Indonesia 'temporarily' halts visa-free visit policy for 159 countries

By Anadolu staff

ANKARA (AA) – Indonesia has suspended its visa-free visits policy for some 159 countries on the concerns of "public order disruptions and the potential transmission of diseases," local media reported on Sunday.

The order to halt the visa-free visits policy (BVK) has been issued by the Ministry of Law and Human Rights, the local English daily Bali Times reported.

These countries were among the group of 169 countries eligible for visa-free visits along with 10 ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) countries.

The decision, according to the ministry, aims to address concerns related to public order disruptions and the potential transmission of diseases from countries not certified as disease-free by the World Health Organization.

As a result, it added, the number of policy recipients has been reset.

Currently, only 10 ASEAN countries, Brunei Darussalam, the Philippines, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam are exempted from the visa requirement, the newspaper reported.

Visitors from these countries can stay in Indonesia for up to 30 days with a valid passport and a confirmed departure ticket.