Lately there has been a huge increase in people getting into trouble with the authorities in Bali for not using their Bali visas correctly. In many cases, this is through not knowing the terms of their visa, or being misinformed about actions that can be undertaken with a particular visa in Bali. Today we are detailing the regulations with regard to the main visas for tourists and ex-pats in Bali.
Bali Visa on Arrival – VOA
The visa on arrival is available to citizens of selected countries on arrival in Indonesia. You can also apply for it online before you arrive in Bali. Learn more about applying for the e-VOA for Bali here.
This visa is initially valid for 3o days (including the date of arrival and departure) and can be extended once for an additional 30 days at a cost of IDR 850,000 to a maximum of 60 days. Find out about the VOA extension process in Bali here.
This visa is predominantly for tourists. When you have this visa, you cannot undertake any work activities in Bali. You can however have meetings with potential business partners in the future.
It is also not possible to change this visa to a different visa. So if you decided to stay longer than the maximum 60 days permitted with this visa, you would have to leave Indonesia and return with either a new VOA (for another stay of maximum 60 days) or a B211 offshore visa or KITAS for longer stays. These would require at least 3 working days to process the application with express service while you are outside of Indonesia.
For the updated list of countries who can attain a Visa on Arrival in Bali, click here.
B211 Offshore & Onshore Visa
This visa is also aimed at tourists and does not permit you to work while in Indonesia. You can however have meetings with potential business partners to scope out opportunities to start a business in Bali.
The maximum length of this visa is 6 months if you extend it every 60 days. More information on extending your Bali visa is available here.
It is possible to change this visa to another one, so you could get the onshore B211 after having the offshore B211. You can also change to a KITAS from the B211 Bali visa.
Investor KITAS
Many people got an investor visa during the last few years purely for the purpose of staying long term in Bali, rather than investing in Bali, and are now facing difficulties which we wrote about here.
Others are getting in trouble for working within their businesses, rather than taking on a pure investor role. To be safe from Bali authorities with an Investor KITAS you need to ensure you are doing the following:
What you must do if you have an Investor KITAS:
- Investing in and managing a PT PMA business in Bali
- Your PMA is undertaking activities in line with its business classification
- Your PMA is submitting investment reports and paying taxes in line with regulations in Indonesia
- You are NOT working in Bali
The Investor KITAS is for those investing in Bali, Indonesia. It does not permit you to do any hands-on work within your business.
What you can do with an Investor KITAS:
- Manage the business
- Attend meetings
- Undertake staff training
- Discuss large orders and sales with suppliers/buyers
What you cannot do with an Investor KITAS in Bali:
- Do any marketing or advertising activities (these need to be done by local staff or a foreigner with a Working KITAS under your PMA who has the job classification of Marketing)
- Cook at, clean, or tidy your business premises
- Serve customers one-on-one
- Be the person holding the camera doing photoshoots, videography etc
Currently, there is a big campaign in Bali to ensure visitors are using their visas correctly. There has been a specialist task force set up and locals are encouraged to report any suspected infringements. It is therefore more important than ever to ensure your visa and/or company paperwork is in order and you are not breaking the rules of your visa.
If you would like to discuss your situation further, please make an appointment to meet us by emailing info@visaagencybali.com
