Indonesia grants sport, music, art visas to foreigners

Director General of Immigration Silmy Karim has said Indonesia is simplifying the visa requirements for foreign athletes and artists.

In the future, official athlete teams, event organizers or international artist promoters will no longer need to submit labor permits, police record certificates (SKCK) or certificates of at least five years of work experience, he said.

Foreign athletes and artists only have activities in Indonesia for a short time, so they have little effect on local workers in terms of competitiveness, Silmy said.

Indonesia has become a destination for international sporting events and music concerts, thus this move will facilitate their access to the market of the world’s fourth- most populous nation.

Many international events will be held in the future, including the MotoGP Race in October, the Coldplay Concert and the U17 World Cup in November.

He said that the simplification of visa requirements for foreign athletes and artists operating in Indonesia is carried out in the context that many of them face difficulties in applying for performance licenses compared to other countries in the region.

Indonesian citizens even flocked to Singapore, Thailand, Australia and Japan to watch their idol's performances, the official added.