West Java News Update February 2017

West Java News Update February 2017...

THE JOY OF LALALA FESTIVAL AMIDST LEMBANG ‘S FRAGRANT PINE FOREST

Imagine the wonderful sensation of being caressed by mother nature while enjoying some cool and romantic music at a festival. The pine forest of Grafika Cikole in Lembang near the city of Bandung, West Java was the site where The Group, the event organizer, introduced the LALALA Festival, the first ever International Forest Festival in Indonesia,  held on Saturday, 5 November 2016.  Here you could feel the cool breeze touch your skin once you entered the venue. 

Hundreds of people were present, looking forward to their favourite artists perform. The event was divided into three stages: the Nature Stage, the Future Stage and the Lalala Stage. Despite the muddy and slippery grounds caused by heavy rains during the day, yet everyone seemed to have had great fun with their friends or lovers, exploring the many booths selling a variety of items in the festival.

Situated in Bandung’s pine forest with attractive natural surroundings and a back to nature concept, the LALALA Festival provided the best entertainment that every nature lover could wish. Performing live in the middle of the woods were Kodaline, Keith Ape, Jasmine Thompson, MYMP, Maliq & D’Essentials, Kimokal, Teza Sumendra, Payung Teduh and many more Indonesian and international artists.

MYMP, an accoustic band from the Philippines, successfully created a romantic aura in the midst of the pine forest when they played: Especially for You, a song once performed by Australian recording artists Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan.

The most anticipated artists at the LALALA Festival were Kodaline, Jasmine Thompson, MYMP, Payung Teduh, and Maliq & D’Essentials since the place was packed when they were about to appear on stage.

The pinnacle of the event was Kodaline, an Irish rock band comprising Steve Garrigan (vocal & guitar), Vincent “Vinny” May, Jr (drums), Jason Boland (bass guitar) and Mark Prendergast (on guitar). Their appearance at the  LALALA Festival was their first concert in Indonesia, which according to Kodaline official twitter account was: an incredible show! The audience sang along with Steve Garrigan, the vocalist, in almost all songs including those from their album “In a Perfect World”, that included High Hopes and Love Like This. Their magnetic performance was closed with All I Want, the song that was asked by the audience for an encore. All I Want was featured in season 9 episode on the American drama series: Grey’s Anatomy. 

Through this Festival, the event organizer supported a campaign called #GoodFestival to educate people on the importance of contributing to a healthy and clean festival by adhering to some rules, like to meticulously throwing trash in garbage bins provided, minimizing the use of plastic bags, and attending the LALALA Festival using public transport. Before the day of the festival, the event organizer also announced a list of prohibited items to be carried along to the festival, such as flammable items and fireworks since this was a forest festival.

The event venue, Grafika Cikole, is the perfect place for those who wish to have an authentic and glamorous yet classic camping experience, ensured with the comfort of modern facilities. All tents here come with sleeping bags, electricity, firewood and a supply of corncobs. Check out on glamor camping or glamping at Grafika Cikole and others glamping sites in Bandung here

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Having experienced this fantastic first Festival, all could not wait for the next Forest Festival to be held again in Bandung next year.

Source & Picture : http://www.indonesia.travel/en/post/the-joy-of-lalala-festival-amidst-lembang-s-fragrant-pine-forest

VISA FREE FOR 169 COUNTRIES TO TRAVEL TO INDONESIA

By Presidential Decree of 21 of 2016 dated on 2 March 2016 on Visa Free, replacing Presidential Regulation Number 104/2015 on Amendments to Presidential Regulation Number 69/2015 on Visa Free, Indonesia now provides special Short Stay Visa Free facilities for tourists who are nationals of a total 169 countries who wish to travel to Indonesia.  

PASSPORTS AND VISAS

All travelers to Indonesia must be in possession of a Passport that is valid for at least six (6) months from the date of arrival, and have proof (tickets) of onward or return passage.

Free Tourist Visa

Tourist Visa Free Facilities are valid for 30 days, are non-extendable and cannot be transferred into any other type of of stay permit. The visa exemption facility can be used for tourism, family visit, social visit, art and cultural, government duty, to deliver a speech or attend a seminar, international exhibition,meetings with head office or representative office in Indonesia, or transit.

