Planning your Christmas break in Bali? Take note: Macao passport holders wishing to visit Indonesia will now need to apply for a visa before heading to the country, after the Indonesian government quietly revoked its visa-on-arrival policy on 14 November.
According to a statement published yesterday by the Identification Services Bureau (known by its Portuguese initials DSI), the Macao government was unaware of any changes until 22 November, when it began receiving reports from Macao residents who were denied entry into Indonesia because they had been unable to apply for a visa-on-arrival.
The authorities contacted the Indonesian Consulate General in Hong Kong, which initially said that the visa-on-arrival policy for Macao passport holders remained unchanged. The Indonesian immigration services webpage also still listed Macao passport holders as eligible for visa-on-arrival.
However, after receiving further reports of Macao passport holders being denied a visa-on-arrival in Indonesia on 25 November, DSI once again contacted the Indonesian Consulate General in Hong Kong. This time, it confirmed that Macao was no longer covered in the scheme.
[See more: Macao’s passport is now ranked 33rd in the world]
The DSI has since updated its list of countries that grant visa-free access to Macao passport holders to reflect the change. The Indonesian immigration services have similarly removed Macao from their visa-on-arrival directory.
Neither the Macao authorities nor the Indonesian government have issued an explanation for the termination of the policy for Macao passport holders, which allowed for stays of up to 28 days.
Meanwhile, passport holders of neighbouring SAR Hong Kong are allowed to travel to the Southeast Asian country visa-free, a privilege that was granted in September.
According to the 2024 Henley Passport Index’s latest results, the Macao SAR passport is ranked 33rd most effective in the world, with visa-free access to 145 out of 277 countries and territories. Last month, both Kazakhstan and Myanmar were added to the list of countries to which the document grants visa-free entry.
