SINGAPORE: Indonesia has launched a new policy that allows Singapore permanent residents to visit Batam, Bintan, and the Karimun Islands visa-free to boost tourism and investment in the regional economic zones.
The announcement was made by Silmy Karim, the Director General of Immigration, on Tuesday.
According to Bloomberg, visitors can stay for up to four days under this policy. The policy will apply to several ports in the Riau region, which includes the Karimun Islands.
Unlike the current visa-free access available to ASEAN member states, which is generally for tourism and short visits, this new policy is specifically aimed at Singapore permanent residents. It offers a more streamlined visa-free process, focusing on specific regions.
According to the city’s statistics department, Singapore, an ASEAN member, has about 545,000 permanent residents.
Indonesia, the largest economy in Southeast Asia, has been working to attract foreign visitors and wealthy individuals through initiatives like ‘second home’ and golden visas.
With this new policy, the country seeks to draw short-term visitors for tourism and business, particularly to key areas like Nongsa Digital Park and Bintan Resort, hubs for tourism and digital economy growth. /TISG
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