For travellers and remote workers looking to live and work from a
beach, they may soon be able to do so in Bali. Indonesia plans to issue a
special five-year visa for digital nomads amongst other incentives to
woo this growing segment of higher-spending visitors.
In a Bloomberg Television interview on 6 June, Indonesian tourism
minister Sandiaga Uno said that 95% of digital nomads surveyed indicate
Indonesia as their “top of mind” destination for remote work.
The Indonesian government had previously been considering this
special visa since early 2021, but a lack of flights and strict border
controls due to the pandemic have put a halt to their plans.
"Now
with the pandemic handled and all the ministries getting involved and
cooperating from the health side to the immigrations office, we believe
that this is an opportune time to relaunch this idea,” Uno said.
Uno forecasts that with the five-year visa for remote workers, along
with the return of ecological tourism and sporting events, 3.6 million
international travellers will visit Bali, in turn creating over one
million jobs for the locals.
Ease of access into Indonesia since 18 May that have removed the need
for vaccinated travellers to take Covid-19 tests, together with more
frequent flights and streamlined visa processing, should help the
country entice employees of companies that allow their people to work
from anywhere.
Furthermore,
under the five-year remote working visa, successful applicants don’t
have to pay taxes as long as their income is earned overseas.