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THE MINISTRY of Tourism, (Kemenpar) along with the Ministry of Immigration and Correctional Facilities (Kemenimipas), is strengthening collaboration to address various immigration challenges that directly impact the development of the tourism sector.
“We want to attract more investors, more international-level MICE events, and more professional experts. However, what we have observed in the field is that there are still differing interpretations of visa types, administrative obstacles for investors, and differences in policy implementation in various regions,” said Assistant Deputy for International Inter-Agency Relations at the Tourism Ministry, Zulkifli Harahap, in an official statement confirmed in Jakarta on Wednesday (11/19), 2025.
During the “Socialization of Immigration-Related Regulations” event in Jakarta, Zulkifli explained that these challenges include the influx of foreign tourists, experts, investors, and international event (MICE) players, who are highly dependent on the speed and certainty of immigration services.
Similar challenges are also experienced by industry players, including uneven understanding of the Visit Visa-Free (BVK) policy at various entry points.
According to him, these issues create uncertainty, which ultimately becomes a major obstacle to the investment climate and the promotion of quality tourism, which the government is currently promoting.
Therefore, he believes a joint effort is needed to improve coordination, policy harmonization, and a shared understanding among stakeholders in the immigration and tourism sectors.
Through this outreach, the Ministry of Tourism hopes to achieve synergy between institutions and increase the capacity of officials and industry players, along with a unified understanding of immigration policies that support the ease of traveling, doing business, and investing in Indonesia.
Meanwhile, Misnal Ariyanto, Head of the Sub-Directorate of Visa Standardization and Travel Documents at the Directorate General of Immigration, explained that online visa applications have been continuously developed since 2019, including improvements to the application since 2023, with a simpler interface and process flow for both applicants and officers.
“Online visa applications no longer have daily quota restrictions. Visas are also guaranteed to be issued within five days of payment,” said Misnal.
He added that the development of the visa issuance business process is being carried out to simplify bureaucracy, improve service flows, and provide information and complaint channels for applicants.
Various visa categories have now been broken down by activity type, making it easier for foreigners to choose the appropriate type of visit. He also acknowledged the challenges in the field, particularly related to the increasing demand for the tourism sector and the organization of MICE events. Therefore,
“I also appreciate the input from various parties in the socialization attended by internal work units of the Ministry of Tourism, representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and tourism industry players such as GAC, ASITA, ASPERAPI/ASITA West Java, Dwidaya Wisata, Panorama Destination, Matta Tour, and the Indonesia Congress and Convention Association (INCCA),” Misnal concluded. [traveltext.id]
