Moved to Forum: Original Link
AUSTRALIA is among 47 countries Indonesia will add to its visa-free list as it strives to draw more tourists.
MARITIME Coordinating Minister Rizal Ramli is quoted in Indonesian media on Tuesday saying he brought forward the move from January 2016 to October 2015 to capture the whole holiday season.
Immigration director general Ronny F Sompie confirmed to AAP that Australia was on the list of countries to be added to the visa-free list.
Is that you Schapelle ?
Boogie with me JV
why would it not be?
because it's an announcement of a fee abolition, not a discount…
it belongs in the forums
It's actually an announcement about a discount for something that not only doesn't yet exist but something that could easily be delayed once more.
All it will take is for the OZ govt to fart in the general direction of Indonesia and the plan will be chucked on the "let's talk about it next year" wagon, again.
Always thought it ridiculous that we had to pay USD upon arrival to pay for this ridiculous visa fee.
They accepted any major currency (including AUD), you just were at their mercy when it came to setting the exchange rate.
And the exchange rate has been very reasonable for many years.
Currently $55 AUD on arrival.
Wow, thats a bad rate, implies AUD1=USD0.63
I have 2 lots of USD35 for my planned trips (AUD was falling fast so thought i'd lock it in).
Hoping they remove the VOA fee this October. This article from Jakarta Globe implies that talks are only just opening with Australia for visa reciprocity though :/
I paid $52AUD on Sunday.
Not happening anytime soon. I doubt this.
You couldn't pay me enough to visit that s***hole.
Get stuffed Indonesia. Too little too late.
For what? Australia charges $135 for tourist visas…
Oh wait, are you still crying about "Harold & Kumar" getting popped?
Meh, there're better places and they've been free for years.
Be careful that visa free is limited to just some airports. If you enter on visa free, you will not be allowed to exit on a non visa free airport (eg, Manado)
Has anyone noticed the article underneath the link on Perth Now?
HAHAHA
More Stories
Vaginas and chilli and Vicks and Silky Mits don’t mix
WTF?
"Sad life of man with humongous penis"
They should've consulted with me first.
Just as I send off my daughter's UK passport renewal (UK no visa either). Yeah I know it is more expensive to renew passport than to pay the voa… But free is free… And when it comes to airports… Free is as close to nirvana as you can get… And one less queue!
Not to be sound rude, but how can Australia justify itself for the crazy fee of tourist visa??
'User Pays'. It is not just a rubber stamp. Because of all of the visa breaches there is a lot of work involved in processing visa applications.
This is just a weak logic. Tourist visa is for tourists and you want to attract more tourists by offering the visa at lowest price which will in turn boost the economy. With very small fee for tourist visa, Australia is getting "documented" people to come in and will be able to keep count of illegal people/track down if someone breaches it. You can never have a perfect system, the benefits from a boosted tourism sector will far outweigh few illegal residents.
About time they got rid of that ridiculous charge. As most of their tourists come from Australia, as we are the closet country to them, they should be embracing us all to visit, not ripping us off - we are the ones who spend most money there & certainly help keep their economy afloat + many of the Balinese in employment. " Sing,Sing, Blee "
Didn't they back flip on their decision?
This a deal?