Indonesia has unveiled quite the incentive for remote workers to relocate with the announcement of the country’s new digital nomad visa, which will allow you to live anywhere from Jakarta to the island of Bali tax-free for five years.
“In the past, the ‘three S’ were: sun, sea, and sand. We’re moving it to serenity, spirituality, and sustainability,” Indonesia Tourism Minister Sandiaga Uno told South China Morning Post.
Uno later cited the research which indicates Indonesia – particularly Bali – was “top of mind” for 95% of remote workers surveyed, before touching on how this very idea was shelved back in 2021 when COVID-19 instigated border closures and international visitor restrictions.
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“Now with the pandemic handled and all the ministries getting involved and cooperating from the health side to the immigration office, we believe that this is an opportune time to relaunch this idea.”
As previously mentioned, Bali is already a well-worn favourite amongst freelancers given its gorgeous tropical climate and low cost of living. The only problem? Current visa rules don’t exactly make it easy to settle in for a long-term stay.
At present, remote workers keen on making Bali their office have the choice of applying for the Free Visa, Visa on Arrival (Voa), or the Social/Tourist/Cultural Visa – which only lasts between 30 and 180 days. Visitors staying longer eventually become local tax residents and are required to pay Indonesia’s tax rates on earnings from overseas.
A special permit granting five years and the promise of zero taxation during your stay provided the income is sourced from a company outside of Indonesia obviously represents an attractive step-up.
Sandiaga Uno said the country hopes to see 3.6 million overseas travellers returning to the archipelago next year with the help of instruments like the proposed digital nomad visa, as well as placing a greater emphasis on the spiritual retreats and eco-tourism on offer in Indonesia.
“This way, we’re getting better quality and better impact to the local economy.”
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At the time of this writing, VisaGuide lists a total of 26 countries that accept digital nomad visas:
- Andorra
- Anguilla
- Antigua & Barbuda
- Aruba
- Bahamas
- Barbados
- Bermuda
- Cabo Verde
- Cayman Islands
- Croatia
- Curaçao
- Czech Republic
- Dominica
- Estonia
- Georgia
- Germany
- Iceland
- Malta
- Mauritius
- Mexico
- Montserrat
- Norway
- Seychelles
- Spain
- Taiwan
- UAE
Keep an eye out for updates on this development here.
