The governor of Bali has devised a new plan to extort more cash from international visitors by charging an additional $10 entry fee that needs to be paid electronically in addition to the VOA or eVOA fee that non-Asean nationals must pay to enter the country.
The fee that doesn’t apply to Indonesian citizens must be paid by everyone who enters the island, even when coming from other parts of the country. The cash is supposedly used to preserve the local culture.
It is unclear how enforcement of this payment is going to take place. There are no immigration checks for arrivals within Indonesia, and you can enter using a boat or ferry.
Do international passengers need to have proof of paying this fee for the airline to allow them to board the flight, or will there be an additional check before clearing the immigration that this fee has been paid?
Entering Indonesia can already be chaotic with visa payment windows and hours-long immigration lines.
Remember when there was an exit fee to leave Indonesia that had to be paid in cash? Why can’t this Bali fee be baked into the various fees countries charge for international visitors who enter by air?
Recent Indonesia Headlines:
Indonesia Leaks Passport Information Of 9 Million Foreigners
Indonesia Extends VOA & e-VOA For Nationals Of 93 Countries
Indonesia Ends Visa-Free Entry From 159 Countries
Australians Complain About Extremely Long Immigration Lines At Bali Airport
Indonesia’s Lawmakers Passed Law Banning Sex Outside Of Marriage & Cohabitation
Entering Indonesia Through Bali In May 2022
Conclusion
During the pandemic, the governor of Bali said that the island should pivot away from tourism to agriculture, which was a rather “novel” idea. Now, he wants more cash from the tourists to “preserve” the local culture.
This $10 fee won’t deter anyone from visiting Bali, and the island desperately needs better infrastructure that cannot cope with the development that has taken place over the past decade or so.
I am against taking another unnecessary step to enter Bali, and why not have this included in the ticket prices to make it convenient for the visitors?