Immigration Issues Over 4,000 eVoAs via VIS Global Since January 2025

The Directorate General of Immigration has expanded the reach of the Electronic Visa on Arrival (eVOA) program through its collaboration with VFS Global, resulting in the issuance of 4,345 eVOAs submitted via the VFS Global platform between January and May 21, 2025.

Although this number is relatively small compared to the total eVOAs issued through direct applications on the evisa.imigrasi.go.id website, the Directorate General of Immigration affirms that promotions and publications about the eVOA and other Indonesian immigration services have reached Australia, India, the United Kingdom, and the United States through VFS Global offices and their promotional channels and media platforms. These four countries, along with the People’s Republic of China (PRC), are major target markets for the eVOA program.

Arief Munandar, Director of Cooperation and Representative Development, emphasized that the collaboration with VFS Global plays a strategic role in expanding access to Indonesia’s electronic visa services.

“This cooperation also serves as a form of Indonesia’s public service diplomacy to the world,”
Arief stated during the Monitoring and Evaluation Meeting of the Cooperation Agreement with PT VFS Services Indonesia in Sentul City on Friday, May 23, 2025.

He noted that the evaluation marks a concrete step in supporting the directives of the Minister of Immigration and Corrections to enhance the quality of inclusive, globally standardized digital immigration services.

Data from the Directorate General of Immigration shows a significant increase in eVOA submissions via the VFS Global platform in February–March 2025, reaching an average of 1,000 eVOAs per month—following a trial period in December 2024 and January 2025. Meanwhile, total entries and exits through Immigration Checkpoints from January to the third week of May 2025 exceeded 12 million. During the same period, the use of autogates more than doubled compared to the same time last year. For foreign nationals, autogates are only available to holders of electronic passports.

At the same event, Kaushik Gosh, Head of Australasia at VFS Global, expressed appreciation for the effective implementation of the partnership over the past four months.

“We are observing the potential growth of eVOA applicants through VFS, particularly from India, Australia, the United Kingdom, the United States, and South Africa,”
he added.

The meeting between the Directorate General of Immigration and VFS Global produced several key agreements, including the acceleration of a reconciliation dashboard development—set to begin in June 2025—and the establishment of a promotional timeline for immigration services managed by VFS Global. Additionally, VFS Global is expected to continue introducing the system to international audiences through various promotional efforts, such as outdoor campaigns in London and New York. Plans are also in progress for collaborations with foreign airlines and advertising partnerships with businesses in India.

“This evaluation reflects our shared commitment to enhancing the visibility and accessibility of Indonesia’s electronic visa services on a global scale. We believe that synergy between the government and official service partners like VFS will help deliver immigration services that are reliable, secure, and user-friendly,”
Arief concluded.