Live tax-free in Bali for five years with Digital Nomad Visa

CHENNAI: Indonesia will be the latest travel destination to join the digital nomad drive, with plans for a visa that would allow remote workers to live there tax-free.

The proposed “digital nomad visa” was announced by Indonesia’s tourism minister, Sandiaga Uno, this week, that let remote workers live in Bali for five years.

According to the South China Morning Post, the country was set to bring 3.6 million overseas travellers back to the archipelago in the next year, with a new remote working visa as well as an increased focus on spiritual retreats and eco-tourism; also creating one million jobs for Indonesians.

The three S of Indonesia – sun, sea and sand will be conceived to be serenity, spirituality and sustainability, said the tourism minister, Sandiaga Uno, focussing better quality and better impact on the local economy.

The digital nomad visa would allow freelancers to live on islands such as Bali tax-free, for a period of five years, providing their earnings come from companies outside of Indonesia.

Further, the minister revealed that the decision was based on research that showed Indonesia was first choice of go-to-place for 95% of the remote workers that took part in the survey. It is said that similar plans for a digital nomad visa were in the works last year, however, had to be put on pause due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Current temporary visas for remote workers visiting Indonesia include its Free Visa, Visa on Arrival (VoA), or the Social, Tourist or Cultural Visa. But these only last between 30 and 180 days. This gives a leeway of five-year visa being a more clear-cut system for longer-term working visitors.

Indonesia had retained strict travel rules until March 7, when tourist visas began to be reissued. Now, double vaccinated travellers can visit the islands without the need for tests or quarantine, though travel insurance with cover for Covid-19 treatment is mandatory.