Bali Golden Visa
Bali Golden Visa – When the Directorate General of Immigration announced the launch of the new Golden Visa policy back in 2024, there were high hopes that the new residency permit would make it easier for digital nomads to immigrate to the country. However, the latest figures show that very few foreigners have even made an application from Bali.
According to the Head of Denpasar Immigration Office, Ridha Sah Putra, just four foreigners have applied for the Golden Visa in Bali in the property and hospitality sector. The four foreigners are from Russia and Hong Kong and their applications are currently under review by the Directorate General of Immigration in Jakarta.
Putra told reporters, “The Golden Visa application process is done online through the Molina application. After verification and approval, the Golden Visa residence permit will be issued.”
He added, “This program is expected to not only provide investment opportunities but also support the economic and social development of the local community.”
Since the policy launched in 2024 a total of 471 Golden Visas have been issued nationwide. However, just four applications have been made for foreigners investing and developing businesses in Bali’s property and hospitality sector.
There had been subtly suggested hopes, from immigration and tourism leaders, that the Golden Visa would result in an upsurge in investment in these sectors in Bali specifically.
The Golden Visa policy has so far generated IDR 9 trillion, or USD 550,000. Putra concluded, “We are optimistic that Bali can become the main destination for foreign investors who want to take advantage of this Golden Visa program.”
The Golden Visa was officially launched by President Joko Widodo on 25th July 2024 and it was one of the last big immigration policies to be brought into effect during his time in office.
The policy is a form of residency-by-investment visa, and foreign investors, global talent figures, and corporate investors of former Indonesian citizens can invest a minimum of USD 350,000 in return for a 5 to 10-year residency visa.
The Golden Visa can be applied for on the basis of an individual investor setting up a company in Indonesia, an individual investor purchasing Indonesian government bonds or company stocks, on the basis of a corporate investor establishing a branch or subsidiary in Indonesia, or as a representative of an overseas company.
Those applying on the grounds of global talent can be processed via an invitation from the Indonesian government or by securing a collaboration with the Indonesian government.
The first Golden Visa, for example, was granted on the grounds of global talent. The visa was awarded to the coach of the Indonesian national football team, South Korean-born Shin Tae-Yong. Speaking at the launch ceremony, Widodo told reporters, “We hope to provide as many national benefits as possible.”
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“Don’t let people enter who are not useful to our country…But remember, the Golden Visa is only for good quality travelers, so it must be really selective and really see its contribution. Do not let people endanger the security of the country, people who do not provide national benefits.”
However, just as Bali is calling for more investment in the tourism and property sector, local community groups are calling for more accountability and transparency to help protect the livelihoods and landscape for local people, the environment and in turn the tourism sector.
Online community journalism group Uluwatu Community have published an overview of the biggest development projects happening on the Bukit Peninsula at the moment.
The group’s questions to international investors are simple: “How will you tackle water scarcity, waste management, and general infrastructure problems? We are eager to hear.”
As Indonesia looks to attract more global talent, and more international investment, and just as Bali calls in more investment though the Golden Visa policy for development of property and hospitality sectors, it is clear that many feel more needs to be done to strike a fair and sustainable balance between development and destruction on the world’s most popular vacation island.
Bali Immigration Office - Tourists Share ‘Raw And Real” Experiences
Tourists who have traveled to Bali over the last few years have spoken to an online community group about their experiences with the Bali Immigration Office.
The as-yet formally investigated and anonymously reported messages feature serious accusations that suggest that corruption and extortion are commonplace within the Bali Immigration Office at I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport.
Canggu Community and its sister account, Uluwatu Community, are social media citizen journalism accounts on Instagram with over 73,000 followers.
Both accounts are amongst the most active social media forums for tourists, digital nomads, and expats in Bali.
The communities often share anonymous Instagram stories featuring direct messages from followers who wish to discuss important topics such as scams, corruption, crime, and local controversies.
Over the last week, the Canggu Community has been amassing a collection of stories focusing on negative experiences tourists have encountered, specifically with immigration officials at I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport. This immigration office is not unfamiliar with accusations of extortion and corruption.
In November 2023, five immigration officers at I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport were arrested, and the case was handed over to the Bali Prosecutor’s Office Special Crimes Department.
The five men were arrested after being found to have been extorting money from tourists to use the VIP fast track lane at Bali’s Immigration area.
The fast-track immigration line is a free-to-use service for VIP arrivals, elderly people, or those with additional needs; sometimes, travelers with young families are permitted to use the fast-track immigration line, too.
