Indonesia granted 30-day visa-free travel to Brazilian and Turkish citizens to encourage investment, trade, and tourism between the two countries.
Brazilian and Turkish citizens can now enter Indonesia without a visa, which is a rare privilege in the Southeast Asian country. Similarly, Indonesian visitors can soon enter Brazil for a 30-day stay without a visa. They have implemented a visa-free visit policy through the Ministry of Immigration and Corrections, effective from July 3, 2025.
BVK, or “Visa Kunjungan Bebas Visa,” is a visa-free visit policy implemented by Indonesia.
The arrangement was made during a meeting between Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi and her counterpart Aloysio Nunes Ferreira in Bogor, West Java, on Friday. According to Retno, the visa-free entry will increase the ties between the two nations, thereby fostering more business prospects.
After the meeting, they stated that they wanted to encourage investment, trade, and tourism between the two countries. They had exchanged a memorandum on visa exemptions for regular passport holders.
Yuldi Yusman, acting director-general of immigration, stated that they implemented the policy after assessing and coordinating with relevant ministries and institutions.
Yuldi stated that the primary reason for granting BVK to Brazil and Turkey was that both countries had previously allowed visa-free travel to Indonesian citizens.
The BVK allows a stay of up to 30 days. However, it cannot be extended or converted into any other type of residency permit and can be used only for medical care, business meetings, or travel.
The Directorate General of Immigration promotes economic growth by ensuring that only eligible immigrants who contribute positively to the Indonesian economy will get a visa.
The ministers have signed an agreement on visa exemptions for diplomatic and service passports. The visa exemptions will become effective thirty days after signing in mid-June. Tourism Ministry data shows Indonesia has seen an increase in Brazilian visitors since 2014. According to the data, there were 28,359 Brazilian tourists in 2017, compared to 20,992 in 2016 and 20,825 in 2015.
Muhammad Anshor, director of the Foreign Ministry (American and European affairs), stated that the majority of Brazilian tourists visited Bali, making Brazil the largest tourist destination from Latin America and the Caribbean.
Muhammad stated that there were 352 Indonesians in Brazil in March 2018; however, he is unsure regarding the number of Indonesian visitors who visit every year. Anshor claimed that they have been working to increase visitors by encouraging family vacations and pushing tours between the two countries.
The deal would allow Brazil to join the 169 other countries that can visit Indonesia without a visa. Anshor stated that only Brazil and Belarus have agreed to reciprocate visa-free travel for Indonesians in the United States and Europe.
The only problem to solve is the connection. There is no direct flight from Indonesia to Brazil. Indonesians had to travel via Australia or the Netherlands to get to Brazil. Anshor stated that although tourism had improved, trade between Brazil and Indonesia has been struggling. According to the Trade Ministry, the two countries recorded the lowest trade balance in 2017 which indicates a 4.5% decline in trade.
The value of trade reduced from $3.5 billion in 2016 and $3.6 billion in 2015 to US$3.1 billion in 2017. The highest was $4.05 billion in 2014. To reverse the negative trend, both countries decided to foster technical collaboration to revive their strategic partnership, founded in 2008. One barrier is language, as Portuguese business forms prevent Indonesian companies from expanding in the country.
The government will continue to enhance its control of foreign nationals to ensure that the BVK policy complies with current rules and regulations.
