JAKARTA: Indonesia will give visa-free entry to foreigners holding Singapore permanent residency to visit Batam, Bintan and the Karimun Islands, with the aim to boost tourism and investment in the regional economic zones.
Under the new policy, visitors can stay for up to four days, said Director General of Immigration Silmy Karim in a statement on Oct 8. The rules will cover several port points in the Riau region, which contains the Karimun Islands.
Unlike the existing visa-free entry for Asean member states, which applies broadly to tourism and short stays, the new policy specifically targets Singapore permanent residents, offering a more streamlined visa-free option with a focus on specific regions.
According to Singapore’s statistics department, there are around 545,000 permanent residents in the Republic, which is an Asean member.
Indonesia, South-East Asia’s largest economy, has introduced various initiatives, such as “second home” and golden visas for wealthy global citizens and foreign investors.
Through the new policy, the country seeks to attract short-term visitors for leisure and business, especially to Nongsa Digital Park and Bintan Resorts, which are hubs for tourism and development of the digital economy. - Bloomberg
