Indonesia’s 2025 visa overhaul reshaped work, investor and second-home routes

Denpasar — Indonesia’s immigration authorities introduced a major overhaul of the national visa classification system in mid-2025, reducing and reorganizing the visa index used by foreign visitors, workers and investors, including those applying for stay permits in Bali.

According to a June 13, 2025 press release from the Directorate General of Immigration, the reform was enacted through Minister of Immigration and Corrections Decree No. M.IP-08.GR.01.01 of 2025 on Visa Classification, simplifying Indonesia’s visa indices from 133 to 110 to make the system clearer and more responsive to global mobility needs.

The decree is referenced in the official legal product listing of the Ministry of Immigration and Corrections and was formally dated August 13, 2025, indicating the legal instrument that underpins the current visa framework used in 2026.

The core implication for foreign nationals is that familiar visa labels and letter–number codes used before 2025 should not be assumed to correspond directly to current legal categories. Applicants are expected to start from their actual purpose of stay and then identify the appropriate index, permitted activities, validity and application route under the current classification.

From 133 indices to 110

Immigration authorities state that the new classification consolidates and reorganizes visit and limited-stay visa purposes rather than simply renaming existing codes. Several closely related visit categories were merged, and multiple work-related subindices were streamlined into fewer, broader classifications.

A summary prepared for foreign investors and employers explains that the main visa indices are now grouped as visa-free visits, visas on arrival, single-entry and multiple-entry visit visas, and limited-stay visas, with a separate short-stay visa-on-arrival index for seven-day visits.

This structure is consistent with guidance issued by foreign governments and Indonesia-focused legal advisories, which describe Index A for visit visa exemption, Index B and F for visa on arrival with different durations, Index C for single-entry visit visas, Index D for multiple-entry visit visas, and Index E for limited-stay visas covering work, investment, research and family residence.

Key indices for long-stay, work and investment

Under the current classification, several Index E families are particularly relevant to applicants seeking to live or work in Indonesia, including Bali. Legal analyses of the 2025 decree describe Index E23 as the general working visa, consolidating a range of sector-specific work permits into a single core work category.

Further breakdowns of the E23 series identify subindices for specific employment contexts, including experts in special economic zones, trade offices, government institutions and the digital sector under employment sponsorship. These codes form part of the limited-stay work visa structure and replace the previous proliferation of company-sponsored skilled-worker indices.

Investor-related classifications have also been reorganized. Specialist commentary on the new framework notes that E28 and its subindices cover investors with shareholdings in Indonesian companies and corporate investors under Indonesia’s “golden visa” rules, including foreign investors connected with the Nusantara capital region or appointed as representatives of parent companies.

For long-stay residents, Index E33 is identified in official immigration guidance as the “Second Home” limited-stay visa, intended for foreign nationals who wish to reside in Indonesia without a conventional sponsor, using an immigration guarantee. Public-facing information from immigration and investment-focused services explains that E33 and its subindices cover second-home, retirement and remote-worker routes, each with specific financial thresholds and documentary requirements.

Checking a case under the new framework

For applicants in Bali, the practical starting point is to document the intended activities before selecting a visa. Prospective visitors and residents should identify whether their stay involves tourism, business meetings, medical treatment, employment, investment, family residence, retirement or remote work, and clarify who will act as sponsor or guarantor where required.

The next step is to match that purpose to the current visa indices listed in official immigration guidance and related e-visa instructions. Applicants are advised to confirm the validity period, entry requirements, permitted activities, options to extend or convert status, and required supporting documents at the time of application, rather than relying on older labels still circulating in informal discussions.

Tax and immigration service providers in Bali emphasize that commercial product names or legacy terms such as “KITAS” do not, by themselves, specify the exact visa index now in force. KITAS refers to a limited-stay permit concept, while the visa index identifies the route and purpose that support an immigration application.

Only the competent Indonesian authorities can issue, extend, convert or cancel immigration status, so applicants are encouraged to seek written clarification on the exact index and legal activity covered when arranging work, investment or residence in Bali.

In practice, the safest rule for foreign nationals is to choose the current visa index that matches their real purpose of stay, then ensure that any work, business or investment activities comply with the specific permissions and conditions attached to that index.

Sources

• Direktorat Jenderal Imigrasi – Siaran Pers 13 Juni 2025: "Ditjen Imigrasi Terapkan Kebijakan Terbaru tentang Klasifikasi Visa"
• Kementerian Imigrasi dan Pemasyarakatan – Produk Hukum: Kepmen M.IP-08.GR.01.01 Tahun 2025 tentang Klasifikasi Visa
• IBAI Regulatory Updates – "Renewal of Visa Classification Policy Based on the Minister of Immigration and Corrections Decree No. M.IP-08.GR.01.01 Year 2025"
• ABNR Law – "Indonesia Overhauls Visa System: What Foreigners & Employers Need to Know"
• Japan Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Indonesia Immigration Information
• Migration Protect – "Indonesia Immigration Routes 2026 — E23 Work, E28 Investor/Golden Visa, E33 Second Home & Remote Worker"