Indonesia temporarily bans foreigners entering Indonesia

Introduction

At the end of March 2020, Indonesia declared a status of national emergency due to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic. Immediately after the status of national emergency was announced, the Minister of Law and Human Rights issued Regulation No. 11 of 2020 regarding Temporary Ban for Foreign Citizens to Enter the Republic of Indonesia (Regulation 11/2020) which went into effect as of April 2, 2020.

Key provisions

The Indonesian Government temporarily bans all foreign citizens to enter/transit in the country, except for those who are:

1. Holders of Limited Stay Permit (ITAS) and Permanent Stay Permit (ITAP)
2. Holders of diplomatic visa and service visa
3. Holders of diplomatic stay permit and service stay permit
4. Aid and support staff for medical, food and humanitarian assistance
5. Transportation crew attendants
6. Workers of national strategic projects

Furthermore, the aforesaid foreign citizens will only be permitted to enter Indonesia after meeting the following requirements:

(1) The foreign citizen must provide an English-language statement of health from the health authority of his/her country of origin.

(2) The foreign citizen has stayed for 14 days before arrival in Indonesia in a territory or country, which is free from COVID-19.

(3) The foreign citizen has signed a statement of acceptance to be quarantined for 14 days held by the Indonesian Government.

Any foreign citizens who currently hold visit stay permits that have expired or cannot be extended are automatically granted emergency stay permits without having to process an application to the Indonesian immigration authorities. The aforesaid policy also applies for holders of ITAS and ITAP that have expired and cannot be extended.

Our remarks

It is important to note that at the time this article was written, COVID-19 has spread to almost all countries in the world. Regulation 11/2020 does not specify the duration of the temporary ban, however, presumably it will continue to apply until the COVID-19 pandemic is over.