Academic Researchers who entered a state with wrong visas, will be charged with a heavily increased fine. This is the result of the Indonesian government reworking its legal framework for researchers as part of an overall revision of criminal penalties.

The Australian Financial Review spoke to Kevin Evans, Indonesia Director of the Australia-Indonesia Centre, related to his concerns for the research community inside and outside of Indonesia. He said that the potential application of its criminal articles, especially where there remains some uncertainty around what is, in fact, covered by a research visa, or how and when they need to be obtained, adds a degree of risk for foreign researchers seeking to engage with potential Indonesian counterparts. 

This year, two ANU (Australia National University) academics were refused to entry Indonesia because they entered with tourist visas. Previously, a fine of Rp48million (AU$5000) was imposed for academic researchers with wrong visas. If someone is now caught, they will be liable for an AU$400,000 fine and also a risk of jail time. 



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