The stories submitted to Canggu Community outline serious allegations of corruption, extortion, and abuse carried out by immigration officials at Bali Airport.
Canggu Community outlined, “It’s hard to believe so many people are facing similar issues. Could there be misbehavior behind the scenes that higher-ups aren’t noticing?”
Canggu Community asks, “If the bridge between Bali and the international world becomes untrusted, whom can foreigners rely on when visiting the island?”
The reports also include stories from tourists who claim to have experienced abuse and harassment at the taxi pick-up area, outside the terminal building, too.
One anonymous community member shared her story with the group. The woman explained how an “immigration officer on arrival hinted that he wanted me and hinted he wanted to come visit me. I translated it as a joke, but it was very unpleasant. He did not want to let me through, and I said I was constantly flying in and out.”
She went on to say, “He did not want to let me through without [giving] a phone number.” The woman also attached screenshots of what appears to be a WhatsApp interaction with the immigration officer, that suggests he wished to meet her in person.
Another expat in Bali wrote in to share, “I landed in Bali Airport around midnight. When I got to immigration, the officer said my KITAS wasn’t valid (even though I had just renewed it). She told me that if I paid her 500 USD, she would let me enter the country with no problems.”
The source explained how they took out their phone to contact their visa agent when the immigration officer got angry and accused them of taking photos. The immigration officer is said to have grabbed the phone and scrolled through the messages.
Stories also include reports of immigration officials potentially damaging tourists’ passports in order to extort money out of them, as well as accusations that immigration officials have sold or published tourists’ personal information to third-party criminals and scammers.
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The stories shared by the Canggu Community post are just a fraction of the number of direct messages they shared anonymously on their Instagram stories over the last week. The serious reports of abuse, corruption, exploitation, and harassment remain anecdotal accounts and have not been formally reported to the authorities for investigation.
Many of those impacted by these situations fear for their safety in Indonesia should they make a formal complaint; many fear that they would not be believed, and many simply wouldn’t know where to report such matters.
I Gusti Ngurah Rai International is considered to be a “Corruption Free Area,’ and an agreement was signed in 2019 in commitment to this policy. Neither I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport nor the Bali Immigration Office or the Indonesian Directorate General of Immigration have issued a response to the viral post.
Bali Clean Tourism Program
The Indonesian Ministry of Tourism announced earlier this month that it would be launching a Clean Tourism Movement to help protect the natural landscapes surrounding some of the country’s most popular tourism destinations.
The pilot program is now underway, and activities will kick off in Bali over the weekend.
The Clean Tourism Movement is designed to help improve the quality of tourism destinations around Indonesia and boost the ‘attractiveness’ of domestic destinations to tourists.
The Deputy Minister for Tourism, Ni Luh Puspa, told reporters during a beach clean-up mission at Kedonganan Beach in Bali that the movement will help increase public awareness about protecting the environment.
The Deputy Tourism Minister shared, “This movement will later form a clean waste ecosystem and public awareness of maintaining cleanliness.”
The eight destinations involved in the pilot project of the Indonesia Clean Tourism Movement are Bali, Mandalika, Borobudur, Labuan Bajo, Likupang, Lake Toba, Jakarta, and the Riau Islands.
Ni Luh Puspa added “We are focusing there first, if it is successful this year we can work on it, continue and add other locations.” There are two key areas of focus within the Clean Tourism Movement: the first is trash, and the second is the cleanliness of public facilities such as bathrooms.
New data shows that Indonesian tourism destinations are ranking 86th for health and hygiene out of 114 countries globally. The data comes from the Tourism and Travel Development Index, where overall Indonesia has improved in the rankings overall in the 2024 assessment, moving from 32nd place to 22nd.
Ni Luh Puspa explained, “That’s why we have the initiative of the clean tourism movement, which is to raise the pillars of health and hygiene.”
The Deputy Tourism Minister praised many of Bali’s top attractions for their commitment to offering top-quality health and hygiene protocols for tourists.
She noted, “Monkey Forest and Taro Village have a good waste management system, so we can imitate it in other areas, and then we can intervene or help improve management.”
During the beach clean-up operation at Kedonganan Beach, Ni Luh Puspa was joined by other top government officials.
The Minister for Environment, Hanif Faisal Nurofiq, the Deputy Minister for Environment, Diaz Hendropriyono, and the Minister for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Sakti Wahyu Trenggono, all joined the community clean-up mission after yet more tides of plastic waste have been deposited on the popular vacation beach.
