Bali intends to become a for digital nomads and expats working remotely with the introduction of a tax-free visa. Photo / Peggy Anke Wu, Unaplash
Bali intends to become a for digital nomads and expats working remotely with the introduction of a tax-free visa. Photo / Peggy Anke Wu, Unaplash
Indonesia's holiday island has is hoping tourists will stay longer and to attract more remote workers with the introduction of a new, temporary visa inviting travellers to live and work tax-free.
The renewed B211A visa allows remote workers to dial in from Denpasar for up to six months.
First proposed by Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy, Sandiaga Uno, earlier this year the "digital nomad" visa was passed this week.
This will allow digital work for offshore businesses for up to 180 days, for visitors from New Zealand, Australia and other nationalities.
It is understood that a long-term digital visa has been proposed for stays of up to five years.
After a difficult pandemic on the Indonesian tourism hub it was Uno's hope that this new visa arrangement could bring in over three million travellers next year.
The ministry hopes that this could create an additional 4.4 million jobs across Indonesia.
The current temporary visitor visa allows foreign nationals to both travel and work - so long as they "do not supervise production activities to [Indonesian] producers/sellers as a regular activity".
Digital nomads: A 180-day visa allows online workers to surf round Bali and work tax free. Photo / Matheus de Souza, Unsplash
As anyone in the cafes of downtown Seminyak will be able to attest, there are already plenty of laptops propped open to zoom meetings and online work being done on the beach fronts.
A co-working space in Canggu, on the outskirts of Denpasar says business has been booming. Hundreds of visitors had been drawn in by the appeal of working poolside.
"In the past year we have had about 3,000 bookings," said Genesis Creative manager, Putu Sudiarta.
In an interview with ABC News she said the new visa would be a gamechanger for service businesses.
Currently arrivals from visa-waiver countries such as New Zealand are granted 30-day tourist visas. Wi-fi surfers must leave the country at least once every month to avoid overstay their visa terms.
However this has been a bit of a grey area until now.
There have been high profile expulsions of Western expatriates who had been found to be breach of their visa terms.
American Kristen Gray was deported from Bali in 2021 for allegedly flouting the rules and running a business advising other foreign tourists on visa applications and selling books on living in Indonesia as a digital nomad.
Kristen Gray was deported last year for flouting the visa rules in Bali, Indonesia. Photo / Firdia Lisnawati, AP
The Indonesian government found her to be working illegally without the proper permit.
Requirements to apply include proof of assets from a bank statement of at least US$2000 or proof of onward travel within the 180 days. Currently applicants must also show proof of vaccination to enter Bali on the visa.