The following are the Countries granted Visa Free Facilities according to Presidential Decree No. 21 of2016:

1.       Albania

2.       Algeria

3.       Andorra

4.       Angola

5.       Antigua and Barbuda

6.       Argentina

7.       Armenia

8.       Australia

9.       Austria

10.   Azerbaijan

11.   Bahamas

12.   Bahrain

13.   Bangladesh

14.   Barbados

15.   Belarus

16.   Belgium

17.   Belize

18.   Benin

19.   Bhutan

20.   Bolivia

21.   Bosnia & Herzegovina

22.   Botswana

23.   Brazil

24.   Brunei Darussalam

25.   Bulgaria

26.   Burkina Faso

27.   Burundi

28.   Cambodia

29.   Canada

30.   Cape Verde

31.   Chad

32.   Chile

33.   China

34.   Comoros

35.   Costa Rica

36.   Croatia

37.   Cuba

38.   Cyprus

39.   Czech Republic

40.   Denmark

41.   Dominica (Commonwealth)

42.   Dominican Republic

43.   Ecuador

44.   Egypt

45.   El Salvador

46.   Estonia

47.   Fiji

48.   Finland

49.   France

50.   Gabon

51.   Gambia

52.   Georgia

53.   Germany

54.   Ghana

55.   Greece

56.   Grenada

57.   Guatemala

58.   Guyana

59.   Haiti

60.   Honduras

61.   Hong Kong

62.   Hungary

63.   Iceland

64.   India

65.   Ireland

66.   Italy

67.   Ivory Coast

68.   Jamaica

69.   Japan

70.   Jordan

71.   Kazakhstan

72.   Kenya

73.   Kiribati

74.   Kuwait

75.   Kyrgyzstan

76.   Lao, People’s Democratic Republic

77.   Latvia

78.   Lebanon

79.   Lesotho

80.   Liechtenstein

81.   Lithuania

82.   Luxemburg

83.   Macao

84.   Macedonia

85.   Madagascar

86.   Malawi

87.   Malaysia

88.   Maldives

89.   Mali

90.   Malta

91.   Marshall Islands

92.   Mauritania

93.   Mauritius

94.   Mexico

95.   Moldova

96.   Monaco

97.   Mongolia

98.   Morocco

99.   Mozambique

100.                        Myanmar

101.                        Namibia

102.                        Nauru

103.                        Nepal

104.                        Netherlands

105.                        New Zealand

106.                        Nicaragua

107.                        Norway

108.                        Oman

109.                        Palau

110.                        Palestine

111.                        Panama

112.                        Papua New Guinea

113.                        Paraguay

114.                        Peru

115.                        Philippines

116.                        Poland

117.                        Portugal

118.                        Puerto Rico

119.                        Qatar

120.                        Romania

121.                        Russian Federation

122.                        Rwanda

123.                        Saint Kitts and Nevis

124.                        Saint Lucia

125.                        Saint Vincent and Grenadines

126.                        Samoa

127.                        San Marino

128.                        Sao Tome and Principe

129.                        Saudi Arabia

130.                        Senegal

131.                        Serbia

132.                        Seychelles

133.                        Singapore

134.                        Slovakia

135.                        Slovenia

136.                        Solomon Islands

137.                        South Africa

138.                        South Korea

139.                        Spain

140.                        Sri Lanka

141.                        Suriname

142.                        Swaziland

143.                        Sweden

144.                        Switzerland

145.                        Taiwan

146.                        Tajikistan

147.                        Tanzania

148.                        Thailand

149.                        Timor Leste

150.                        Togo

151.                        Tonga

152.                        Trinidad and Tobago

153.                        Tunisia

154.                        Turkey

155.                        Turkmenistan

156.                        Tuvalu

157.                        Uganda

158.                        Ukraine

159.                        United Arab Emirates

160.                        United Kingdom

161.                        United States

162.                        Uruguay

163.                        Uzbekistan

164.                        Vanuatu

165.                        Vatican City State

166.                        Venezuela

167.                        Vietnam

168.                        Zambia

169.                        Zimbabwe

Nationals of the 169 countries can enter and exit Indonesian Territory through 124 Immigration Checkpoints in airports, seaports and land borders as follows:

Airports:

1.       Adi Soemarmo, Surakarta

2.       Adi Sucipto, Yogyakarta

3.       Ahmad Yani, Semarang

4.       Bandara International Lombok, Mataram

5.       Belitung, Tanjung Pandan

6.       Binaka, Sibolga

7.       El Tari, Kupang

8.       Frans Kaisiepo, Biak

9.       Halim Perdana Kusuma, DKI Jakarta

10.   Hang Nadim, Batam

11.   Husein Sastranegara, Bandung

12.   I Gusti Ngurah Rai, Bali

13.   Juanda, Surabaya

14.   Kuala Namu, Medan

15.   Maimun Saleh, Sabang

16.   Minangkabau, Padang

17.   Mopah, Merauke

18.   Mozes Kilangi, Tembaga Pura

19.   Pattimura, Ambon

20.   Polonia, medan

21.   Sam ratulangi, manado

22.   Sepinggan, balikpapan

23.   Soekarno Hatta, Banten

24.   Sultan Hassanudin, Makassar

25.   Sultan Iskandar Muda, Banda Aceh

26.   Sultan Mahmud Badarudin II, Palembang

27.   Sultan Syarif Kasim II, Pekanbaru

28.   Supadio, Pontianak

29.   Tarakan, Tarakan

Seaports:

