Bali 10-Year Second Home Visa For Entrepreneurs, Retirees, And High Earners

Indonesia has announced the launch of a new 10-year second home visa. The new visa category will allow foreigners with over $130,000 in the bank to apply for a 10-year temporary residency permit for Bali and other popular destinations. There are hopes that this will help attract high earners, retirees, and highly skilled digital nomads to invest in building a life in Indonesia. 

Anyone on a second home visa can live anywhere in Indonesia. Most of those who will take up the opportunity to invest in a second home visa will live in international hotspots like Bali, Jakarta, and Lombok. The visa will attract a new community of people to Bali and, the government hopes, trigger growth in less international areas of the country where investment would bring positive development. (Main Article: Bali 10-Year Second Home Visa)

The second home visa is available for five or ten years, and applicants must prove that they have IDR 2 billion in the bank, today’s equivalent of approximately USD 130,000. According to Acting Director General for Immigration, Widodo Ekatjahjana, the new visa ‘immigration policy is one of the non-fiscal incentives that can be a stimulus for certain foreigners to stay and contribute positively to the Indonesian economy amidst increasingly dynamic global economic conditions’. (Main Article: Bali 10-Year Second Home Visa)

He continued to explain, ‘Towards the implementation of the G20 Summit, today we officially launched the second-home visa. The goal is to attract foreign tourists to come to Bali and other diverse destinations’. The visa category is similar to that found in Costa Rica and Mexico, that makes it easier for international citizens to reside outside of their native homes for long periods of time.

The new visa category forges another option for affluent digital nomads or remote workers who wish to reside in Indonesia long term. This, alongside the B211a socio-cultural visa, is being viewed by some as the complete digital nomad package of visas. However, the Department of Immigration confirmed a few weeks ago that the long-term digital nomad visa is still in the pipeline. (Main Article: Bali 10-Year Second Home Visa)

The launch of the new visa was celebrated in Canggu yesterday. Those in attendance included Widodo Ekatjahjana and the Bali Office for the Ministry of Law and Human Rights, Anggiat Napitupulu. It was a telling sign that announcement was made in Canggu, an area that the central and provincial governments are touting as the epicenter of the digital nomad and investment community in Indonesia. 

Ekatjahjana told reporters ‘the target of this policy is foreign tourists who have money to enjoy their old age coming to Bali and other destinations in Indonesia. This is a stimulant policy given by immigration in the midst of economic recovery and a dynamic global economy.’ The visa costs just IDR 3 million (USD 192); according to the Indonesian Department of Immigration website, the visa allows foreigners to ‘carry out various activities, such as investment and other activities’. (Main Article: Bali 10-Year Second Home Visa)

Though seeking employment within Indonesia would still require a KITAS. It also states that the visa is for ‘foreigners or ex-Indonesian citizens who want to stay and contribute positively to the Indonesian economy’.

In the press release, Ekatjahjana invites tourism industry actors to Bali since collaboration with all stakeholders is essential for a better tourism environment than before. The application process is all done online. The web-based application can soon be completed at the imigrasi.go.id website, and there is not too much paperwork to produce. (Main Article: Bali 10-Year Second Home Visa)

Applicants must submit a copy of their passport with a minimum of 36 months validity remaining and proof of funds. They must submit a recent color photograph and a copy of their CV. What hasn’t been discussed publicly is whether the CV submission is simply a formality for record-keeping at the Department of Immigration or whether the contents of the applicant’s CV play a role in the decision-making process. 

The Head of the Regional Office of the Ministry of Law and Human Rights in Bali, Anggiat Napitupulu, told reporters that the new visa would offer more choices for those who wish to reside in Bali. He said, ‘So far, when they look for VoA, it feels very irresponsible because the validity period is very short. So through this policy, we attract those who have capital, global businesses, and elderly tourists from various countries to enter Indonesia’. (Main Article: Bali 10-Year Second Home Visa)

The visa will officially launch 60-days after this announcement, with more information on the policy set to be shared in due course. Therefore, applications are not yet open on the Immigration website.