Major rule change for Aussies heading to Bali, amid travel warning


Violent protests have erupted across Indonesia in the past week. Photo: AAP
Australians heading to Bali for an early spring getaway have been warned to be aware of new rules affecting all travellers to Indonesia.
From Monday (September 1), all international passengers arriving at Denpasarâs Ngurah Rai International Airport must have filled in the new All Indonesia Arrival Card.
The Australian governmentâs Smart Traveller website said the change also applied to arrivals at Jakartaâs Soekarno-Hatta International Airport and Surabayaâs Juanda International Airport in Surabaya.
From October 1, it will extend to all of Indonesiaâs international airports.
All Indonesia is a free new digital portal that unites multiple travel documents, including Baliâs health declaration forms, customs, quarantine and immigration declarations. It will set travellers back about $50 (or IDR500,000).
Travellers should fill it out before arriving in Indonesia. Upon completion, a QR code is emailed to the traveller, who then presents that to Indonesian immigrations and customs officials.
âYou can apply for the e-Visa on Arrival (e-VOA) through the All Indonesia website after submitting your All Indonesia Arrival Card online, at least 48 hours before your travel to Indonesia,â Smart Traveller said in an update.
âYou cannot transit in Indonesia without an e-VOA or [regular] Visa on Arrival. Ensure you have a passport with at least six months validity remaining and can pay for an e-VOA or VOA to ensure you can transit or enter Indonesia. Check the e-VOA requirements from Indonesian Immigration before applying.â
Importantly, the document does not include the $15 Bali tourist tax travellers must also pay.
Mondayâs update came as Smart Traveller also advised Australians in Indonesia to âexercise a high degree of cautionâ due to a wave of deadly protests sweeping major cities, including Denpasar.
âAvoid protests and demonstrations and monitor local media for the latest updates,â it said.
The protests about MPsâ pay and police brutality began in Jakarta a week ago and spread nationwide, leaving six dead. They escalated in size and intensity after a police vehicle hit and killed a motorcycle taxi driver on Thursday night.
President Prabowo Subianto said on Sunday that political parties had agreed to cut MPsâ benefits, including a controversial $US3000 ($A4587) monthly housing allowance.
On Monday, students and civil society groups called off protests, citing fears of heightened security measures after deadly riots at the weekend.
Subianto also ordered the military and police to take stern action against rioters and looters after homes of political party members and state buildings were ransacked or set ablaze.
The Alliance of Indonesian Women, a coalition of women-led civil society groups, said on Monday it had delayed planned protests at the parliament to avoid any crackdown by authorities.
âThe delay is done to avoid increased violent escalation by authorities ⌠the delay takes place until the situations calm down,â the group said in an Instagram post on Sunday.
Student groups also delayed a protest on Monday, with one umbrella group saying the decision was âdue to very impossible conditionsâ.
The death toll from riots that broke out in multiple cities rose to six after authorities in Yogyakarta on Sunday confirmed that Fridayâs clashes between rock-throwing demonstrators and riot police killed a 21-year-old university student.
Subianto reiterated that his government respected freedom of expression as guaranteed in Indonesiaâs constitution and international conventions.
âBut when demonstrations turn anarchic, destroying public facilities, endangering lives, and attacking private homes or public institutions, this becomes a serious violation of law,â he said.
Subianto cautioned that violent acts risked veering into treason and terrorism, and warned âthe state would not tolerate attempts to destabilise the countryâ.
-with AAP
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