Travel Formalities & Useful Hints
Introduction
Imigration All visitors travelling to Indonesia must be in possession of a passport valid for at least six months from the date of arrival and have proof of onward passage. Visas are not required for nationals of Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, France, Greece, Germany, Ice land, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kuwait, Liechtenstein, Luxemburg, Malaysia, Malta, Morocco, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom {Great Britain), United States of America, United Emirate Arab and Venezuela.
Visa free entry is also allowed for registered delegates attending a conference which has received official approval For those not belonging to the above categories, tourist visas can be obtained from any Indonesian Embassy or Consulate. Holders of a Certificate of Identity (CI) from Hong Kong can obtain visas for group travel, with a minimum of 5 persons, from the Consulate General of Indonesia in Hong Kong for visits not exceeding 30 days. Travel and accommodation should be arranged by a tour operator. Entry and exit must be in groups, and through Soekarno-Hatta International airport of Jakarta, "Ngurah" Rai- Bali or Polonia Medan.
Entry and exit must be made through certain specified gateways: By air through Jakarta, Bali, Medan, Manado, Biak, Ambon, Surabaya and Batam; By sea through Semarang, Jakarta, Bali, Pontianak, Balikpapan, Tanjung Pinang and Kupang. For other ports of entry and exit special visas are required. The maximum stay permitted is two months and is not extendible.
Health
International health certificates for smallpox and cholera are not required, except from travellers arriving from infected areas.
Customs
Indonesian Customs allows on entry a maximum of two liters of alcoholic beverages, 200 cigarettes or 50 cigars or 100 grams of tobacco and a reasonable amount of perfume per adult. Cars, photographic equipment, typewriters and tape recorders must be declared to Customs upon entry and must be reexported. 'prohibited from entry are TV sets, radios, narcotics, arms and ammunition, printed matter in Chinese characters and Chinese medicines.
Advance approval has to be acquired for carrying transceivers and all movie films and video cassettes must be censored by the Film Censor Board. Fresh fruit, plants and animals must have quarantine permits.
There is no restriction on import or export of foreign currencies. However, the export or import of Indonesian currency exceeding Rp.50,000 is prohibited.
Transportation From Soekarno-Hatta
International Airport To The City V.V
Taxi fares are metered and will cost between Rp.15,000,- and Rp.20,000,- to the downtown area of the city where most large hotels are located.
The air conditioned airport bus service will cost approximately Rp.3,000,- to any of the five city zones. Hotel limousine services are provided by some of the leading hotels in the city, offering a city-airport-city transportation service on a complimentary basis to hotel guests. At all major airport terminals, inquires about local transportation should be directed to the information counter.
Exit
The Government of Indonesia has officially abolished the exit permit required for people leaving the country, effective from August 17, 1992.
Airport tax levied on passengers for international travel i Rp.21,000,- for travel within Indonesia regional variations occur. Expect to pay an average of about Rp.8,000,-.
Tipping
Major hotels usually add a 10% service charge to bills. Where it is not included a tip of between 5% to 10% of the bill would be appropriate if the service is satisfactory.
Airport porters expect Rp.2,000,-for a small bag and Rp.3,000, for bags weighing more than 20 kg.
Tipping taxi and hire-car drivers is not mandatory, but if service has been satisfactory a basic Rp.1,000,- tip is sufficient for a taxi driver, Hire-car drivers would normally expect a larger tip.
Clothing
Dress is normally informal in Indonesia due to the warm, humid climate and clothing of light fabrics are recommended. Travelling in highland areas is noticeably cooler, however, and carrying a light sweater may prove useful. Accepted attire for men is a shirt and long pants. A jacket and tie are required for official calls or for more formal occasions. Long sleeved batik or handwoven shirts are acceptable for evening functions. For ladies, dresses, blouses, and long pants are appropriate. Shorts, halters or tank tops should only be used at sports facilities or on the beach.
Office Hours
Business offices are usually open either from 8.00 am to 4.00 pm or 9.00 am to 5.00 pm, with a break for lunch between 12.00 noon and 1.00 pm. but on Saturday many business offices are closed.
Government office hours are from 8.00 am to 4.00 pm from Monday to Friday and on Saturday many Government offices are closed.
Banking
Normal banking hours are from 8.00 am to 2.30 pm from Monday to Friday. Some bank branches in hotels, however, keep longer hours.
Jakarta has several international banks but money can also be changed at hotel cashiers, and authorized money changers. Daily exchange rates are published in newspapers. The US dollar is the most readily accepted currency.
Most major tourist destination areas have foreign exchange facilities, but for travel to remote areas, it is advisable to change money and travelers cheques in advance. Credit cards are acceptable only at major hotels, restaurants and travel agencies.
Shopping
Major cities in Indonesia have shopping complexes, supermarkets and department stores where prices are fixed. Shops are usually open all week including Sundays. Shopping hours are usually between 9.00 am and 9.00 pm for department stores and supermarkets in the large cities with shorter hours on Sundays. In smaller cities, shops may be closed between 1.00 pm and 5.00 pm.
