Australian passport-holders may be about to regain one of their favourite travel perks: visa-free entry to Indonesia. On 12 June the Australian edition of Time Out reported that Indonesia’s Ministry of Tourism has placed Australia on an eight-nation shortlist for the reinstatement of 30-day visa-free entry, which was withdrawn in 2023 when the country re-opened its borders. Minister Widiyanti Wardhana told local media that “detailed discussions with relevant ministries have narrowed down to the possibility of granting visa-free visits”, adding that a formal recommendation will now go to the cabinet. If approved, the change would remove the Rp500,000 (≈A$40) Visa-on-Arrival fee and the associated airport or online application for short-stay visitors. That would immediately benefit the more than 1.5 million Australians who visited Bali last year, many of whom are repeat leisure travellers or digital nomads taking short “work-cations”. Business travellers would also gain: executives who routinely hop across the Timor Sea for supplier meetings, site inspections or incentive trips say the VOA queues can easily add an hour to peak-season arrivals. Travel industry stakeholders in Australia welcomed the signal.
![Australians could soon travel to Bali visa-free under new proposal]()
While the policy is still being finalised, VisaHQ can streamline every step of the process for those who must continue applying for an Indonesian e-VOA. Through its Australian portal (https://www.visahq.com/australia/), individuals and corporate travel managers can complete applications online, track real-time status updates and keep all visa documentation for Indonesia—and dozens of other destinations—in one secure dashboard.
Flight Centre’s corporate arm told Time Out that visa-free entry would “restore spontaneity to the Indonesia market”, making last-minute trips cheaper and simpler to book. SME exporters, especially in food and creative industries, see Bali as a cost-effective gateway for trade shows that draw Indonesian buyers from Jakarta and Surabaya. For multinationals, the move dovetails with Australia’s new direct air links: Jetstar will add Gold Coast–Auckland–Denpasar services in mid-June and Virgin Australia is seeking extra Bali slots from Western Sydney International Airport when it opens. If the policy is endorsed in coming weeks, travel managers should update approval workflows to reflect that no entry visa or fee will be required for stays under 30 days; travellers staying longer, or working on Indonesian payroll, will still need appropriate long-stay or work permits. Until formal gazetting, Australians must continue obtaining a VOA or an e-VOA before flying. Companies are therefore advised to monitor Indonesian government channels and alert employees the moment the exemption takes effect.
While the policy is still being finalised, VisaHQ can streamline every step of the process for those who must continue applying for an Indonesian e-VOA. Through its Australian portal (https://www.visahq.com/australia/), individuals and corporate travel managers can complete applications online, track real-time status updates and keep all visa documentation for Indonesia—and dozens of other destinations—in one secure dashboard.
Flight Centre’s corporate arm told Time Out that visa-free entry would “restore spontaneity to the Indonesia market”, making last-minute trips cheaper and simpler to book. SME exporters, especially in food and creative industries, see Bali as a cost-effective gateway for trade shows that draw Indonesian buyers from Jakarta and Surabaya. For multinationals, the move dovetails with Australia’s new direct air links: Jetstar will add Gold Coast–Auckland–Denpasar services in mid-June and Virgin Australia is seeking extra Bali slots from Western Sydney International Airport when it opens. If the policy is endorsed in coming weeks, travel managers should update approval workflows to reflect that no entry visa or fee will be required for stays under 30 days; travellers staying longer, or working on Indonesian payroll, will still need appropriate long-stay or work permits. Until formal gazetting, Australians must continue obtaining a VOA or an e-VOA before flying. Companies are therefore advised to monitor Indonesian government channels and alert employees the moment the exemption takes effect.
