Indonesia Is the Latest Country to Develop a Digital Nomad Visa

If Bali's picture-perfect beaches or Sumatra's national parks are calling your name, the work-from-home set-up of your dreams may soon become a reality. Following in the footsteps of Spain, Italy, and Costa Rica, Indonesia is the latest country to get in on the digital nomad visa game.

Indonesia says that the visa would be valid for five years, making their digital nomad visa program the longest to date—most countries issue one- and two-year remote-work visas, although some, including Norway and Thailand, allow immigrants to work in their respective countries for up to four years.

While the Southeast Asian country has frequently welcomed remote workers over the years, digital nomads must either apply for a tourist visa, enabling them to stay in Indonesia for up to 60 days, or get approved for a temporary work permit, valid for six months.

The visa, which has been in development since 2021, would also allow remote workers to be exempt from paying local income taxes. "If they earn [an] income within Indonesia, they will be taxed, but if it's solely from overseas, there will be zero tax," said Sandiaga Uno, Indonesia's Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy, as reported by Economic Times.

This rule would help protect remote workers from getting double taxed, as current rules dictate that anyone who lives in Indonesia for "longer than 183 days of a full year" must pay local tax rates. In Indonesia, employees with salaries between $34,200 and $342,300 are taxed 30 percent of their earnings.

Although the visa is still in the works, Uno says that in the meantime, visitors can expect faster visa-processing times and an increased number of flights to the archipelago.

"In the past, the 'three S's' were sun, sea, and sand. We're moving it to serenity, spirituality, and sustainability," Uno told Bloomberg.