1.       Achmad Yani,  Ternate

2.       Amamapare, Tembaga Pura

3.       Anggrek, Gorontalo

4.       Bagan Siapi-api, Bagan Siapi-api

5.       Badar Bentan Telani Lagoi, Tanjung Uban

6.       Bandar Seri Udana Lobam, Tanjung Uban

7.       Bandar Seri Setia Raja, Bengkalis

8.       Batam Center, Batam

9.       Batu Ampar, Batam

10.   Belakang Padang, Belakang Padang

11.   Belawan, Belawan

12.   Benete, Sumbawa Besar

13.   Biak, Biak

14.   Boom Baru, Palembang

15.   Celukan Bawang, Singaraja

16.   Citra Tri Tunas, Batam

17.   Ciwandan, Cilegon

18.   Dumai, Dumai

19.   Dwi Kora, Pontianak

20.   Gunung Sitoli, Sibolga

21.   Jambi, Jambi

22.   Jayapura, Jayapura

23.   Kabil, Batam

24.   Kendari, Kendari

25.   Kota Baru, Kota Baru

26.   Kuala Enok, Tembilahan

27.   Kuala Langsa, Aceh

28.   Kuala Tanjung, Tanjung Balai Asahan

29.   Kuala Tungkal, Jambi

30.   Lauren Say, Maumere

31.   Lembar, Mataram

32.   Lhokseumawe, Lhokseumawe

33.   Malahayati, Aceh

34.   Malundung, Tarakan

35.   Manado, Manado

36.   Marina Teluk Senimba, Batam

37.   Marore, Tahuna

38.   Merauke, Merauke

39.   Miangas, Tahuna

40.   Nongsa Terminal Bahari, Batam

41.   Nusantara, Pare-pare

42.   Nusantara, tahuna

43.   Padang Bai, Singaraja

44.   Panarukan, Panarukan

45.   Pangkal Balam, Pangkal Pinang

46.   Panjang, Bandar Lampung

47.   Pantoloan, Palu

48.   Pasuruan, Pasuruan

49.   Pemangkat, Sambas

50.   Probolinggo, Probolinggo

51.   Pulau Baai, Bengkulu

52.   Sabang, Aceh

53.   Samarinda, samarinda

54.   Sampit, Sampit

55.   Samudera, Bitung

56.   Sekupang, batam

57.   Selat lampa, Ranai

58.   Semayang, Balikpapan

59.   Siak Sri Indrapura, Siak

60.   Sibolga, Sibolga

61.   Sintete, Sambas

62.   Soekarno Hatta, Makassar

63.   Sorong-Sorong

64.   Sri Bayintan, Tanjung Pinang

65.   Sri Bintan Pura, Tanjung Pinang

66.   Sungai Guntung, Tembilahan

67.   Tanjung Balai Karimun, Tanjung Balai Karimun

68.   Tanjung Benoa, Denpasar

69.   Tanjung Emas, Semarang

70.   Tanjung Gudang, Pangkal Pinang

71.   Tanjung Harapan, Selat Panjang

72.   Tanjung Intan, Cilacap

73.   Tanjung Kelian, Pangkal Pinang

74.   Tanjung Lontar, Kupang

75.   Tanjung Pandan, Bangka Belitung

76.   Tanjung Perak, Surabaya

77.   Tanjung Priok, DKI Jakarta

78.   Tanjung Uban, Tanjung Uban

79.   Tanjung Wangi, Jember

80.   Tarempa, Tarempa

81.   Teluk Bayur, Padang

82.   Teluk Nibung, Tanjung Balai Asahan

83.   Tembilaha, Tembilahan

84.   Tri Sakti, Banjarmasin

85.   Tual, Tual

86.   Tunon Taka, Nunukan

87.   Yos Sudarso, Ambon

88.   Yos Sudarso, Cirebon

Land Borders:

1.       Aruk, Sambas

2.       Entikong, entikong

3.       Metamauk, Atambua

4.       Mota’ain, Atambua

5.       Nanga Badaum Sanggau

6.       Napan, Atambua

7.       Skouw, Jayapura

For details and enquiries please contact the Indonesian Embassy in your home country. If the 30 days of Visit Visa Exemption facility feels insufficient, visitor still can apply for Visa on Arrival (given for 30 days and extendable for another 30 days) or Visit Visa.

