G20 Summit: Indonesia Announces Visa Waivers for Delegates, Journalists

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - The Directorate General of Immigration of the Ministry of Law and Human Rights will grant visa exemptions to G20 delegates and foreign journalists covering the G20 Summit in Bali.

Indonesia, which holds the rotating Group of 20 (G-20) presidency, will host the summit from Nov. 15-16 in the resort island of Bali.

"We will provide a visit visa exemption for delegates and foreign journalists participating in the G20 Summit," acting director general of immigration Widodo Ekatjahjana said on Thursday, Oct. 20.

He said that the decision aims to support the participants in the G20 Summit.

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With the visa exemption, eligible foreign nationals will be allowed to stay up to 30 days in Indonesia, but their stay would not be extendable, he added.

To avail of the visa exemption, foreign nationals seeking to participate in the G20 Summit will need to provide a passport --diplomatic, official, or ordinary passport -- with a minimum validity of six months, Ekatjahjana said.

G20 delegates and foreign journalists will also need to show a return ticket or transit ticket as proof that they will be traveling to another country after the summit concludes and a registration proof or invitation letter for attending the event, he said.

"This policy is part of the Directorate General of Immigration's support for the success of our G20 Presidency event through immigration facilities," the acting director general said.

Earlier, the Law and Human Rights Ministry confirmed that it has prepared several steps to anticipate a surge in the number of foreign nationals during the G20 Summit.