Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto used their 7 July summit in Jakarta to pledge “enhanced tourism cooperation and streamlined visa facilitation.” The joint statement calls for discussions on visa-on-arrival expansion, cross-border QR-code payments and additional direct flights, building on last year’s India–Indonesia air-services agreement. Both leaders highlighted the need for more maritime and air connectivity and endorsed the convening of the third Joint Task Force on Andaman–Aceh Connectivity later in 2026. Officials say aviation regulators are already studying new Delhi–Surabaya and Mumbai–Bali routes, while low-cost carriers look at secondary city pairs such as Hyderabad–Medan. For corporate mobility planners, the big win would be reciprocal short-stay visa waivers similar to the India–Thailand 30-day arrangement. Indonesian officials privately indicated that Jakarta is open to limited waivers for Indian business travellers if India reciprocates for Indonesian investors, though negotiations are at an early stage. The statement also mentions cooperation on local-currency settlement, which could simplify expense management for assignees by reducing FX conversion fees. Companies operating across both markets—particularly in IT services, mining and manufacturing—should monitor upcoming working-group meetings, as any visa facilitation could materially shorten lead times for project deployments.
Source: Prime Minister’s Office (India)
