Tegallalang rice terraces in Bali, Indonesia
(Getty Images)
Visitors will still need to take a pre-departure PCR test
Indonesia has removed its quarantine requirement for all international visitors, nearly two years after it closed to much of the world.
Though the nation plans to ease travel restrictions more fully in early April, visitors will still need a pre-travel PCR test in order to travel to the country, tourism and economy Minister Sandiaga Uno confirmed to press.
“We are now preparing to transition to a new post-pandemic economic order, and we will carry out this normalization in the next few months,” said Mr Uno.
“If everything goes smoothly after Eid, then this process will continue so that we can expand our economic activities.”
The decision follows a two-week trial of quarantine-free border control in three regions of the country – Bali, Bintan island and Batam – where Covid-19 case numbers have been falling.
Mr Uno said that he hoped the easing of travel rules would help boost Indonesia’s annual number of tourists to three million this year.
At present, vaccinated UK travellers must take a pre-departure Covid test within 48 hours before their journey, take a further PCR test on arrival, show proof of a booked and paid for stay of a minimum of four nights and show proof of health insurance cover worth at least $25,000.
If you are unvaccinated you are not allowed to enter Indonesia unless you can produce a doctor’s letter with a statement showing why you cannot be vaccinated.
Since 7 March, vaccinated British visitors have been able to pay for a 30-day visa on arrival to the country, at a cost of IDR 500,000 (£26). Prior to the pandemic, Britons were able to visit the country for up to 30 days visa-free.
In his Monday briefing, Mr Uno said that this visa-on-arrival programme had been extended to include 42 countries.
Where it used to routinely see around six million international tourists each year, the island of Bali received just 51 foreign visitors in 2021.
Direct international flights to Bali resumed in February for the first time in two years, with vaccinated travellers required to quarantine in a hotel for the first five days of their trip.
Singapore Airlines restarted Bali flights from Singapore, a popular connection point for Britons, on 16 February.
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