Digital nomads and other international travelers who have made Bali their home will be happy to hear that the Indonesian government has rolled out a new visa to make their stay on the Island of the Gods smoother.
The new “Transitional residence permit,Locally called the “Bridge Visa,” it is intended for visiting, limited-stay or permanent foreign residents who are forced to leave the country to reapply for their residency permit each time it expires.
The spirit behind this initiative is that foreigners can legally stay in the country and save the hassle, time and money spent crossing the border and waiting for weeks for their new permit to be issued.
“A Transitional Stay Permit allows foreigners to save time, energy and accommodation costs that would otherwise be incurred if foreigners had to leave Indonesian territory to apply and wait for approval for a new visa,” said Indonesian Director General of Immigration Silmy Karim.
The Transitional Stay Permit is valid for 60 days and is intended for use on land. Holders of this permit will not be penalized if they overstay the validity of their visa, provided they apply for this document at least three days before the expiry date of their regular visa.
This permit cannot be used to extend the “visa on arrival” or most socio-cultural visas. But it can be used to extend the Golden Visa, the Limited Residence Visa E28 AF and some student visas.
How to apply for the new transitional residence permit
It’s a simple process. Foreigners only need to apply through the official E-visa website, https://molina.imigrasi.go.id/and make sure the process is completed at least three days before their legal document expires.
So far the following visas are available: ‘C13 – Join the ship’, ‘C21 – Attend court proceedings’, ‘E33F – Retirement visa’ and ‘E35A – Work and holiday visa for Australian nationals.’
So be aware that if you overstay the validity of your visa, you will have to pay a fine of DR 1,000,000 ($94) per day and may be deported.
“If you overstay the validity of your visa, you may be asked to pay a fine of IDR 1,000,000 ($A94) per day, and you may be detained, deported or banned from traveling to Indonesia for a certain period.” said the Directorate General of Immigration of the Ministry of Law and Human Rights.
So plan accordingly.