Indonesian Minister for Environment Hanif Faisal Nurofiq gave assurances to the media that the government is working to implement more support to tackle marine waste nationwide.
Minster Nurofiq shared, “A team in Bali has been appointed by the Coordinating Minister for Food. We already have a clear team that will work every day with the support of everything we need to handle waste, especially marine waste in Bali.”
Nurofiq added, “Bali is the face of Indonesia. We do not hesitate to take any steps to seriously improve waste management in Bali.”
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The tides of plastic waste that are arriving on the beaches of Bali’s central south are a seasonal pheromone that appears to be worsening in its impact every year. The worst affected beaches include Kedonganan Beach, Jimbaran Beach, Kuta Beach, and Legian Beach, though Seminyak and Canggu are known to have been impacted too.
For tourists visiting Bali at any point during the remainder of the rainy season, there are ways to avoid the tides of plastic waste.
Beaches lying on the eastern, western, and northern coasts of Bali are typically unaffected by these issues. For example, beaches like Candidasa Beach in Karangasem Regency, as well as Amed and Tulamben Beaches in East Bali, are seldom impacted by marine debris and are generally crowd-free throughout the year.
Indonesian Volcanic Eruption - Impact on Bali Travel
The Indonesian Center for Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation is closely monitoring Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki in the East Flores Islands after it erupted four times on Monday, 20th January.
The volcano also erupted several times in November 2024, causing travel havoc in East Nusa Tenggara Province and even in Bali too.
The Indonesian Center for Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation recorded eruptions from Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki at 2.39 pm, 4.25pm, 4.52pm and 5.31 pm on Monday 20th January 2025. During the first eruption no ash cloud as observed, the eruption was recorded with an amplitude of 14.8mm and continued for 2 minutes and 55 seconds.
The second eruption at 4.25pm did record a significant ash cloud, which reached 800m above the peak of the volcano, around 2,384 m above sea level.
The ash cloud was noted to be ‘thick’ and was leaning in a north-westerly direction. This second eruption recorded an amplitude of 38mm and lasted one minute and one second.
The third eruption, less than 30 minutes from the second, reached an ash cloud that flew 900m above the volcano’s peak, with an amplitude of 22mm and a duration of 1 minute, 29 seconds.
The fourth eruption at 5.31 pm was by far the most significant, with an ash cloud that Waheed 1,300 m above the summit, with an amplitude of 8.1mm and a duration of 2 minutes 56 seconds. Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki is currently under a level 3 alert status, and therefore, the public and visitors are not permitted to carry out activities within a 5-6km radius of the active and erupting volcano.
Nearby communities to Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki have been advised to be aware of the rain, including lava floods, and to keep a close eye on both eruption updates and the weather forecast. If heavy rain falls over the coming days, there is a risk of lava rivers flowing from the peak of Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki. The public is advised to follow guidance from authorities on the ground should such an incident take place.
It is not only Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki that is erupting this week. Mount Ibu, located on Halmahera Island in North Maluku, has recorded 1,079 eruptions in the last 20 days and has sent ash clouds flying over 2 miles into the sky.
Tourists traveling to the Maluku Region of Indonesia should check the latest travel advice and reports from the Indonesian Center for Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation before embarking on trips to the region.
As for tourists and flight passengers, both Bali Airport and Labuan Bajo Airport remain open and unaffected by Monday’s eruptions and ash clouds from Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki. Bali Airport will be quick to issue updates should flights become impacted by the ash clouds, as was the case in November 2024.
In a social media post published during the November eruptions, the Indonesian National Tourism Board, Wonderful Indonesia, issued useful guidance to tourists on what to do in the event of volcanic eruptions.
Wonderful Indonesia explained, “In light of the recent Mount Lewotobi Laki Laki eruption in East Nusa Tenggara, it’s a reminder of the dynamic power of Indonesia’s 68 active volcanos. Nestled within the Pacific Ring of Fire, these awe-inspiring landscapes offer unique adventures, but safety is essential.”
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Adding, “If you’re near an erupting volcano, it is critical to follow updates from official sources.
You can monitor volcanic activity through the official website or social media account of the Center for Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation Agency (PVMBG) and the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB).”
The advice explained that those who find themeless in the radius of an active volcanic eruption should “stay indoors during ash fall, seal windows and seek designated safe zones.
Follow official updates closely, and avoid river valleys and low-lying areas to minimize lahar exposure.”
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