Visa-on-Arrival:

The Indonesian Government extends Visa on Arrival (VoA) to nationals of 61 countries which can be obtained at designated entry airports and sea ports. Visa-on-Arrival are valid for 30 days and are extendable with another 30 days to be applied at Immigration offices in Indonesia. Visas cost US$35

Please note that starting 26January 2010, the 7-day Visa-on-Arrival has been discontinued.

Exception to this is the Special Economic Zone in the Riau Islands province, where the 7-day Visa on Arrival (VoA) can still be obtained at the seaports on the islands of Batam, Bintan -including Tanjung Pinang and Bandar Bentan Telani -  and Karimun. The7-Day VoA Visa fee is US$ 15.

Countries extended Visa-on-Arrival facility are:

1. Algeria, 2. Australia, 3.Argentina, 4.Austria, 5. Bahrain, 6. Belgium, 7. Brazil, 8. Bulgaria, 19. Canada, 10.Cyprus, 11. Denmark, 12. Egypt, 13. Estonia, 14.Fiji, 15. Finland, 16.France,17. Germany, 18.Greece 19.Hungary, 20.Iceland, 21.India, 22.Iran, 23. Ireland,24.Italy, 25. Japan, 26.Kuwait, 27. Lao PDR, 28.Latvia, 29.Libya, 30.Lithuania, 31.Liechtenstein, 32. Luxemburg, 33. Malta, 34. Maldives, 35.Monaco,36. Mexico, 37. New Zealand, 38. the Netherlands, 39. Norway, 40. Oman, 41.Panama, 42. The People’s Republic of China, 43.Poland, 44. Portugal, 45.Qatar,46.Rumania, 47.Russia, 48.South Africa, 49.South Korea, 50.Switzerland,51.Saudi Arabia, 52.Spain, 53.Suriname, 54.Sweden, 55.Slovakia, 56.Slovenia,57.Taiwan, 58. Tunisia. 59..the United Arab Emirates, 60. the United Kingdom,61. The United States of America.

More Information on imigration available at: http://www.imigrasi.go.id

VISA Application at Indonesia Embassies or Consulates

Visitors from other countries must apply for visa at Indonesia Embassies or Consulates in their home country.In addition,  visas cannot be replaced with any other immigration letters.The visa shall then be administered by  the Visa Officer in the presence of the applicant concerned.

You may find information on Indonesia embassies and consulates contact details at the Ministry of Foreign Affair website on the following direct link: http://www.kemlu.go.id/ 

For further information on applying for visa to Indonesia, you may browse our FAQs.

Free entry visa is also provided to delegates registered in a conference that is officially convened. In addition, tourist visa can be obtained from every Indonesian Embassy or Consulate. You can visit Indonesia through certain means and gates, by air via Jakarta, Bali, Medan, Manado, Biak, Ambon, Surabaya and Batam; by sea via Semarang, Jakarta, Bali, Pontianak, Balikpapan, Tanjung Pinang and Kupang.Maximum stay in Indonesia is two months.

Airport Tax

An airport tax of Rp150,000 islevied by airports on departing passengers on international flights andRp.40,000 for those on domestic routes. Most airlines today incorporate airporttax into their total tickets cost on purchase. Do make sure that this isalready included.   

Tipping

Most hotels add a 10% servicecharge to the bill on top of the 10% tax. In restaurants where service chargeis not added, a tip of 5 to 10% on the bill will be appropriate depending onthe service and type of establishment.

Customs

• Maximum items allowed by customswhen you visit Indonesia:
• 1 liter of alcoholic beverages
•  200 cigarettes OR 50 cigars OR 100 grams of tobacco
• Reasonable amount of perfume per adult, meaning if you arrive drenched in perfume the customs probably will not mind you carrying loads of bottles.
• Cameras, video cameras, portable radios, cassette recorders, binoculars and sport equipments are admitted provided they are taken out on departure. They must be declared to Customs.

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      You are prohibited to carry:

•          Firearms
•          Narcotics drugs
•          Pornography materials
•          Chinese printing and medicines
•         Transceivers and cordless telephone
•          Films, pre-recorded video tapes, laser discs, VCDs, DVDs must be screened by Censor Board.
•         Import or export of foreign currencies and travelers’ checks are allowed. However, the import and export of Indonesia currency, exceeding 100 million Rupiah is prohibited.

Further information on customsand taxes in Indonesia, log into www.beacukai.go.id