty of sorts. It was already crumbling after it opened.
Click to expand...

I 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
 
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odez999

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Jul 4, 2011
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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

Markit

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Sep 3, 2007
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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
 
davita

davita

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Mar 13, 2012
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JohnnyCool said:
Maybe the $20 departure tax will be increased?
Click to expand...

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.
 
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