Bali (Indonesia in general) [NOT] to be Visa free for Australians from Jan 2015

[coles525]

Don't start me on porters! Last bali trip Xmas 2015/new year 2016. Met our 'pre booked taxi service' (our name held up), then 3 blokes helped us carry our bags. Thought nothing of it (how stupid), as they were already with our driver.

When we were waiting for the driver to get his car in the carpark, the 3 were waiting and demanding payments. We refused ( "even $1 australian" ), they eventually gave up.

We also mentioned we didnt ask them to take our bags.

 

[Austman]

There's a fair bit about the DPS corruption you can find even just with google. Apparently the fast track services worked by paying airport officials bribes. The pax might not have been aware. It seems that at various points the Government has cracked down on them.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

There's a fair bit about the DPS corruption you can find even just with google. Apparently the fast track services worked by paying airport officials bribes. The pax might not have been aware. It seems that at various points the Government has cracked down on them.

Point taken. I had assumed it was a standard meet-n-greet service!

 

[Chimpy]

When was that? It was completely stopped a few years ago. The IC hotel even had their own arrivals lounge while they did all the formalities. They had to discontinue it. Perhaps it's back?


Of course there's no corruption at DPS. I've only been asked for bribes by officials at DPS twice. I paid one, when sitting in an office opposite a customs official, after being put under some pressure.

I used Bali Fast Track just over a year ago, seems that they are still operating.

Bali Fast Track: VIP Airport Service

 

[theblank]

Don't start me on porters! Last bali trip Xmas 2015/new year 2016. Met our 'pre booked taxi service' (our name held up), then 3 blokes helped us carry our bags. Thought nothing of it (how stupid), as they were already with our driver.

When we were waiting for the driver to get his car in the carpark, the 3 were waiting and demanding payments. We refused ( "even $1 australian" ), they eventually gave up.

We also mentioned we didnt ask them to take our bags.

I usually resolved this by not having any money to pay them!

Sometimes you cannot avoid it because after being in customs for a couple of hours, they will find all your bags on the carousel and put them together and guard them for you. On one of those times I did tip them for that because you gotta appreciate the effort. But still there was about 5 of them, and they were not happy to have to split the tip between all of them, i probably gave a single 50 roops note.

Remembver that it is a case of a country with 250million people and not enough jobs, and they are being entreprenurial. That level of service would never happen in australia!

 

[Austman]

I used Bali Fast Track just over a year ago, seems that they are still operating. Bali Fast Track: VIP Airport Service

That seems to be a much more limited service than what used to be on offer. It looks to be an escorted service where "The passenger together with our staff goes down to the passport control which is passed through out of turn. After that the passenger picks up their luggage on a first - come, first - served basis." etc. It doesn't seem too express (at least from what's stated on the website ).

The "corrupt" services were queue jumping services. No waiting 1, 2 or 3 hours in a line - go straight to the front. Or wait while someone else went straight to the front. And for the ones that had an arrivals lounge, the pax need do nothing but just sit in the lounge with complementary refreshments while everything was done for them. They then were handed back their passports and walked out of the airport. I think the baggage was already taken care of too.

Nice!

 

[Pushka]

The thing with Bali porters is that you dont need to have asked them - if they walk towards your bags you say No. The VIP service was stopped a few years ago due to corruption. Who'd a thunk that!

 

[Chimpy]

That seems to be a much more limited service than what used to be on offer. It looks to be an escorted service where "The passenger together with our staff goes down to the passport control which is passed through out of turn. After that the passenger picks up their luggage on a first - come, first - served basis." etc. It doesn't seem too express (at least from what's stated on the website ).

The "corrupt" services were queue jumping services. No waiting 1, 2 or 3 hours in a line - go straight to the front. Or wait while someone else went straight to the front. And for the ones that had an arrivals lounge, the pax need do nothing but just sit in the lounge with complementary refreshments while everything was done for them. They then were handed back their passports and walked out of the airport. I think the baggage was already taken care of too.

Nice!

It could not have been any faster. We gave him our passports and the money for the VOA, he then took us straight to the luggage carousel while he went and handled the rest.

