Visa for Batam, Indonesia
by Mario
(SFO USA)
We had wanted to join a Malaysia day tour from Singapore.
The hotel tour staff informed us the tour to Johor Bahru was fully booked for the rest of October. They suggested we take a private tour which the hotel can arrange. Unfortunately, when they quoted the cost, we felt it maybe something we can do some other time.
One of the travel agencies we went to see at People's Park suggested we go on a one day tour of Batam Center Indonesia, a 45 minute ferry ride from Harborfront Centre.
It was a pleasant trip marred only by rudeness on the part of immigration staff that insisted we needed visas. We explained the U.S. State Department as well as the Indonesian Embassy in Washington circulars stated no visa is required for USA citizens visiting the country for up to 3 months.
It was a good thing you can get a visa right inside the immigration office, costing Singapore dollars 18.00 each. You can imagine if we were ordered to go back to Singapore and get a visa. It could have been a nightmare considering there were other tourists waiting for us to join them outside the terminal.
I hope others will know about this visa requirement to avoid what we experienced in that part of the world. Thank you.
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