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Still Relying on a Tourist Visa to Stay in Bali? That Old Approach Is No Longer the Way Forward
If you’ve been following Indonesia’s latest immigration developments, you may have noticed a clear shift: Indonesia is rapidly moving toward a more digital and highly structured immigration system.
The changes are not simply about upgrading technology or making immigration services more convenient. Behind them is a much broader transformation in how Indonesia manages foreign nationals and long-term residency.
On August 27, 2026, Indonesia’s national news agency ANTARA reported that the Directorate General of Immigration is significantly expanding the use of AI, drones, facial recognition and other technologies as part of its immigration modernization efforts.
According to Immigration Director General Hendarsam Marantoko, technology is expected to become a core part of Indonesia’s future immigration services, with around 70% of immigration-related services eventually relying on digital systems.
And this is already happening on the ground.
Facial recognition has been introduced at Bali’s Ngurah Rai International Airport, while some border points are testing drones and other digital technologies. Indonesia has also begun laying out a long-term immigration technology framework extending toward 2045.
Each development may look like a simple technology upgrade on its own.
But taken together, they point to something much bigger:
Indonesia is building a more digital, standardized and increasingly specialized immigration system.
For foreigners, that means the way you enter Indonesia, obtain residency and manage your immigration status is likely to become increasingly structured around this new digital framework.
01 | What Is Actually Changing in Indonesia’s Immigration System?
Traditionally, when people looked at a country’s immigration policy, they focused on three basic questions:
Can I enter?
How long can I stay?
What visa do I need?
But as international mobility becomes more diverse, those three questions are no longer enough.
People come to Indonesia for very different reasons.
Some are here for short-term travel. Others work locally, invest, start businesses, retire, work remotely, or simply want Indonesia to become their long-term base without taking up local employment.
Each group has different needs.
And immigration systems around the world are responding to this shift by moving away from broad, one-size-fits-all categories toward more specialized residency pathways designed around specific people and lifestyles.
Indonesia is now moving in the same direction.
02 | Residency Options Are Becoming More Specialized
One of the clearest signs of this shift is the continued expansion and specialization of Indonesia’s visa categories.
Today, different needs are increasingly matched with different immigration pathways.
There are dedicated routes for employment, investment, education, family reunification, retirement and remote work.
And in 2026, Indonesia took this approach one step further with the introduction of Global Citizen of Indonesia (GCI).
GCI is primarily designed for foreign nationals who have an existing connection with Indonesia through heritage, family or historical ties.
This includes former Indonesian citizens, descendants of former Indonesian citizens, spouses of Indonesian citizens, and children from international marriages, among other eligible groups.
GCI is not a conventional investment migration program.
Instead, it represents another example of Indonesia developing long-term residency options for specific groups of people with specific connections to the country.
The framework includes different residency categories, such as E32E, E32F, E32G and E32H, designed for former Indonesian citizens and their descendants.
The broader message is worth paying attention to:
Indonesia’s immigration system is moving away from a one-size-fits-all model.
Different backgrounds and different reasons for living in Indonesia are increasingly being matched with different residency categories.
03 | Why Does GCI Matter?
GCI is not designed for every foreign national.
It specifically targets people who already have a family, heritage or historical connection to Indonesia.
Many of these individuals hold another nationality but still want to maintain a long-term connection with Indonesia and continue living there without giving up their existing nationality.
What is particularly interesting is how GCI fits into Indonesia’s wider digital immigration transformation.
The electronic visa system is increasingly integrated with immigration and entry procedures, and eligible applicants can access a more streamlined pathway to long-term residency.
This connects the two major trends we have been discussing:
More specialized residency categories + more digital immigration services.
GCI is a good example of how these two developments are coming together.
04 | Digital Immigration + Specialized Residency = A More Diverse Long-Term Residency System
As the foreign population in Indonesia becomes more diverse, a single residency category can no longer realistically meet everyone’s needs.
Different people have different reasons for living in Indonesia.
