Indonesia streamlines e-VoA for South Africa

Indonesia and VFS Global launch a seamless digital e-VoA service to boost tourism and enhance visa application processes globally

Indonesia is aiming to attract 14 million visitors in 2024, having already welcomed 9.92 million tourists between January and August 2024. The introduction of the eVoA (Electronic Visa on Arrival) is part of the country's ongoing efforts to enhance its tourism infrastructure and services. South Africa leads in the number of tourists traveling to Indonesia from Africa.

Through VFS Global, travellers will soon enjoy a faster and more convenient visa application process, which can be completed entirely online before departure. Applicants can receive a pre-approved e-VoA by visiting the VFS Global website, submitting the necessary documents, and making the online payment. Once approved, the e-VoA will be sent directly to travellers’ email, allowing for a smoother entry experience through E-gates or immigration counters.

Silmy Karim, director general of Immigration of Indonesia, stated, “The Directorate General of Immigration offers the latest digital solutions that enhance the experience for foreign nationals who wish to visit Indonesia. In our collaboration with VFS Global, we aim to effectively contribute to increasing the arrival of foreigners, taking into account the network and digital platform owned by our partners.”

Zubin Karkaria, founder and CEO of VFS Global Group, remarked, “Indonesia is a very popular destination for travellers across the globe, and we are excited to unveil a service that will make their visa application process quicker, simpler, and much more convenient. This user-friendly and highly secure digital e-Visa on Arrival (e-VoA) service will considerably enhance the visa application experience, thereby facilitating an increase in tourism to the country. We are honoured to partner with the Directorate General of Immigration under the Ministry of Law and Human Rights and the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy of the Republic of Indonesia for this service."

The new e-VoA platform from VFS Global ensures that applicants’ documents are complete and error-free. It also features OCR technology to automatically populate applicant details, saving time and effort. The platform also supports group bookings, which can benefit travel trade professionals and conventions. To further enhance the process, VFS Global has partnered with Emirates to streamline the Indonesia e-Visa on Arrival (e-VoA) application service for Emirates passengers.