Bargaining is customary in small shops and markets, the art of which is to start at half the asking price and slowly increase your offer until a compromise is reached. Remember it helps to smile while bargaining.
Sports
Traditional sports in Indonesia include bull races, bull fights, rowing, and unique ram fights, all of which are held as part of special festivities.
Silat, a martial art, can be performed as a dance or an exercise and is comparable to Karate or Kung Fu. However, the most popular sports in Indonesia are soccer, badminton, and table tennis. Golf is becoming more and more popular and a number of excellent golf course can be found across the archipelago.
Most major hotels have their own tennis and squash courts, swimming pools, health clubs and those at seaside resorts provide equipment for sailing, surfing, scuba diving and windsurfing. There are also a growing number of dive shops which provide necessary equipment and professional services.
Time
The Indonesian archipelago is spread over three time zones. Western Indonesia Standard Time, which covers the islands of Sumatra, Java & Madura, West and Central Kalimantan is 7 hours ahead of GMT; Central Indonesia Standard Time covers East and South Kalimantan, Sulawesi, Bali and Nusa Tenggara, and is 8 hours ahead of GMT; finally Eastern Indonesia Standard Time, which covers Maluku, and Irian Jaya is 9 hours ahead of GMT.
Electricity
Power supply is usually 220 volts/250 cycles in large cities, but 1 10 volts is still used in some ares. Normal outlets are plugs with two rounded pins. It is advisable to check electricity supplies before using any appliances.
Capital: Jakarta
Independence: 17 August 1945 (proclaimed independence; on 27 December 1949, Indonesia became legally independent from the Netherlands)
Legal system: based on Roman-Dutch law, substantially modified by indigenous concepts and by new criminal procedures code; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 17 years of age; universal and married persons regardless of age
Economy
Economy - overview: The Indonesian economy stabilized in 1999, following the sharp contraction and high inflation of 1998. By following tight monetary policy, the government reduced inflation from over 70% in 1998 to 2% in 1999. Although interest rates spiked as high as 70% in response to the monetary contraction, they fell rapidly to the 10% to 15% range. The economy stopped its free-fall as GDP showed some growth in the second half of 1999, although GDP for the year as a whole showed no growth. The government managed to recapitalize a handful of private banks and has begun recapitalizing the state-owned banking sector. New lending, however, remains almost unavailable as banks continue to be wary of issuing new debt in an environment where little progress has been made in restructuring the huge burden of outstanding debts. IMF payments were suspended late in 1999 as the result of evidence that a private bank had illegally funneled payments it received from the government to one of the political parties. The government has forecast growth of 3.8% for FY00/01. The spread of sectarian violence and continuing dissatisfaction with the pace of bank and debt restructuring will make it difficult for Indonesia to attract the private investment necessary to achieve this goal.
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2% (1999 est.)
Industries: petroleum and natural gas; textiles, apparel, and footwear; mining, cement, chemical fertilizers, plywood; rubber; food; tourism
Agriculture - products: rice, cassava (tapioca), peanuts, rubber, cocoa, coffee, palm oil, copra; poultry, beef, pork, eggs
Currency: Indonesian rupiah (Rp) = 100 sen
Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 3.291 million (1995)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 1.2 million (1998)
Telephone system: domestic service fair, international service good
domestic: interisland microwave system and HF radio police net; domestic satellite communications system
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Pacific Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 678, FM 43, shortwave 82 (1998)
Radios: 31.5 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 41 (1999)
Televisions: 13.75 million (1997)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 24 (1999)
Transportation
Railways:
total: 6,458 km
narrow gauge: 5,961 km 1.067-m gauge (101 km electrified; 101 km double track); 497 km 0.750-m gauge (1995)
Highways:
total: 342,700 km
paved: 158,670 km
unpaved: 184,030 km (1997 est.)
Waterways: 21,579 km total; Sumatra 5,471 km, Java and Madura 820 km, Kalimantan 10,460 km, Sulawesi (Celebes) 241 km, Irian Jaya 4,587 km
Pipelines: crude oil 2,505 km; petroleum products 456 km; natural gas 1,703 km (1989)
Ports and harbors: Cilacap, Cirebon, Jakarta, Kupang, Palembang, Semarang, Surabaya, Ujungpandang
Merchant marine:
total: 586 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,676,875 GRT/3,700,864 DWT
ships by type: bulk 38, cargo 346, chemical tanker 9, container 19, liquified gas 5, livestock carrier 1, passenger 7, passenger/cargo 13, petroleum tanker 114, refrigerated cargo 1, roll-on/roll-off 11, short-sea passenger 8, specialized tanker 9, vehicle carrier 5 (1999 est.)
Airports: 446 (1999 est.)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 127
over 3,047 m: 4
2,438 to 3,047 m: 12
1,524 to 2,437 m: 39
914 to 1,523 m: 41
under 914 m: 31 (1999 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 319
1,524 to 2,437 m: 5
914 to 1,523 m: 33
under 914 m: 281 (1999 est.)
Heliports: 4 (1999 est.) |