And that naturally leads to a more sophisticated question:
Not simply “Can a foreigner live in Indonesia?” — but “What type of residency status best fits this person’s circumstances?”
At the same time, digitalization is going beyond airport facial recognition and online visa applications.
Indonesia has also been expanding immigration service facilities in areas with large foreign populations. In July 2026, for example, an immigration service lounge was opened in Kuta to provide more convenient access to residency-related services for foreigners.
Together, these developments are creating a broader ecosystem of long-term residency options.
Retirees, remote workers and people with Indonesian heritage may have their own pathways.
And for individuals with sufficient financial resources who simply want to establish a long-term base in Indonesia, the Second Home Visa, E33, is one of the options within this broader system.
05 | Where Does the Second Home Visa Fit In?
This broader context makes it easier to understand the role of Indonesia’s Second Home Visa (E33).
The E33 is primarily aimed at individuals with a certain level of financial capacity who want to establish a long-term lifestyle base in Indonesia.
It serves a different group from retirement residents, remote workers, employment-based residents, investors and those eligible for GCI.
For people who want to spend extended periods in Bali or elsewhere in Indonesia, establish a long-term base in Southeast Asia, or enjoy an overseas lifestyle without relying on local employment, the Second Home Visa offers a relatively clear residency pathway.
The E33 currently provides a five-year long-term residency status.
Applicants do not need to find a local individual or company sponsor. Subject to meeting the relevant financial commitment requirements, the visa allows eligible applicants to establish long-term residency in Indonesia and travel in and out of the country during the validity period.
But the real value of the Second Home Visa is not simply its entry requirement.
It is about having a residency status that matches a particular lifestyle.
For someone who already knows they want to spend significant time in Indonesia, but does not fit neatly into the categories of retiree, employee or family-based resident, E33 can be a particularly relevant option.
06 | The Bigger Shift: From “Having a Visa” to “Having the Right Status”
For years, overseas residency was often viewed in fairly simple terms:
Get a visa → receive a period of stay → renew when necessary.
Indonesia’s current direction suggests something more sophisticated.
A person’s work situation, family relationships, financial position, heritage and long-term lifestyle goals can all determine which residency pathway makes the most sense.
Digital technology then provides the infrastructure to manage these different categories more efficiently.
That is why, when looking at Indonesia’s immigration policy going forward, it is not enough to focus on whether one particular visa has changed.
The more important question is:
How is Indonesia defining different categories of foreign residents, and what type of residency status is being created for each group?
Conclusion | A New Way to Look at Indonesia’s Second Home
Indonesia’s immigration system is gradually becoming more digital, more structured and more specialized.
Different groups of foreign nationals are increasingly being offered different pathways to long-term residency.
For applicants, that means the future of Indonesian immigration should not simply be about comparing visa requirements.
It should be about finding the right residency pathway for your actual lifestyle, family situation, financial position and long-term plans.
The Second Home Visa E33 is certainly not a one-size-fits-all solution.
But for individuals with sufficient financial resources who want to spend more time in Indonesia, establish a long-term lifestyle base and do not depend on local employment, it remains one of the long-term residency options worth paying attention to.
As Indonesia continues to digitalize its immigration services, application procedures and residency management are likely to become increasingly standardized and technology-driven.
For anyone considering Indonesia as a long-term home or lifestyle base, understanding the changing immigration landscape is only the first step. The more important step is finding the residency pathway that actually fits your situation.
Sources
This article is based primarily on information published by Indonesia’s Directorate General of Immigration (Direktorat Jenderal Imigrasi), the Ministry of Immigration and Corrections (Kementerian Imigrasi dan Pemasyarakatan) regarding the Global Citizen of Indonesia (GCI) program, and ANTARA’s August 27, 2026 report on Indonesia’s adoption of AI, drones, facial recognition and other technologies in immigration services.
Visa categories, residency requirements and immigration policies are subject to change and should be confirmed against the latest official Indonesian government information.
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