 

[Austman]

It could not have been any faster. We gave him our passports and the money for the VOA, he then took us straight to the luggage carousel while he went and handled the rest.

But if you do a bit a googling, you'll note that the latest crack down was around November 2015.

 

[Austman]

Here's a link: Bali News: When Fighting Corruption is Taboo It been a problem for a long time...

 

[Chimpy]

Here's a link: Bali News: When Fighting Corruption is Taboo It been a problem for a long time...

Thanks for link, interesting.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

The "corrupt" services were queue jumping services. No waiting 1, 2 or 3 hours in a line - go straight to the front. Or wait while someone else went straight to the front. And for the ones that had an arrivals lounge, the pax need do nothing but just sit in the lounge with complementary refreshments while everything was done for them. They then were handed back their passports and walked out of the airport. I think the baggage was already taken care of too.

Nice!

It was! Very nice!

Here's a link: Bali News: When Fighting Corruption is Taboo It been a problem for a long time...

That link doesn't seem to specifically refer to the meet and greet services? I understand immigration officials have asked for bribes directly from passengers. Or customs staff.

edited - it looks like the original corruption claims do refer to immigration officials directly liaising with passengers (not meet and greet). In this case they asked Chinese passengers for cash in exchange for stamping their passports. http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/09/14/police-launch-probe-bali-airport-extortion.html

 

[Austman]

It was! Very nice! That link doesn't seem to specifically refer to the meet and greet services? I understand immigration officials have asked for bribes directly from passengers. Or customs staff.

Yes but there are plenty of other links to find about the corruption problem over the years. The arrivals queue jumping services and arrivals lounges etc were initially outlawed in 2010. Well a crack down I suppose as they had always been illegal. And look at the wound down arrivals service that is now offered. At least officially. No queue jumping, no customs priority, no arrivals lounge ...

 

[theblank]

That's not corruption though. Most airports have paid for express service and a special lane for them. Just because they have people offering it on the spot at arrivals isnt corrupt provided the are going through the legitimate service that is in place.The ones I saw appear to be doing just that.

 

[Austman]

That's not corruption though. Most airports have paid for express service and a special lane for them. Just because they have people offering it on the spot at arrivals isnt corrupt provided the are going through the legitimate service that is in place.The ones I saw appear to be doing just that.

Yes, to simply escort pax though the system legitimately is one thing. But that's not what was on offer before.

Airport staff were being paid underhand for the express services. And apparently the express services were such lucrative businesses that payments were being made to key personnel and administrators to keep the regular lines long (or at least not bother much about reducing them). Hotel managers have told me that the tourist industry got together to put pressure on officials to get rid of the queues that Bali was becoming infamous for. And that meant getting rid of the corrupt payments system.

With some success it seems.

 

[Cynicor]

Yes, to simply escort pax though the system legitimately is one thing. But that's not what was on offer before.

Airport staff were being paid underhand for the express services. And apparently the express services were such lucrative businesses that payments were being made to key personnel and administrators to keep the regular lines long (or at least not bother much about reducing them). Hotel managers have told me that the tourist industry got together to put pressure on officials to get rid of the queues that Bali was becoming infamous for. And that meant getting rid of the corrupt payments system.

With some success it seems.

I heard the same from the manager of the Conrad there. They have regular meetings with officials now and some sort of cleanup process has been underway since the new airport was built. Looks like they really have gotten their act together to work in favour of their own economy. Quite amazing really, I can only assume that some of the hotels are owned/run by quite scary criminals

 

[Mattg]

I arrived in Bali last night and can confirm that I did not need to pay for a visa. The visa payment counters are still there, but they were completely deserted.

I got two stamps in my passport - one arrival stamp and one marked as "visa exemption" or something like that.

The whole process was very seamless.

 

[Mark3000]

VISA fee free for Bintan island too this week

 

[moa999]

Reportedly it was similar reasons that for rid of the old differential charged for 7/30 day visas.

It was discovered that are certain entry points almost no 30 day visas were applied for -- the officials were skimming the 7-30 day difference

 

[JohnK]

Is Indonesia visa free yet? Especially CGK. Have 4 hours there later today and turning around but luggage only tagged to CGK.

Perhaps transfer counter if that exists?